YSF Safeguarding and Welfare News – January 2026

Welcome to our first newsletter of 2026. We hope you’ve had a great start to the year. Now’s a good time to do a quick check over your policies and procedures and make sure that you have everything you need and it’s all up to date. You can find guidance on this from the CPSU and Buddle.

Youth Matters National Youth Strategy

In December, the Government released the Youth Matters National Youth Strategy. This has a number of implications for sports clubs and activity providers, as the Government aims to increase the availability of high-quality activities outside of school.

From a safeguarding and welfare perspective, the Government want to ensure that there are more trusted adults to support and listen to children and young people. These could be coaches or volunteers at sports clubs.

If you’d like to find out how we can support your coaches and volunteers to upskill then please have a look at our training page or contact us for a conversation.

Wednesday 11 February from 6pm to 7.30pm.

The theme this time will be Online Safety in Sport, to coincide with Safer Internet Day. You will learn practical tips and guidance on keeping your club and participants safe online. There’ll be lots of time for discussions with other participants.

As always, these free sessions are aimed at Club Welfare Officers but are open to anyone with an interest in safeguarding and welfare in sport and physical activity.

The booking link is on this page, where you can also find out about our Safer Recruitment and DBS myth-busting session which takes place on Wednesday 18 March.

You can find out more about staying safe online and download a free poster from this page.

Exploitation Training – 3 March

The Children’s Society and The Ivison Trust are delivering another event for us about child exploitation. This will take place online on Tuesday 3 March from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.

Across the country, young people are being manipulated, sexually abused, forced to launder money and deal drugs. Exploitation isn't obvious. But it happens everywhere. Our sports volunteers, coaches, parents and carers are the eyes and ears on the ground and are often well placed to spot the signs that something might not be right for a child attending the club.

This virtual event is for anyone involved in a sports club or organisation (including volunteers, parents and carers) and will be particularly useful for club welfare officers. The session will include:

• What child exploitation is
• How to spot signs of child exploitation
• How to report it
• Support for children and families affected by exploitation
  Select tickets – Child Exploitation for Sports Clubs and Organisations – Teams

Time to Talk Day – 5 February

Promoted by Mind, the annual #TimeToTalk day is an opportunity to check in with friends, family and colleagues and have a chat about how you’re feeling.

For sports clubs, if you have a training or practice session that evening, it might be nice to set some time afterwards for a cuppa and conversation. It’s also a good time to share sources of support for people seeking help with their mental health. You can find some helplines and websites on this page.

Children’s Mental Health Week – 9-15 February

The theme of this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week run by Place2Be is ‘This is My Place’. You can watch this video that explains more about it.

How do you ensure that children and young people feel like they belong in their team or at their club? Here are a few ideas:

• We could support you to do some participant voice activities to ensure children have a say in the way they are coached and looked after.
• You could look at the fantastic resources from Play Their Way to learn about child-first coaching.
• Your coaches could work to achieve their Duty to Care digital badge and demonstrate their commitment to looking after those in their care.

Research into Sports and Gambling

Colleagues at Teesside University are carrying out a research project into the link between sports and gambling. They have asked if you’d be happy to complete a short survey to help them gather information. You can access the survey here. Please share this with members of your sports club.

Other campaigns and things to be aware of in February

• LGBT+ History Month
  This takes place throughout February. You could promote inclusivity by raising awareness of successful LGBTQ+ athletes within your sport. 
• Heart Month
  This is promoted by the British Heart Foundation and also takes place throughout February. You can access some free online CPR training and learn how to save a life in just 15 minutes.
• Race Equality Week – 2-8 February
  The theme is #ChangeNeedsAllofUs and looks to tackle barriers to race equality. You can find more information and resources on this page.
• Ramadan begins - 17 February
  During the holy month of Ramadan many Muslims observe a period of fasting. There are a number of articles available that give you information on the best ways to support your Muslim athletes at this time, such as this article from I Coach Kids.
• Eating Disorders Awareness Week – 23 February – 1 March
  There is a higher prevalence of eating disorders amongst athletes in comparison to the general population, particularly in elite sport. You can learn how to spot the signs that someone may be struggling, and find out more about the campaign, on the Beat website.

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Nicola Holmes
Senior Sport Welfare Officer
South Yorkshire and Leeds
07714 733650
nicola.holmes@yorkshiresport.org

Measha Harris
Sport Welfare Officer
West Yorkshire excluding Leeds
07714 733636
measha.harris@yorkshiresport.org