As the world prepares to enjoy the sport and spectacle of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we have been helping organisations prepare to keep their athletes and support personnel safe.
We have recently delivered safeguarding training and briefings to the British Olympic Association (BOA), ParalympicsGB, and to national governing body athletes, staff and coaches.
In this blog Carole Billington-Wood, one of the CPSU’s Senior Consultants, tells us more.
Carole, can you tell us who the training was for?
“Over the past few months our training has been focused on supporting a range of organisations in preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“Some of the training was developed specifically for athletes in the high-performance and talent systems. And we have also developed sessions for those working in the athlete support network, including, mental health champions, designated safeguarding officers, coaches, doctors in sports and exercise medicine, and physiotherapists.
“We have delivered training to the ParalympicsGB Paris core welfare team and welfare briefings to all ParalympicsGB staff and volunteers.
“We have also continued to deliver our training to World Class Performance (WCP) Programmes in Olympic and Paralympic sports. And we recently delivered sessions to athletes, staff and coaches at UK Athletics.”
What did the training cover?
“A key aim of the training was to help athletes, and their support networks, recognise inappropriate behaviour and give them the confidence and knowledge to report their concerns early, no matter how small.
“We also spent time exploring what 'wellbeing' means to the athletes and support personnel in their unique environments. Wellbeing is an inherent aspect of high-performance sport that lays the foundations for optimum results. It should underpin all high-performance environments, including training and competition.
“The training was developed to support the wellbeing and safety of both young people and adults in the high-performance system and was delivered alongside Ann Craft Trust, a leading authority in safeguarding adults.”
How did you develop the training content?
“We made sure the sessions provided opportunities to give participants a voice, by providing them with safe spaces. Our priority was to help athletes and staff achieve their potential and contribute their views on things that matter to them.
“Scenario based learning was a key part of all training. We used examples of performance situations to provide attendees with relevant learning experiences.
“We also spent a lot of time considering the development of the training for younger athletes, aged under 25, to engage them in a style which they could relate to.
“We worked hard to make sure all sessions were fully accessible to everyone taking part. This included Para athletes with a range of physical, sensory and learning needs. We worked with sports psychologists from the UK Sports Institute (UKSI) to ensure we tailored the group sessions to meet the individually assessed needs of those attending.
“We made reasonable adjustments to enable athletes with additional needs to have the same opportunity to learn and engage with the materials. We made sure that we had time to help attendees process the materials, and to support carers who were also attending.”
How did delivering the sessions go?
“We had fantastic engagement from all the stakeholders involved.
“All sessions were delivered virtually. There had been plans for some face-to-face sessions, but this was hampered by rail strikes. For the ParalympicsGB core Welfare Team we adapted the sessions to online delivery and included active learning such as scenarios and role play, which was well received.
"The British Elite Athletes Association (BEAA) were also involved in this active learning, as they provide additional welfare support throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games”
What was your key learning from the training?
“Recent high-profile cases in sport can sometimes be scary for athletes and the people in their support networks. In feedback, attendees highlighted that discussing scenarios was useful, as it gave them the opportunity to explore what might be appropriate or inappropriate behaviour in a performance environment. Having a safe space to explore this with their peers was highly valued.
"One attendee said that they found 'chatting through scenarios, role plays and discussing approaches in the context' most useful.
“It’s important to normalise conversations about welfare to help create safer performance environments for everyone.”
What did you enjoy most?
“I enjoyed working with so many passionate people in the high-performance system and developing training that supports athletes to achieve their potential.
“I think that if you get welfare right, you get the best out of people. It's also great to hear athletes’ views on things that matter to them, it's a privileged position to help them have a voice in these areas.
“For me, the whole build up to Paris 2024 is exciting and I've enjoyed following the Olympic squad announcements and ParalympicsGB’s selections. I feel proud that we have played a small part in supporting their preparations.”
Are there any future plans?
“We have an ongoing relationship with the British Paralympic Association as we provide consultancy and support for their safeguarding work. We will meet post-Paris as part of their review of the Games. We will look at how plans and training can continue to evolve to deliver best practice for Milan Cortina, LA and beyond.
“We are also excited to be delivering follow up sessions to British athletes post-Olympic and Paralympic Games. The training will build on our pre-Games conversations and will continue to make sure that athletes are key contributors in shaping their training and competition environments.”