Working Together as a Community: Sharing Safeguarding Adults Learning from the Sport Sector
Sport and physical activity can play an important role in people’s lives, creating opportunities to connect, build confidence and be part of a community. Everyone should be able to take part in an environment where they feel safe, respected and supported.
It is also, true, however, that the close relationships and physical demands that exist within sport and activity environments can create a space of vulnerability. It can also allow people to abuse the power dynamics.
By sharing learning, experience and good practice, we can strengthen safeguarding practice across the sport and physical activity sector. Our resources can help organisations to prevent harm and respond effectively when concerns arise.
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, from boards and committees to coaches, staff, volunteers, welfare officers and participants.
Browse Our Safeguarding Adults in Sport ServicesProactive and preventative safeguarding
Good safeguarding starts before a concern is raised. Reviewing your organisation, policies, practices and culture can help create safer, more supportive environments.
Review your organisation
- The Safeguarding Adults Roadmap – A free self-assessment resource to help sport and physical activity organisations create safer environments and develop meaningful safeguarding policies and procedures.
- Culture in Clubs and Groups Self-Evaluation – A free tool to help organisations reflect on their culture and consider how it affects safeguarding practice. Whether you use this tool as it is, or create your own version, it can also be the starting point to consider how you may gather participant and stakeholder voice.
Strengthen leadership and governance
Boards and committees, and particularly the Board Safeguarding Champion, have an important role in embedding safeguarding within an organisation’s leadership, culture and decision-making.
- A guide to good governance in sport and activity
- How a board safeguarding training session can help transform your organisational culture
- Sign up to our board champion newsletter
- Browse our guides and resources for board champions
Develop your knowledge and practice
A huge proportion of good practice in adult safeguarding is about ever-evolving knowledge and growth. It’s also important to remain curious, and to raise challenging questions where appropriate.
Learning and sharing practice can help people feel more confident about their safeguarding responsibilities. People can learn how to act appropriately, both proactively and reactively. Sometimes this includes formal training, but independent reading, listening, and networking can also be valuable.
- Essential Training – for Club Welfare/Safeguarding Officers
- Advanced Training -for sport and activity safeguarding leads
You can also read our guide to the benefits of attending a safeguarding forum, along with the support we offer to club welfare officers, and to independent, commercial, or community sport and activity organisations.
For monthly updates, be sure to subscribe to our specialist Safeguarding Adults in Sport Update:
Sign Up To Our Safeguarding Adults in Sport UpdateReactive and responsive safeguarding
Sometimes safeguarding requires an immediate response. An incident may happen, someone may disclose abuse, or someone may raise a concern.
Knowing how to recognise concerns, respond appropriately, and keep accurate records is an important part of safeguarding.
Recognise and respond to concerns
Practical resources to help sport and physical activity organisations understand and respond to domestic abuse and grooming, with learning that can also inform wider safeguarding practice:
Keep safeguarding records
- Safeguarding and Record Keeping for Sport and Activity Organisations – Guidance for Safeguarding Officers on recording safeguarding matters appropriately, including an example reporting form.
Understand different types of abuse
Understanding different types of abuse and potential signs can help people recognise when someone may be at risk and respond appropriately.
Sharing learning and strengthening safeguarding
Safeguarding is a continuous process. Learning from concerns can help organisations strengthen policies, procedures, training and culture, while effective preventative safeguarding can help reduce the risk of harm.
By sharing what we learn and continually reflecting on practice, we can work together to create safer experiences across sport and physical activity.