Sarah Ward, is Safeguarding, Culture, and Wellbeing Manager at England Squash. She wrote a guest blog for Safeguarding Adults Week to discuss a new preventative safeguarding initiative they’re piloting for their young athletes.
As England Squash continues its mission to grow the sport and engage a younger generation of players, it’s vital that we look beyond performance metrics and rankings.
The journey through elite sport can be exhilarating. But it can also be emotionally demanding, especially for young athletes navigating the England Development and England Potential programmes.
That’s why we’re launching a new initiative to support players’ wellbeing, to amplify their voices, and to strengthen safeguarding practices across the sport.
Our “Performance Pathways” are structured programmes that guide athletes from grassroots to elite levels. While these pathways offer incredible opportunities, they also introduce pressures that can impact mental health and emotional wellbeing.
A Safe and Supportive Environment
Our new proposal aims to create a safe and supportive environment for young players that exists outside the direct influence of coaching staff and performance teams.
At its core, the initiative offers:
- Independent wellbeing support from the England Squash Safeguarding, Culture, and Wellbeing Manager.
- Confidential spaces for players to share their experiences, challenges, and emotions.
- Personalised Player Profiles, which act as live documents to track wellbeing needs and can be shared with key staff.
- Collaborative care, involving sports psychologists, lifestyle coaches, and performance teams when needed.
- Ambassador roles for engaged players to encourage wider participation.
One of the biggest challenges we envisage is building trust. Young athletes often worry that sharing personal struggles might affect their standing on a performance programme. To overcome this, we’ve clearly outlined Terms of Reference for the Wellbeing Programme, ensuring confidentiality and transparency. With players under 18, we also involve parents and carers to reinforce trust and understanding.
Another challenge is ensuring the support is proactive, not reactive. Safeguarding isn’t just about preventing harm. It’s also about actively promoting wellbeing. This is why we schedule regular check-ins and maintain open lines of communication. We know that when players feel heard and supported, they’re more likely to thrive both on and off the court.
Next Steps
We’re looking to expand the programme to more players. We also want to expand our Player Profile tool, while training staff to better understand the emotional landscape of youth sport. We’re also developing resources for parents, coaches, and clubs to help them support young athletes more effectively.
You can learn more about England Squash on their website.