Case Reflections and External Learning: Keeping Boards Curious and Informed

To do that well, they need a clear understanding of the risks, themes, and learning emerging across the wider safeguarding landscape, and not just within their own organisation.

Even if you haven’t had any recent adult safeguarding cases, external case learning offers a powerful window into the real‑world issues affecting adults in sport and in your local communities. 

External learning is one of the most effective ways to strengthen assurance, culture, and oversight across your sport and your local community. 

Key Themes Shaping Safeguarding Adults in Sport

Case reviews, media reports, and local safeguarding adult board (SAB) publications often highlight patterns that are highly relevant to sport:

• Concerns about boundaries.
• Exploitation, and abuse of trust. 
• Social isolation.
• Failures to effectively escalate concerns.

Boards should pay attention to what’s happening in your sport and in your geographical area. This can help you spot emerging risks early. It can also strengthen oversight and ensure your organisation remains proactive rather than reactive.

Staying Connected

External learning can also help boards stay connected with the actual, on-the-ground experiences of adults who are participating in their activities. Additionally, you can get insights into how volunteers experience sport, and on how people may rely on sport and activity for social connection and wellbeing. 

So, where can you access this external learning?

In a range of places:

• Local safeguarding adult boards regularly publish serious adult reviews on their websites.
• National governing bodies also share case summaries that highlight issues around culture, communication, early intervention, and organisational responsibility.
• Local news stories can offer insight, especially when they involve trusted roles, community groups, or volunteer‑led activity similar to your sport’s structures. 

The Role of the Board Champion

Champions can bring this learning into board meetings through a short, structured “learning moment”. This can help keep safeguarding visible without overwhelming the agenda.

A helpful format might include: 

• A brief summary of a recent case or theme from your local SAB, national safeguarding updates, or sport‑related reviews. 
• Two or three key learning points. For example, issues around boundaries, escalation, culture, communication, or early intervention. 
• Why it matters for your organisation. Drawing out the transferable themes for clubs, coaches, volunteers, and activity providers in your sport and region. 

When sharing this external learning, board champions could also raise relevant reflection questions for the board. 

These might include:

• Would we recognise similar risks in our sport or activity environment?
• Are our escalation routes clear and well‑understood by coaches, welfare officers, and volunteers?
• How confident are we in our culture of curiosity and challenge?

This approach keeps safeguarding adults firmly on the governance agenda. It can help boards stay curious, informed, and proactive, even in the absence of internal cases. 

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We offer lots of support to NGBs. We are here to help you build your confidence in safeguarding adults, so you can guide at strategic level to keep people safe from harm within your organisation and the community.

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