Themed Briefing - July 2021
Safeguarding in Sport
Safeguarding is a vital part of ensuring young people and adults access the support they need and are exposed to positive environments whilst participating in sport and physical activity. But what can you do to ensure the right and effective safeguarding is in place?
Safeguarding often adapts and needs to be kept up to date by following relevant guidance, creating a safe culture and adapting to new environments such as those Covid-19 brought. Certain measures can be taken to improve the safety of these people for example using the DBS service as part of your recruitment process.
We hear from NSPCC who discuss the impact Covid has had on safeguarding, DBS who explain what, why and how a DBS is used and Ann Craft Trust who talk about the importance of creating a safer culture.
Senior Consultant in the Child Protection in Sport Unit, Jude Toasland, talks about safeguarding and the effects Covid has had on this asking the question “where do we go from here?”
As people spent more time at home and online there has been an increase in abuse, online abuse and bullying along with increased difficulty in finding support.
Recent reports have highlighted three key themes to improve safeguarding which are: safeguarding culture, parental engagement and education and the voice of young people.
Read the full transcript here.
DBS Regional outreach Advisor, Kiran Rehal, talks about how safer recruitment decisions can be made and how DBS checks can become part of your recruitment process.
The DBS is split into Disclosure and Barring and allows recruiters to gain access to an individual’s criminal history. There are four different levels of DBS checks so you will need to choose the right one.
If you have any specific questions please reach out to Kiranpreet.Rehal@dbs.gov.uk / DBSRegionaloutreach@dbs.gov.uk
Find the full transcript here.
We hear from Ann Craft Trust’s Safeguarding Adults and Sports Team who discuss what a safe culture is and how this can help prevent abuse. Ann Craft Trust provide advice and support in relation to the safeguarding of disabled children and adults to minimise the risk of harm.
To help create a safer sporting culture, organisations can join the #SaferCultureSaferSport campaign and commit to reviewing and improving their cultures to build a safer environment for everyone.
Safer cultures can be embedded through listening to everybody, providing continuous learning and leading with adequate safeguarding procedures.
