Responding to Internal Allegations – The Domestic Abuse in Sport and Activity Toolkit

The situation is likely to be complex, and you need to consider all disclosures on a case–by–case basis.

Here are some suggestions: 

DO:

• Act on the information. Even if nothing is clear or proven, you are in a pivotal position at this point and must take some form of action.
• Consider the safety of those involved as per the usual risk factors involved with domestic abuse, but also whether there is risk posed within your organisation.
• Consider safety and refer to the appropriate organisations for support with safety planning, such as local support services and an Independent Domestic Violence Adviser (IDVA).
• Try and ascertain whether or not the matter has been reported to the police, and whether there is an investigation. While it isn’t your role to get involved, this is useful information to have. For example, if there has been an arrest and there are bail conditions, this information can be key to understanding risk. In such circumstances, multi-agency working with a domestic abuse support service would be crucial.
• Consider whether the risk may increase depending on your actions. Risk could increase if you approach the accused, or if you alert them to the concern.
• Consider whether the accused is in a Position of Trust and whether this changes your position or response. While this legislation concerns the safeguarding of children, we would encourage you to consider that all coach/athlete relationships involve a complex power dynamic.
• Refer to your Code of Conduct and consider whether any actions that have been witnessed, or proven, breach this code. Ensure your Code of Conduct outlines the processes that would be followed if a breach has occurred.
• Seek specialist support if you are unsure how to manage the situation.

DO NOT:

• Promise that the accused individual will be automatically removed from the club or organisation.
• State that there is nothing you can do if there is no proven guilt. Even if it feels like this, this will be very disheartening to hear, so you should choose your wording carefully.
• Approach the accused immediately without considering risk.
  
• Begin investigating, or try to prove guilt or innocence.
• Handle the situation alone. Even if you have spoken internally about the situation, you should seek external support if you feel unsure about risk or your level of knowledge as a collective.

Helpful phrases: 

To the victim:

• ‘I can see that this individual’s presence is really causing you distress.’ 
• ‘We are keen to ensure you get professional support to consider your safety.’ 

It can be helpful to mirror the language the victim uses about their situation. For example, if their chosen phrase is ‘I feel so low when they talk to me like that’, you might choose to say, ‘I can see that their presence makes you feel really low’.

To the person reporting the concern (if this is not the victim):

• ‘We appreciate this must be really concerning for you, and whilst we can’t advise you exactly what action we will take, we will consider this report seriously.’
• ‘You may want to reach-out to professional services yourself for advice.’ 

To the accused (if the accused has to be informed, but this will depend on the case):

• ‘We recognise this must be really challenging to hear.’
• ‘We aren’t here to investigate, but we do take the safety of all individuals very seriously and we can’t ignore this report.’

Perpetrator services and self disclosure