The sport and recreation sector is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and adults at risk. Whether a participant, volunteer, spectator or an elite athlete, it is imperative that anyone who engages in sport can do so in a safe, positive environment, free from abuse or harassment.
It’s also important that everyone sees it as their responsibility to think about the role they play in safeguarding. No one can make guarantees here. Having a policy or carrying out a check on an individual on their own won’t work, but doing these things as part of a wider culture that values the importance of safeguarding will help.
Huge progress has been made across the sector in recent years. We know that the introduction of the Child in Sport Protection Unit in 2001, which is part of the NSPCC, has helped many sport and recreation organisations who receive public funding put in place robust policies and procedures for their activity through collaborative working. But the work does not and cannot stop here.
Including safeguarding in A Code for Sports Governance from UK Sport and Sport England, makes clear that effective safeguarding is part of running an effective organisation.
Safeguarding should be viewed as a key organisational priority – with everyone from grassroots volunteers to Board members taking it seriously. It should be viewed as a major ethical and risk issue, and must be given all of the time, resource and support that it requires to be embedded at every level of the organisation.
Of course, increased awareness and education might mean that more cases are reported, as people gain confidence that reports of poor practice or abuse will be treated properly. We should welcome this, but we also need to recognise the resources that are needed to investigate cases properly and the impact this has on those involved.
We welcome the approach the Government is taking, engaging with the sector and being clear that it wants to help to support. It’s good to recognise that it too has a role to play and there are things it can do to improve the various processes and procedures that are in place. No one is complacent here. We have all got work to do, and by working together we can improve things further.