Creating and maintaining a robust safeguarding policy is essential for any organization, particularly within the contact sports sector.
Such a policy ensures the safety and well-being of all involved—athletes, coaches, officials, and other stakeholders. A strong safeguarding framework must be built on good governance, integrity, and inclusion, seamlessly integrated into every aspect of the organization’s operations.
Identifying and Addressing Risks.
What measures does your sport or organization take to proactively identify and address potential risks? Regular risk assessments and reviews are critical to mitigating concerns before they escalate into serious issues. Additionally, can individuals within your organization confidently raise concerns, including anonymously? If so, how are these concerns managed?
Some organizations engage third-party service providers to handle safeguarding concerns, ensuring objectivity and confidentiality. Others manage concerns internally, which requires rigorous processes to protect all parties involved. Does your organization have these safeguards in place?
Safeguarding for Children and Young People
When working with children and young people, it’s vital to ensure everyone understands the meaning of safeguarding and child protection and how these principles apply in practice. Clear communication and training are essential to create a safe environment and prevent harm.
Accessibility of Policies and Procedures
To be effective, safeguarding policies and procedures must be accessible to all. While many rely on smartphones or digital platforms, some individuals prefer hard copies. Ensuring consistent messaging across various media platforms is also crucial, as is offering training to raise awareness and monitoring compliance with safeguarding practices.
Enforcing Standards and Handling Breaches
For any sporting organization, success depends on both healthy competition and appropriate behaviour. Does your organization have clear policies to handle breaches and take disciplinary action? Are your procedures robust enough to withstand third-party scrutiny? Poorly drafted documentation can undermine even the best intentions, leading to financial losses, reputational harm, and, most importantly, failing to address key risks.
Implementing Safeguarding Principles
Applying the 6 Key Principles of Safeguarding while meeting corporate governance requirements can be a complex task. Organizations must ensure their safeguarding frameworks are both comprehensive and practical, reflecting a commitment to safety and well-being at every level.
Expert Guidance
Huw Davies has extensive experience advising organizations on corporate governance and safeguarding, both in sports and other sectors. If you have questions about this article or need support with governance and safeguarding implementation, feel free to contact Huw at HDavies@1ec.co.uk.
