Keeping children safe in sport this summer

As children leave school for their summer holidays many parents will look to holiday provision to support with childcare, and to ensure their children remain active over the coming weeks. It is important however for parents to ensure that activities provided are safe for young people to take part and are providing positive experiences for their young people.

The NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit have created the Keeping Your Child Safe In Sport Campaign which provides advice and guidance for parents on what they should look for in a provider. Always check if the club or organisation is accredited or affiliated to a body (e.g. a sports governing body), as this should mean they have the right safeguarding policies and procedures in place. Even if they're accredited, the team at NSPCC detail some key things to look for below to ensure they take children's and young people's safety seriously:

• A safe environment/ location

• A named Safeguarding lead person

• Consent and emergency procedures in place

• Safe recruitment procedures of staff and/ or volunteers

• Staff have attended relevant safeguarding training

• Activities have adequate supervision for the numbers of young people (and always have at least two adults on site).

• Codes of conduct or expectations for participants, staff and parents

For more information please see resources and support here:  https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/away-from-home/sports-clubs/

There is also a FREE 10 minute e-learning course for parents on how to keep your child safe in sport: https://thecpsu.org.uk/parents/keeping-your-child-safe-in-sport-e-learning-course/