Building a collective culture of safety

In this very special podcast episode, Connor, a member of the NSPCC Young People's Board for Change (YPBC) hosts and interviews Rachel Tarr, Child Protection Manager from The Football Association (The FA), Michelle North, Head of the NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU) and Maisie, another member of the NSPCC YPBC.

This podcast was recorded for the NSPCC CPSU's Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport Week, which took place 7-11 October 2024.  

Download transcript

In this episode, Connor from the NSPCC Young Person's Board for Change interviews our safeguarding panel about how to build a collective culture of safety within sport, throwing out some challenging and thought-provoking questions such as:

• what does sport mean to them, who has influenced their sporting journeys and who made them feel safe?
• what does a safe sporting environment look like?
• how do they balance competition and young people's wellbeing?
• who has inspired them to take care of themselves on and off the court?
• what are the key challenges in safeguarding and how can we address them?
• what improvements would they like to see in the world of youth sport?

In this insightful discussion, the panel tackle a broad spectrum of safeguarding topics, from the importance of a supportive coaches and having fun to involving young people in the shaping of clubs, parents and carers and safeguarding volunteers.

They also touch on mental health, The FA's Play Safe campaign, the CPSU case data research and the importance of strengthening unregulated and unaffiliated sport and physical activity. 

Featuring:

• Connor – Host, NSPCC YPBC
• Rachel Tarr – Child Protection Manager from The Football Association (The FA)
• Michelle North – Head of the NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU)
• Maisie – NSPCC YPBC

Can’t see the player? You can also listen to this podcast on our Audioboom channel.