Enhance your safeguarding practices and create a safe, supportive environment by utilising the resources available below. Explore various safeguarding themes, including position of trust, professional boundaries, grooming and exploitation, digital safety, poor practice and lower-level concerns, children’s rights, safeguarding legislation and policies, and doping and clean sport.

Protecting individuals from harmful practices in sport and physical activity is a fundamental aspect of coaching. Safeguarding involves identifying signs of abuse and recognising poor coaching practices to ensure a positive and enriching experience for everyone. It also includes learning how to address issues sensitively, appropriately, and effectively.

Whether coaching children or adults, at the grass-roots level or in high-performance settings, every coach has a responsibility to provide a safe environment for their participants. It’s not enough to merely discuss safeguarding; coaches must deeply understand their role in fostering a culture of care in sport and physical activity.

Coaches need to be vigilant for indicators of abuse and neglect, which begins with understanding and connecting with those they coach. Making an effort to understand people and form connections by taking an interest in their world is crucial for developing relationships that encourage openness, allowing coaches to address concerns effectively.

Creating an environment where children, young people, and vulnerable adults feel physically and psychologically safe requires coaches to listen to their participants and ensure they have a space to express their feelings. When participants don’t feel safe, valued, and supported, building trust and rapport becomes challenging.

Safeguarding Webinars