Safeguarding Courses for Sports Coaches

Learn how to create an environment where children, young people and adults feel safe

Choose from a variety of learning options, including online courses and in-person workshops, designed to fit your schedule. Our training ensures you can easily access the knowledge and skills you need to safeguard effectively.

For over 25 years UK Coaching have worked with the NSPCC’s Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU) to set the right standards and raise awareness amongst the coaching community of how to recognise and respond to matters of safeguarding children.

We have also partnered with The Ann Craft Trust to offer learning on how to support and promote the welfare of adults, and with the CPSU on training for welfare officers.

This page gives you an overview of our Safeguarding courses for children and adults.

We fully support UK Coaching's courses to ensure people can recognise and respond to concerns children and young people may have in and out of sport.

Michelle North Service Head of the Child Protection in Sport Unit

Safeguarding and Protecting Children

From newcomers to those updating their skills, our course options ensure everyone is equipped to create a safer environment for children in sport and physical activity.

Renewal: Protecting Children with Disabilities in Sport (eLearning)

Learn about the different forms of abuse and additional considerations for deaf and disabled children.

LEARN MORE

digital-safety-for-children-in-sport-option-2-full

Renewal: Digital Safety for Children in Sport (eLearning)

Recognise the opportunities and dangers of different digital communications, and how to minimise the risks to children’s safety.

LEARN MORE

A parent high fives his child in front of the net of an outdoor football pitch

Renewal: Working with Parents & Carers in Sport (eLearning)

Explore how parents, carers and volunteers can make a hugely positive contribution to children's experience of sport and physical activity.

LEARN MORE

A smiling taekwondo coach kneels on the matt, flanked by two young girls in protective gear, all smiling and looking into the camera

Safeguarding & Protecting Children (Workshop)

Interactive workshop to help you recognise poor practice and the red flags of abuse, while prompting a review of your coaching to ensure a positive, enriching experience for all children.

LEARN MORE

A boxing coach carefully ties a head guard onto a young boxer, preparing them for a fight, with focus and determination visible on their faces

Safeguarding & Protecting Children (Online Classroom)

Raise your awareness of the tell-tale signs of abuse, and gain the tools and confidence you need to deal with any issues sensitively, appropriately and effectively.

LEARN MORE

A young football coach stands ready to catch a ball being kicked back to him by a teen player, while another young player in the background skillfully controls a ball

Safeguarding and Protecting Children for Young Coaches

This new workshop/online classroom is for young coaches embarking on their coaching journey. Designed by experts in child welfare, with the safety of the young coach in mind.

LEARN MORE

Safeguarding and Protecting Children for Young Volunteers

This new workshop/online classroom will help young volunteers confidently transition from participants to responsible volunteers in sport and physical activity. The course is designed for young volunteers aged 13-15.

LEARN MORE

In line with the NSPCC's Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU) and most governing bodies of sport recommendations, it's essential to renew your safeguarding knowledge every three years to ensure the safety and well-being of children in sport and physical activity.

Developed in partnership with the NSPCC’s Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPUS) our comprehensive offering of Safeguarding and Protecting Children workshops, online classrooms, and range of eLearning courses are designed to:

enhance your understanding of what it means to be a child today.
help you adopt a child-first coaching approach, ensuring every child's voice is heard and respected giving every child the choice to shape their own experiences of sport and physical activity.
provide practical techniques for creating a secure and inclusive environment.

Additionally, with our eLearning you can explore specialised topics such as protecting children with disabilities in sport, digital safety, and effective collaboration with parents and carers to deepen your expertise.

We also offer specialised courses for Welfare Officers, with our ‘Welfare Officer Training: Time to Listen’ workshop and online classroom. These are designed to help you learn everything you need to know about this role, ensuring you’re effectively supporting and safeguarding children.

Two boys engage in conversation with their PE teacher, communicating during a class in the school gym

Welfare Officer Training: Time to Listen (Workshop)

Learn about Welfare Officer responsibilities, the necessary skills to excel, and how to effectively support and safeguard children.

LEARN MORE (INSERT LINK)

A school coach, holding a clipboard, sits in the stands engaged in a focused conversation with a young student, offering guidance and support.

Welfare Officer Training: Time to Listen (Online Classroom)

Learn how you can support, empower, and safeguard children effectively in this interactive online classroom

LEARN MORE

Safeguarding Adults

Developed with the Ann Craft Trust our courses will help you effectively and appropriately support and promote the welfare of adults.

A fitness coach, on her knees, attentively ensures a distressed runner is okay, offering support and compassion to him

Safeguarding Adults: Professional Boundaries (eLearning)

Explores best practice in preventing professional boundaries being crossed, how to protect yourself (as a coach) and the adult you may be in contact with.

LEARN MORE

A smiling older lady, seated on a matt with a towel around her neck, engages in a congratulatory hand grab with her personal trainer, who holds a tablet in the other hand

Safeguarding Adults: Adults with Care and Support Needs (eLearning)

Equips coaches with the knowledge to know how they can protect adults who are more vulnerable, including if the carer is the one abusing.

LEARN MORE

Safeguarding Adults (Workshop)

Raise your awareness of how to safeguard adults effectively, ensuring that you have the confidence required to recognise and respond effectively to safeguarding concerns.

LEARN MORE

Safeguarding Adults (Online Classroom)

Build your confidence in recognising and responding to safeguarding concerns with our interactive online sessions and expert support.

LEARN MORE

Our courses, developed with the Ann Craft Trust, offer flexible learning options: choose from a face-to-face workshop, an online classroom, or eLearning. Each format ensures comprehensive coverage of safeguarding adults.

The core content of the eLearning has been mapped to the Safeguarding Adult professional standard. It provides a comprehensive exploration of various aspects of adult safeguarding, starting from debunking common misconceptions to outlining the appropriate actions and expected conduct in a situation involving an adult at risk. There are two versions of this course to choose from. They both contain the core Safeguarding Adults in Physical Activity and Sport module, plus an additional module with a focus on a topical aspect of safeguarding adults: Professional Boundaries and Adults with Care and Support Needs.

Attend the workshop or online classroom and through interactive scenarios and discussions with people working in different activities and sports, you will have the opportunity to explore the consequences of decisions in a safe and supportive environment, helping to increase your confidence to deal with safeguarding issues effectively.

What People Think

Safeguarding is a key responsibility for anyone involved in children’s sport

We fully support UK Coaching's courses to ensure people can recognise and respond to concerns children and young people may have in and out of sport, leading to safer places for them to enjoy sport and physical activity.

Michelle North Service Head of the Child Protection in Sport Unit

Three children sit at the top of a skate ramp on a sunny summer day, each absorbed in their own smartphone, enjoying a moment of digital engagement under the warm sun

Brilliant...

...to update my knowledge. The updates related to more information on the use of social media and other digital engagement to enhance coaching was very good!

Learner Renewal: Digital Safety for Children in Sport (eLearning)

Two smiling adults, dressed in bright red kits with white shorts featuring red stripes, joyfully raise their arms while holding a ball, celebrating a moment of teamwork and sport

Very good course

Lots of detailed information, real life scenarios and key action points regarding safeguarding adults. Would definitely recommend!

Learner Safeguarding Adults (eLearning)

An athletics coach, with 'coach' emblazoned on the back of her shirt, holds an iPad as she faces a lineup of children on the track, ready to start their session

Excellent delivery and interaction

Really good content. Great starting point for someone like me taking over as club welfare officer.

Learner Safeguarding & Protecting Children (Workshop)

Smiling young girl in a wheelchair holds a basketball, ready to play, radiating joy and enthusiasm for the game

The presentation was very easy to follow/understand

The online discussions raised several questions that you might not have thought about.

Learner Safeguarding & Protecting Children (Online Classroom)

Two smiling young girls celebrate joyously, one piggybacking the other, while their teammates cheer them on in the background, creating a vibrant scene of team spirit and happiness

It was well worth my doing this course.

It refreshed my previous training and updated it where necessary! I would recommend it to all Coaches and Welfare Officers.

Learner Safeguarding & Protecting Children (Online Classroom)

A smiling young boy lies under his duvet, engrossed in his smartphone, radiating contentment and comfort in his cozy setting

Great opportunity...

...to upgrade knowledge on safeguarding and protecting children in an age where digital media and technology have a huge influence over children's lives.

Learner Renewal: Digital Safety for Children in Sport (eLearning)