Child Protection in Sport
Prepared by:
Christine May, Senior Research Consultant, Clearinghouse for Sport
Reviewed by: Australasian Sport Information Network
Last updated: 05 November 2020
Content disclaimer: See Clearinghouse for Sport disclaimer

'Child protection' is concerned with keeping young people under the age of legal responsibility safe from abuse, discrimination, and harassment. It also involves protecting young people from those who are deemed unsuitable to be working with children, and from harmful practices.
Key messages

Sporting organisations have a legal and moral obligation to ensure that children are protected from physical and/or psychological harm while participating or attending their organised (and sanctioned) events and activities.

Sporting organisations are obliged to comply with the respective child protection legislation that exists in each Australian state and territory.

Australian Government funded sporting organisations are required to have a current Member Protection Policy in place and in practice to receive public funding.
Background
Child abuse is often considered a generic term, which encompasses a range of different forms of misconduct by adults toward children. The term child protection also has many meanings that range from a broad community based approach to very narrow definitions associated with procedures. In the context of sport, the boundaries are often blurred.
The literature identifies six common types of misconduct involving the actions of adults toward children in a sports’ setting: (1) bullying; (2) harassment; (3) hazing; (4) emotional misconduct; (5) physical misconduct; and, (6) sexual misconduct (including child sexual abuse). All forms of misconduct are intolerable and in direct conflict with the ideals of sport.
- United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, United Nations, (1989). While the Convention does not directly refer to sport, Article 19 sets forth children’s rights to protection from maltreatment, violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. In addition, Article 31 confirms the right of all children to play.
- IOC Consensus Statement on Sexual Harassment and Abuse in Sport, International Olympic Committee, (2007). This document defines the problems, identifies the risk factors, and provides guidelines for prevention and resolution. The aim of the Consensus is to improve the health and protection of athletes through the promotion of effective preventive policies, as well as increased awareness of the problems.
Protecting children engaged in sport from abuse, exploitation, and any form of physical or psychological harm is a core issue for adults who administer and deliver sports programs. Like other institutions having a duty of care to children, sporting organisations are not immune to failures of policy, procedures, or systems.

How extensive is the problem?
The 2015 Safeguarding Children in Sport report highlighted that there was very limited research into children’s experiences of harm in relation to their participation in sport. Without this data it is difficult to determine the scope of the problem, or develop effective approaches to protect children.
A key three-year study conducted in the United Kingdom investigated the types of abuse found in a sports setting and the extent of that abuse. This research built upon other studies that tended to focus on particular forms of harm or particular participants (e.g. elite athletes).
- The experiences of children participating in organised sport in the UK, Alexander K, Stafford A and Lewis R, University of Edinburgh Child Protection Research Centre, (2011). This report summarises a three year study of children and young people’s experiences of participating in sport in the United Kingdom. A large sample of young people, aged 18–22 years, were asked to describe their experiences of sport as children; interviews and online methods were used to gather the data. Evidence suggests that a significant minority of children participating in sport face negative and harmful experiences, ranging from minor misuse of power and bullying to sustained and systematic physical and sexual abuse. The types of behaviour (by adults or peers) toward children considered to be inappropriate included, but were not limited to: (1) authoritarian, abusive, aggressive, and threatening behaviour from adults and (in some cases) peers; (2) disrespectful treatment that included victimisation; (3) deliberate over-training or excessive physical demands; (4) ill treatment by over-zealous parents as a consequence of sport participation; (5) bullying; (6) physical abuse; (7) emotional abuse; (8) grooming by paedophiles; and (9) sexual assault and abuse. This study found that the most common form of abuse was emotional harm, experienced (to some extent) by approximately 75% of respondents. This may take many forms –from abusive language to exclusion and victimisation. Twenty-nine per cent of respondents had experienced some sexually harassing behaviour, and 25% had experienced physically threatening treatment. Only 3% reported experience of sexually harmful behaviour. Differences by gender were minimal except in the case of sexual harassment, which was much more commonly reported by women.
- Children’s experience of sport in Australia. Lynne McPherson, Maureen Long, Matthew Nicholson, Nadine Cameron, Prue Atkins, Meg E Morris, International Review for the Sociology of Sport, Volume 52(5), pp.551-569, (2015). This paper reports on a study designed to explore children’s experiences of organised sport, as recounted by young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 years. A mixed methods study design was implemented, which resulted in 107 survey responses and 10 follow-up interviews with young adults. Although overwhelmingly, young people reported the lasting developmental benefits of participation in organised sport as children, more than 50% also reported negative experiences, including emotional and physical harm and sexual harassment. The reasons for these apparently contradictory findings are explored. The role of coaches, peers, parents and the wider sporting association ethos are investigated and suggestions made for future research.
Athletes who identify as same sex attracted or gender diverse (SSAGD) may be particularly vulnerable to abuse. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) athletes are more likely to report harassment and psychological abuse. Research in Australia has identified sport as a significant site of homophobic harassment. Many people have reported discrimination and exclusion in sport because of their sexuality and gender identity, and this failure by sport to provide an open and welcoming culture creates some unique challenges; not only for LGBTI individuals, but also for the culture within a sport.
- The impact of homophobic bullying during sport and physical education participation on same-sex-attracted and gender-diverse young Australians’ depression and anxiety levels, Symons C, O’Sullivan G, Borkoles E, et.al., Institute for Sport, Exercise and Active Living (ISEAL), Victoria University, (2014). The aim of this study was to investigate whether homophobic bullying and abuse occurring in sport and physical education (PE) settings were associated with the mental health and wellbeing of young SSAGD Australians. The study not only explored the welfare of these young people in these spaces, but also examined whether barriers exist for SSAGD young people participating in, or continuing to participate in, sport and PE. Key insights include:
- SSAGD youth reported significantly higher mental health and wellbeing concerns than heterosexual youth.
- Verbal homophobic abuse in these settings was strongly associated with poor mental health and wellbeing of SSAGD youth. Unconditional self-acceptance was found to be a strong protective factor against such abuse and interventions targeting self-acceptance may strengthen resilience.
- Despite many SSAGD youth thriving in sport and PE settings, homophobia and transphobia communicates to them that ‘they are not welcome here’, which can prevent them from enjoying the many physical, mental and social health benefits of participation and maintaining lifelong participation.
- PE class was a particular concern for SSAGD youth, where verbal and physical abuse was reported more often than in other sport settings.
- The gendered nature of sport and PE provides challenges for gender diverse young people, and more focus should be placed on understanding their needs and on ways to encourage safer and more welcoming participation for this group.
- Including LGBT young people in sport, a guide, LGBT Youth North West and Pride Sports, England, (2014). This guide provides some pointers for National Governing Bodies and other sport providers on how to make their sport more accessible to LGBT youth. It also deals with making sport a safe and inclusive environment.

Complexity of child protection issues
Evidence suggests that sexual abuse is relatively rare compared to other forms of harm children may experience in organised sport. This challenges the common perception that paedophilia in sport is rife; although the serious and criminal nature of child sexual abuse makes it the highest priority in child protection strategies.
The use of ‘punishment’, particularly in children's sport, may have abuse implications. The deliberate use of abusive language, or the assignment of physical tasks may be used, or perceived, as punishment and this, in turn, may be interpreted as abuse or harassment. While no one would sanction a coach striking an athlete, there is some uncertainty about what constitutes physical punishment; and the interpretation of psychological ‘punishment’ may be even harder to define.
A 2013 position statement by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport implies that ‘forced physical exertion’ which is emotionally and psychologically harmful to a child or youth, can be interpreted as punishment. When the coach assigns extra push-ups, running, or verbally abuses or degrades an athlete, this is ‘punishment’. The authority position of the coach can also make ‘punishment’ a form of sexual abuse. To determine whether an action is punishment or legitimate physical exertion as part of a training program, two tests are generally applied to any specific situation: intent and consent.
- The use of physical punishment of children and youth in sport and recreation, Position Statement, Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES), (2013). The CCES defines physical punishment of children and youth in sport as any activity or behaviour required as a consequence of poor sport performance or some other undesirable behaviour that causes an athlete physical pain, discomfort, or humiliation and is: (1) disconnected from, or not logically related to, the sport performance or behaviour it is intended to change; or (2) disconnected from, or not logically related to, improving performance in the sport; and (3) not consented to by the athlete (and/or their parent or guardian).
Within a sporting environment behaviour or attitudes that produce prejudice, exclusion, or harassment not only tarnish the reputation of individuals, but clubs and sport as a whole. These actions can be very hurtful and offensive to those who are targeted, causing depression, anxiety, and isolation.

National framework for protecting Australia's children
In 2009, all Australian governments endorsed and committed to implementing the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009-2020. This inaugural document details the long-term, national approach to help protect all Australian children. The National Framework has been implemented through a series of three-year action plans.
- An overview of the various Action Plans, as well as copies of the annual reports are available from the Department of Social Services website.
- Measuring progress. The National Framework has a set of indicators for which a quick reference guide and dynamic data displays are available from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Royal Commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse
On Friday 11 January 2013 a six member Royal Commission was appointed to investigate Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Australia.
The Royal Commission investigated how institutions such as schools, churches, sporting bodies, and government organisations have responded to allegations and instances of child abuse.
A public hearing into sporting clubs and institutions was held in April 2016.
The scope and purpose of the public hearing was to inquire into:
1. The experiences of men and women who were sexually abused as children in sporting clubs.
2. The response of Tennis Australia, Tennis NSW, and the NSW Institute of Sport to allegations of child sexual abuse by a coach.
3. The response of Football NSW to allegations of child sexual abuse by a coach.
4. The systems, policies, practices, and procedures in relation to child protection and for receiving, investigating, and responding to allegations of child sexual abuse promoted and implemented by:
- Australian Olympic Committee
- Australian Paralympic Committee
- Australian Sports Commission
- NSW Institute of Sport
- Netball Australia
- Little Athletics Australia
- Surf Life Saving Australia
- Football Federation Australia
- Football NSW
- Tennis Australia
- Tennis NSW
- Cricket Australia
- Queensland Cricket
- A local Queensland cricket club
5. Other related matters.
The role of the Royal Commission was to uncover where systems had failed to protect children and make recommendations on how to improve laws, policies, and practices.
Reports
- Report into sporting clubs released. Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Commonwealth of Australia, (30 November 2016).
- Case Study 39 - The response of certain football (soccer) and tennis and cricket organisations to allegations of child sexual abuse, Commonwealth of Australia, (2016). In Case Study 39, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse examined the institutional responses of football (soccer), tennis and cricket organisations to allegations of child sexual abuse. The focus of the public hearing was on the following children’s sporting organisations: Football NSW (or Soccer NSW, as it was known until March 2007); a local cricket club in Queensland and the Queensland Cricket Association; and, Tennis NSW.
- Royal Commission Public Case Study 15 (Swimming Australia). The Royal Commission public hearing examined the response of Swimming Australia Ltd to allegations of child sexual abuse.
- Findings of the hearing. Report of Case Study No. 15: Response of swimming institutions; the Queensland and NSW Offices of the DPP; and the Queensland Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian to allegations of child sexual abuse by swimming coaches, Commonwealth of Australia, (2015)
- Report - Royal Commission: Working With Children Checks, (August 2015). This report contains the Royal Commission’s final recommendations on Working with Children Checks. It is based on laws, policies and information current as at 1 May 2015. It contains recommendations that aim to strengthen the protection children receive through Working With Children Checks.
Final report
On 15 December 2017 the Royal Commission officially ended with the publication of the Final Report.
- Final Report, Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, (December 2017). The Final Report comprises 17 volumes and includes 189 new recommendations, many of which are aimed at making institutions safer for children. Together with the three final reports already released – Criminal Justice, Redress and Civil Litigation, and Working With Children Checks – Commissioners have made a total of 409 recommendations. An overview of findings and recommendations relevant to sport, recreation, arts, culture, community and hobby groups is available in the Preface and Executive Summary.
- Volume 14: Sport, recreation, arts, culture, community and hobby groups, Final Report, Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, (December 2017). This volume examines what was learned about institutional responses to child sexual abuse in sport and recreation institutions. It describes children’s sport and recreation in Australia, child sexual abuse in this context, and the nature and adequacy of institutional responses to that abuse. This volume makes recommendations to prevent child sexual abuse from occurring in sport and recreation environments and, if it does occur, to help ensure effective responses.
Recommendations for sport and recreation organisations included:
- Recommendation 14.1 - Child Safe Standards. All sport and recreation institutions, including arts, culture, community, and hobby groups, that engage with or provide services to children should implement the Child Safe Standards identified by the Royal Commission.
- Recommendation 14.2 - A representative voice for the sector. The National Office for Child Safety should establish a child safety advisory committee for the sport and recreation sector with membership from government and non-government peak bodies to advise the national office on sector-specific child safety issues.
- Recommendation 14.3 - Expanding Play by the Rules. The education and information website known as Play by the Rules should be expanded and funded to develop resources – in partnership with the National Office for Child Safety – that are relevant to the broader sport and recreation sector.
- Recommendation 14.4 - Improving Communication. The independent state and territory oversight bodies that implement the Child Safe Standards should establish a free email subscription function for the sport and recreation sector so that all providers of these services to children can subscribe to receive relevant child safe information and links to resources.
On 13 June 2018, the Australian Government tabled its response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The Government accepted all four recommendations in principle and identified that it had already announced in the 2018 Budget the intention to create a grass roots child safe sport initiative across Australia called ’Safe Sport Australia’.
Related
Surf Life Saving
In August 2015 Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) announced that they were working with the Australian Childhood Foundation (ACF) to develop a comprehensive safeguarding children policy and strategy to enhance the safety and protection of children and young people across surf life saving organisations in Australia.
- Surf Life Saving Australia - Recommendations for the Safeguarding of Children and Young People, Australian Childhood Foundation, (February 2016). The premise for ACF’s engagement with SLSA has been founded on recent national exploration into the impact of child abuse. The report made 15 key recommendations with associated actions and priority time frames for each.
- Surf Life Saving Australia Member Protection Policy: Appendix A - Child Protection Commitment Statement (CPCS), Surf Life Saving Australia, (October 2016).
- A damning 2016 review finds Surf Life Saving has policies and problems, Joanne McCarthy, Newcastle Herald, (6 January 2018). Provides a summary of some of the findings from the Australian Childhood Foundation (ACF) report as well as a statement from Surf Life Saving Australia that the SLSA board had accepted and endorsed all 15 recommendations.
- Robert John Beavis was jailed for eight years for offences against a young girl in 2004, Joanne McCarthy, Newcastle Herald, (29 December 2017). Report on the conviction of a man linked to a Surf Life Saving club highlighting questions about the child protection policies and conduct of the organisation at the time of the original assault.
Tennis
- Tennis Australia strengthens safeguarding children measures. Tennis Australia, (19 June 2017). The head of Tennis Australia’s Integrity and Compliance Unit, Ann West has been tasked with implementing the new measures which include a 24-hour telephone reporting and assistance service, online form for lodging complaints, and a dedicated child-safety section on the Tennis Australia website. “The Royal Commission identified that we needed to improve our procedures and process in relation to child safety within the tennis family. We want to do everything we can to ensure what has happened in the past will never happen again,” Ms West said.
- Tennis Australia criticised for lack of action after abuse claims, Mary Gearin, ABC news, (2 February 2017). Tennis Australia has been criticised for not adequately responding to last year's royal commission hearing into the alleged sexual abuse of young tennis players by a coach.
Policies, programs, and supporting structures
As is the case with many social factors impacting the sports domain, the issue of preventing child abuse is a serious and complex issue that affects everyone.
Everyone in the community who has a supervisory role over young people has an obligation to ensure and provide a safe environment. An extensive range of policies, programs, and supporting structures have been put in place to assist sporting organisations to plan and manage for these challenging issues.
Australian government
Child Safe Organisations project, (accessed 22 September 2020). As part of the Child Safe Organisations project, the Australian Government commissioned the National Children’s Commissioner to lead the development of National Principles for Child Safe Organisations. The National Principles were developed under the guidance of Community Services Ministers across Commonwealth, state and territory governments under the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009-2020. The Principles respond to recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
- National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, Australian Human Rights Commission, (2018). As of February 2019, the National Principles have been endorsed by members of the Council of Australian Governments, including the Prime Minister and state and territory First Ministers.
- Practical tools and training resources are available to help organisations implement the National Principles, and to help parents and carers learn about child safe organisations.
Independent review of Gymnastics in Australia, Australian Human Rights Commission, (August 2020). In a commitment to athlete safety and wellbeing, Gymnastics Australia has engaged the Australian Human Rights Commission to conduct an independent review of the sport of gymnastics in Australia. The review will build an understanding of the sport’s culture, athlete experience and barriers to reporting misconduct and abuse. The Commission will be consulting with former and current athletes and their families, coaches, officials, administrators, and former and current staff at all levels of the sport.
- Australian gymnastics abuse review to focus on culture and not individual cases, Australian Associated Press, The Guardian, (13 August 2020).
Australian Institute of Family Studies. Child Family Community Australia (CFCA) is the Australian Government's key research body in the area of family wellbeing. It was established in 1980 under the Family Law Act 1975 to increase understanding of factors affecting how Australian families function by conducting research and disseminating findings. CFCA produces a range of publications which are available on the website. Some resources relevant to sporting organisations include:
- Reporting child abuse and neglect: Information for service providers, Child Family Community Australia, CFCA Resource Sheet, (June 2019). This resource sheet provides information to service providers and practitioners working in the child, family and community welfare sector on how to report suspected child abuse and neglect. It defines child abuse and neglect, and provides contact details for the reporting authority in each state and territory.
- Responding to children and young peoples disclosure of abuse, Child Family Community Australia, CFCA Practitioner Resource, (March 2015). This paper is a guide to responding to children and young people's disclosures of abuse. It outlines what we know about how, why, and when children and young people are likely to disclose and suggests actions to take at the time of disclosure and in the longer term.
- Understanding safeguarding practices for children with disability when engaging with organisations, Sarah Wayland and Gabrielle Hindmarsh, Child Family Community Australia, CFCA Practitioner Resource, (October 2017). This resource explores how an understanding of abuse and neglect relating to children with disability can assist in establishing child-safe organisations.
The National Office for Child Safety was established on 1 July 2018 in response to the 'Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse' (the Royal Commission). The National Office leads the development and implementation of several national priorities recommended by the Royal Commission. These priorities include: the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations; the Australian Government’s child safety policy, known as the Commonwealth Child Safe Framework, (Commonwealth Child Safe Framework); the National Strategy to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse; and, improvements to information sharing arrangements to strengthen child safety and wellbeing. Key non-government institutions that were involved in the Royal Commission also report to the National Office annually on their progress in implementing Royal Commission recommendations.
- National Principles for Child Safe Organisations. The National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (the National Principles) provide a nationally consistent approach to cultivating organisational cultures and practices that foster child safety and wellbeing across all sectors in Australia. They give effect to the Royal Commission’s recommended child safe standards while including broader child safety and wellbeing.
- National Strategy to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse. The National Office for Child Safety is responsible for designing and implementing a National Strategy to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse. The National Strategy was a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and will consider child abuse in all settings including institutional and non-institutional settings.
- Child Safe Sectors Leadership Group. The Child Safe Sectors Leadership Group informs government on approaches to national child safety initiatives, while also promoting and sharing information about child safety requirements and practices across sectors engaging with children and young people. Sport Integrity Australia is a representative on this group.
- Commonwealth Child Safe Framework. In response to the Royal Commission’s findings about creating environments that are safe for children, the Australian Government has introduced the Commonwealth Child Safe Framework, a whole-of-government policy that sets minimum standards for creating and embedding a child safe culture and practice in Commonwealth entities.
- Reporting. The Royal Commission recommended that non-government institutions and peak bodies involved in child-related work report on their progress implementing the Royal Commission’s recommendations. The Royal Commission recommended that, at a minimum, eleven institutions that were the subject of relevant Royal Commission hearings should provide annual progress reports by the end of 2018. In 2019, the National Office for Child Safety contacted 42 other institutions whose conduct was considered as part of the Royal Commission, to encourage them to submit a progress report. These institutions included some sporting organisations.
The Office of the eSafety Commissioner is the Australian Government statutory body responsible for promoting and enhancing online safety for all Australians. Resources are available relating to various online issues including: cyberbullying, use of social media, protecting your information, and more.
- Sporting organisations and community groups, (accessed 22 September 2020). eSafety offers a range of resources to help sporting organisations, clubs and community groups review and improve their online safety policies and practices.
Play by the Rules is a unique collaboration between Sport Integrity Australia, Sport Australia, Australian Human Rights Commission, all state and territory departments of sport and recreation, all state and territory anti-discrimination and human rights agencies, the Office of the Children's Guardian, and the Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW. These partners promote Play by the Rules through their networks, along with their own child safety, anti-discrimination, and inclusion programs.
- Child Safe Sport. Play by the Rules, (accessed 22 September 2020). Provides an overview of the available resources and information to help sport and recreation organisations keep kids safe.
Sport Integrity Australia works to develop national policies, resources and education to build the capacity of sporting organisations and individuals to provide safe sporting environments. Focus areas include: child safeguarding; member protection; and complaint and dispute management.
Sports peak bodies to develop independent framework on member protection issues, Australian Olympic Committee, Paralympics Australia, Commonwealth Games Australia, (3 September 2020). Australia’s three peak sporting bodies have created a working party with Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) and the National Sports Tribunal (NST) to develop a fully independent framework to deal with abuse, intimidation and other safeguarding issues in Australian sport.
State and territory government
The aspects of child protection legislation most relevant to sport are reporting and screening processes. Some states also require risk management or other strategies to provide a child safe environment.
- Australian child protection legislation, Child Family Community Australia, (last updated March 2018). This resource sheet provides an overview of child protection legislation across state and territory jurisdictions in Australia.
State and territory governments in Australia are responsible for receiving and responding to reports of suspected child abuse and neglect. These reports can be from anyone, including members of the public. It is strongly recommended that anyone who has reasonable grounds to suspect that a child or young person is at risk of being abused and/or neglected reports it to the relevant authorities.
- Australian legal definitions: When is a child in need of protection? Child Family Community Australia, (last updated December 2019). This CFCA resource sheet provides information for practitioners and researchers on legal definitions of when a child is in need of protection for each Australian jurisdiction.
- Reporting abuse and neglect: State and territory departments responsible for protecting children, Child Family Community Australia, (last updated June 2019). Provides a brief overview of what actions are commonly defined as abuse or neglect as well as contact details for the relevant reporting authorities in each state or territory.
Child Protection legislation also generally contains a list of particular occupations that are mandated to report any suspicion of abuse or neglect of a child. The list is different for each state/territory and can range from a limited number of occupations (QLD), to more extensive lists (ACT, NSW, SA, TAS, VIC, WA), through to every adult (NT; and VIC for sexual offences).
- Mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect, Child Family Community Australia, (last updated June 2020). This sheet examines legal provisions requiring specified people to report suspected abuse and neglect to government child protection services in Australia.
State and Territory Governments have developed programs and resources to assist in the management of child protection in a sporting environment. All jurisdictions have a 'working with children' or 'police record check' screening protocol to determine if a person is suitable to work with children. In recent years some state/territory jurisdictions have broadened screening protocols to include persons working with vulnerable people; meaning the elderly and persons with disability, as well as children.
- Pre-employment screening: Working With Children Checks and Police Checks, Child Family Community Australia, (last updated May 2018). This resource sheet provides an overview of the types of Working With Children Checks and Police Checks in Australia, their requirements and state/territory contact information. This resource is intended for employers, current and prospective employees and volunteers engaging in child-related work in Australia.
Agencies and resources
- ACT Government, Child and Youth Protection Services
- Keeping Children and Young People Safe: A guide to reporting child abuse and neglect in the ACT, (September 2019).
- Reportable Conduct Scheme (accessed 22 September 2020). Under the scheme, employers and organisations considered ‘designated entities’ are required to report allegations, offences or convictions relating to child abuse or child-related misconduct by an employee to the ACT Ombudsman.
- Working with vulnerable people (WWVP) registration, Access Canberra, (accessed 22 September 2020).
Agencies and resources
- Child safety law in NSW, NSW Office of Sport, (accessed 4 November 2020). When it comes to child safety, it’s important to understand there are legal requirements for sporting organisations, staff and volunteers in NSW.
- Child Safe Sport, NSW Office of Sport, (accessed 4 November 2020). The Office of Sport is committed to safeguarding children and young people in sport and recreation. We work with the sector, NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian, Play by the Rules and other lead child safe agencies to help create child safe sport in NSW.
- Office of the Children's Guardian. The Office of the Children’s Guardian is an independent statutory authority in NSW Government. They promote and regulate the quality of child safe organisations, services and people.
Agencies and resources
- Working with Children Clearance Notice: before you apply, NT Government, (last updated 5 February 2019).
- SAFE NT conducts Working with Children checks (WWC) and recommends on 'clearance notices' (Territory Ochre Card) to persons working with children (under the Care and Protection of Children Act (CPCA).
Agencies and resources
Government of South Australia’s response to the Child Protection Systems Royal Commission report: The life they deserve, Government of South Australia, (November 2016). Children and young people have a fundamental right to grow up happy and cared for, to be kept safe from harm and to be supported to fulfil their potential. The government's response, 'A Fresh Start,' aims to improve outcomes for vulnerable children, their families and the broader South Australian community by proposing extensive improvements to our state’s child protection system. It responds to each of the recommendations from the Child Protection Systems Royal Commission, but also goes further to develop a broader child development system. This system begins before birth and seeks to avoid children ever needing statutory child protection.
- Child Protection Systems Royal Commission: SA commits $432 million to changes, Nick Harsen, ABC news, (29 November 2016). South Australia will spend $432 million on changes to its child welfare systems, in the wake of scathing findings by the Child Protection Systems Royal Commission.
Create a child safe environment, Office of Recreation, Sport and Racing, (accessed 22 September 2020). A child safe organisation protects children from harm in an environment where children feel respected, valued and encouraged to reach their full potential. A child safe and child friendly environment minimises the risk to children from physical, sexual, emotional and psychological harm and from neglect. SA legislation requires that organisations that provide services for children create and maintain a child safe environment.
Screening Unit, Department of Human Services, (accessed 22 September 2020). The Department of Human Services (DHS) Screening Unit provides checks of workers and volunteers to organisations, contributing to creating safe environments for children and other vulnerable people.
Trust is a Must: What does it take to be child friendly and child safe? Commissioner for Children and Young People, (September 2020). At the core of creating child friendly and child safe environments, is the need for organisations to put policies and procedures in place that ensure children and young people feel they are being listened to and believed.
Agencies and resources
- Child Safety Service, Department of Communities Tasmania, (accessed 16 November 2020).
- Child Safe Sport, (November 2019). The care and protection of children is a legal requirement, as well as a moral obligation, that requires commitment from everyone involved in all levels of sport to ensure sporting environments are safe and supportive for all children.
- Registration to work with vulnerable people, Consumer, Building and Occupational Services, (accessed 22 September 2020).
Agencies and resources
Child safe standards, Commission for Children and Young People, (accessed 22 September 2020). Victoria has introduced compulsory minimum standards that apply to organisations that provide services for children to help ensure the safety of children. The child safe standards form part of the Victorian Government’s response to the Betrayal of Trust Inquiry.
- Child Safe Standards, Vicsport, (accessed 22 September 2020) The Victorian Child Safe Standards (the Standards) apply to all sporting organisations that provide services or facilities to children within Victoria. This is a legal requirement for sporting organisations of all sizes from grassroots clubs all the way through to National Sporting Organisations. Vicsport provides a series of information sheets and templates designed to support State Sport Associations and Regional Sports Assemblies to meet the Child Safe Standards.
Agencies and resources
- Child safeguarding, Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, (accessed 22 September 2020). Every child has the right to participate in sport and recreation activities without risk to their physical and emotional wellbeing.
- Working with Children Check and related resources.
Child Safe Sporting Organisations
A child-safe organisation has a commitment to protect children from physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological harm and from neglect. This is more than simply minimising the risk or danger to children. It is about building an environment that is both child-safe and child-friendly. An environment where children can feel respected, valued, and encouraged to reach their full potential.
This commitment is a part of the organisation's culture, reinforced by policies and procedures, and is communicated and supported by all members.
"You have created a child-safe organisation when your organisation recognises its moral and legal responsibilities to ensure that the children involved are protected and it provides a safe and positive environment for them".
South Australian Office for Recreation and Sport
Child Safe Sport policies and commitments
In 2014 Sport Australia (formerly the Australian Sports Commission) engaged the services of the Australian Childhood Foundation (ACF) to complete a blueprint report which looked at the capacity of sport to protect children and young people from abuse, harm, and exploitation.
In December 2017 a 'Child Safe Sport Toolkit' was released along with a process to tailor the Toolkit to suit individual sport needs. While responsibility for child safeguarding moved to Sport Integrity Australia when they commenced on 1 July 2020, the material is still available. View the material as it appeared on the Sport Australia website.
The Sport Australia Board also released a Child Safe Commitment Statement which highlights the organisation's 'zero tolerance for any behaviour that puts the wellbeing of children and young people at risk'.
- ASC Board Child Safe Commitment Statement, Australian Sports Commission, (December 2017).
- Parents can take comfort from moves to protect kids in sport from abuse. Paul Kennedy, ABC News Breakfast, (7 September 2017). Article includes a video interview with Merrilee Barnes, Sport Australia director of leadership and culture.
- Safeguarding children in sport [audio], Australian Sports Commission, SoundCloud, (7 September 2017). Australian Childhood Foundation (ACF) CEO Joe Tucci talks about the strategic work ACF’s doing in the child safeguarding space.
- Summary blueprint report of safeguarding children in sport, Joe Tucci and Janise Mitchell, Australian Childhood Foundation, (March 2015).
- Child Safe Sport Framework, Artistic Swimming Australia, (July 2020). The Artistic Swimming Child Safe Sport Framework is a comprehensive policy and procedures document that details our shared responsibilities for protecting children and members' welfare. The ASAI Safe Sport Framework has been broken down into the following different components and provides a suite of policy documents and guidance to protect children and young people in our sport:
- Child Safe Sport Commitment Statement;
- Code of conduct;
- Recruitment policy;
- Induction and training policy; and
- Reporting policy.
- Safeguarding Children and Young People policies, Australian Football League, (accessed 23 September 2020).
- Safeguarding Children and Young People Commitment Statement (December 2019).
- Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy (December 2019).
- Safeguarding Children and Young People Code of Conduct (December 2019).
- Safeguarding Children and Young People Reporting Procedure (December 2019).
- Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy, Paddle Australia, (31 July 2020). Paddle Australia’s 'Policy for Safeguarding Children and Young People’ aims to ensure that Paddle Australia and the State Paddle Associations (collectively Paddle Australia) provide a
safe and nurturing environment for all Children and Young People.- Code of Behaviour – Clubs, (31 July 2020).
- Code of Behaviour – Paddle Australia Personnel, (31 July 2020).
- Safeguarding children and young people, Cricket Australia, (accessed 24 September 2020). Australian Cricket is committed to ensuring that every cricket participant, including children and young people, participates in our sport free of abuse, harassment, bullying or any other form of inappropriate conduct. Australian Cricket’s Looking After Our Kids details cricket’s commitment to safeguarding children and young people and other resources in the safeguarding of children and young people in our sport.
- Child Safe Sport Codes of Behaviour, AusCycling, (15 September 2020). AusCycling is committed to providing a safe, fair and inclusive environment for everyone involved in the organisation and in the sport. Developed to protect children and young people engaged in all disciplines of cycling, these guidelines have been formally approved and endorsed by our Board of Directors. As part of our commitment to observing these codes of behaviour Board, staff, officials, volunteers and AusCycling accredited coaches, instructors and presenters will be required to sign the appropriate declaration.
- Child Safe Sport Commitment, AusCycling, (2 September 2020). AusCycling is committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people who are involved in our sport.
- Safeguarding Children & Adults Policy, Dodgeball Federation Australia, (2018). The purpose of this policy is to outline the duty and responsibility of staff, volunteers and Members working on behalf of or as Members of Dodgeball Federation Australia (DFA), in relation to Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults.
- Child Safety Commitment Statement, Equestrian Australia, (effective 1 July 2018). The Equestrian Australia staff and volunteers within sport are responsible for upholding the Equestrian Australia Child Safe Sport Commitment. The role of each entity in relation to the development and compliance of the Equestrian Australia Child Safe Sport Commitment is detailed in the table below.
- Child Safe Sport Commitment, Australian Flying Disc Association, (12 May 2020). The AFDA Board approves and endorses the AFDA’s commitment to keeping children and young people from abuse and neglect.
- Gymnastics in Australia’s Commitment to Child Safety. Gymnastics Australia is proud to present two Commitment Statements, one co-signed by the President of Gymnastics Australia, alongside the Presidents of all our member State and Territory Associations and the other co-signed by the Gymnastics Australia CEO and the Executive Directors of all State and Territory Associations.
- Child Safety Commitment Statement: Gymnastics in Australia Executive Directors, Gymnastics Australia, (19 March 2019).
- Child Safety Commitment Statement: Gymnastics in Australia Child Safety, Gymnastics Australia, (19 March 2019).
- Child Safe Policy, Gymnastics Australia, (27 February 2019).
- Codes of Behaviour, Gymnastics Australia, (accessed 23 September 2020). GA requires certain standards of behaviour by all persons involved in our organisation and in our sport. These codes of behaviour are outlined in full in the Member Protection Policy and Child Safe Policy. We have also developed more accessible versions of the Child Safe Codes of Behaviour as a series of Videos, a Guide and a Poster.
- Child Protection Resources. Gymnastics Victoria (August 2016). Updated standards and policies in line with the Victorian Government's compulsory minimum standards that apply to all organisations that provide services to children which came into effect in January 2017. Policies include: Child safe & child friendly policy; Member protection policy, including Codes of behaviour; Grievance & complaints policy; Photographic and filming policy; and Child protection code of conduct.
- Child Safety and Wellbeing Framework, Gymnastics New South Wales, (accessed 23 September 2020). Gymnastics NSW wants children and young people who participate in its activities to have a safe and happy experience. We consider that the health, safety and wellbeing of children takes priority over all other competing considerations, and that this is necessary to ensure the health safety and welfare of all members.
- Safe Hockey Framework, Hockey Australia, (August 2020). The key purposes of the Safe Hockey Framework are to enable and deliver targeted education on how to identify and respond to child safety issues, as well as educating children and young people on their right to feel safe. The Safe Hockey project was launched in July 2019 and forms a key component of the Integrity pillar in Hockey Australia’s four year Strategic Plan 2019-2022. Supported by all state and territory Member Associations, and with funding received from Sport Australia, the project is one of a growing number of whole of sport initiatives being delivered within Australian hockey.
- Safe Hockey Statement of Commitment.
- Safe Hockey Policy, (accessed 23 September 2020).
- Safe Hockey National Policies, Resources and Guidelines.
- Child Safe Policy, Ice Hockey Australia, (August 2020). Ice Hockey Australia is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people accessing our service. Ice Hockey Australia supports the rights of the child and will act without hesitation to ensure a child safe environment is always maintained. We also support the rights and wellbeing of staff and volunteers and encourage their active participation in building and maintaining a secure environment for all participants.
- ALA Child Safety and Billeting Practices, Australian Lacrosse Association, (April 2019). This policy is to ensure that all ALA operational personnel, directors and volunteers are aware of, understand and put into action, ALA’s best practices to create and maintain a child-safe environment.
- Child Safety, Pony Club Australia, (accessed 24 September 2020). The Pony Club Australia board has developed a Statement of Commitment to Child Safety that applies to all members, supporters and people associated with Pony Club. This should be read in conjunction with the Child Safety Code of Conduct Policy.
- Child Safe Sport Commitment, (June 2020).
- Child Safety Code of Conduct, (June 2020).
- Child Safety Code of Conduct, (June 2020).
- Reporting Policy - Child Safety Concerns, (June 2020).
- Child Safety, Rowing Australia, (accessed 24 September 2020). Rowing Australia is strongly committed to Australian sport environments that are safe, supportive and friendly for children and young people, and particularly rowing environments. Includes links to Rowing Australia templates and other useful links.
- Child safety, Australian Rugby Union, (accessed 24 September 2020). Rugby Australia is committed to ensuring that rugby is a safe environment for children and young people. Includes child safety commitment statement, child safety framework, reporting, working with children checks, and further resources.
Child safety, Australian Sailing, (accessed 24 September 2020). Clubs and Classes need to ensure that they are adhering to the Child Protection Laws and requirements of the state/territory it is in. This webpage provides state-specific resources and information for clubs and classes to assist them to be compliant with the relevant laws as well as Australian Sailing's Statement of Commitment to Child Safety, Child Safety Policy and, Child Safety Code of Conduct.
- Child Safe Sport resources. Ski & Snowboard Australia (2018). Resources include Statement of Commitment to safety and wellbeing of children and young people; Child Safety Policy (excerpt from SSA Member Protection Policy, August 2017); and links to additional resources and upcoming seminars.
- Child Safety, Sport Climbing Australia, (accessed 24 September 2020).
- Child Safe Sport Commitment, (April 2020).
- Child Safe Sport Code of Conduct, (May 2020).
- Child Safe Sport Recruitment and Screening, (April 2020).
- Safe Sport Framework. Swimming Australia, (3 August 2020). Swimming Australia’s Safe Sport Framework (SSF) consists of two documents: Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy (matters or complaints concerning the safety and wellbeing of children or young people in swimming must be considered under this policy) and, Member Protection Policy (this concerns matters relating to such things as discrimination, harassment, bullying, victimisation and abuse).
- Child Safe Sport Policies, Australian Taekwondo, (accessed 24 September 2020). Australian Taekwondo is committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people who are involved in our sport. Our policies and procedures seek to address risks to child safety and to establish a child safe culture and practices. Documents include:
- Child safe sport policy, (8 May 2020).
- Child safe guidelines and reporting procedures, (8 May 2020).
- Safeguarding Children Resources. Tennis Australia, (accessed 23 September 2020). Resources include Tennis Australia's Commitment Statement, Member protection policy, Safeguarding children guidelines, and additional resources for administrators and parents/guardians of children.
- Safeguarding Children Guidelines, (2017). The Tennis Australia Safeguarding Children Guidelines have been developed to assist all personnel meet their obligations, specifically relating to children, under the Tennis Australia Member Protection Policy.
- Member Protection Policy, (effective 12 February 2019).
- Child Safe Sport Framework, Tenpin Bowling Australia, (8 February 2020). Tenpin Bowling Australia (TBA) is committed to the safety and well-being of all children and young people who participate in our sport or access our services. This Child Safe Sport Framework aims to assist TBA in creating a safe and positive environment for everyone participating in the sport of tenpin bowling.
- Child Safe Sport, Australia Curling Federation, (accessed 24 September 2020). Child safe documents and policies include: Child safe sport commitment; Code of conduct; Child abuse incident report form; responding to child abuse reports; and, Child safe induction and training.
- Child Safe Child Friendly Policy, Disabled Wintersport Australia, (12 June 2019). The aim of this Policy is to protect the safety of children in our care and prevent abuse occurring, and in the event that allegations are raised in relation to child abuse, to ensure that the allegations are properly addressed. All complaints will be treated seriously and fully investigated and handled with maximum confidentiality and discretion.
- Safe Sport Framework, Wrestling Australia, (accessed 24 September 2020). Wrestling Australia is committed to having an environment that is safe for people of all ages. Wrestling Australia has adopted a Chid Safe Sport Framework that outlines the commitment of Wrestling Australia, the recruitment and training process, Wrestling Australia Codes of Conduct and child safe reporting requirements.
- Child safe sport commitment statement, Deaf Sports Australia, (November 2018). The DSA Board of Directors on behalf of its members approves and endorses this statement and commitment to keeping children and young people from abuse and neglect.
- Child Safe Sport Commitment, Disability Sports Australia, (April 2019). The Disability Sports Australia Board of Directors approves and endorses Disability Sports Australia and divisions and entities’ commitment to keeping children and young people from abuse and neglect.
- Keeping athletes safe, Special Olympics Australia, (accessed 24 September 2020). Special Olympics Australia is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Children, young people and vulnerable adults who participate in Special Olympics Australia activities have the right to feel safe and to participate in an environment where they are protected from any form of abuse. We recognise that people with a disability may be vulnerable to abuse either by the actions of staff or volunteers, by the actions of other athletes, or by their family members or other associates. Abuse may take many forms and includes physical, emotional and sexual abuse, and neglect.
- Keeping Athletes Safe, (August 2018).
- Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults, (October 2017).
- Working with Children Check and Police Check, (October 2017).
Resources for organisations and parents

Acquiring and displaying images of children
In Australia there is no federal law restricting photography of people in public spaces as long as the images are not: indecent, used for inappropriate purposes, in violation of a court order, defamatory, or used for commercial purposes (this may require consent). However, photographing children involved in sport and recreation activities can put children at risk, particularly if the images are used inappropriately, posted on websites, or distributed in publications. Mobile phone technology has added a new dimension to unsolicited photography and has introduced privacy issues. At this time, technology is still well-ahead of legislation.
The following resources address the issue of acquiring and displaying images of children:
- Images of children and young people online, Australian Institute of Family Studies: Child Family Community Australia, (April 2015). There are a range of reasons why people or organisations might wish to publish images of people online, including for recording, documenting and advertising or for promoting an organisation's activities and experiences.
- Photos, videos, and social media. Office of the eSafety Commissioner, Australian Government. Provides advice relating to taking photos and videos and sharing them online.
- Taking images or video of children at sporting events, Play By The Rules, (accessed 22 September 2020). There are important considerations for sports clubs when acquiring and displaying images of children and young people on social media, websites, online, in publications or other mediums.
- Unauthorised photographs on the internet and ancillary privacy issues, Queensland Government, Department of Justice and Attorney-General, (July 2016).

Handling complaints
Sporting organisations are encouraged to have specific and legally appropriate policies and procedures in place for handling complaints. Any complaint must be taken seriously and addressed; victims treated with sensitivity; and the adult subject of the allegation treated with due fairness, within the policies and procedures of the organisation.
- Best practice for handling child abuse investigations in sport, Spaffort R, Pepper C and Ryan C, Law In Sport, (6 January 2017). Some of the UK’s most iconic and well-known institutions have faced with allegations of historical sex abuse of young people. Particular attention is now focussed upon the world of football, which is currently facing a tidal wave of sex abuse allegations made by former players. This article examines: (1) why this is happening in sport; (2) recognition that sex abuse in the UK must be addressed; (3) what to do if an allegation is made; and (4) investigation protocols.
- Sport Governance Principles: Principle 8, Sport Australia, (2020). Section 8.2: The organisation has a defined process for reporting integrity issues (e.g. bullying, corruption, harassment, doping) throughout the organisation and escalation to the board and Sport Integrity Australia where appropriate. Section 8.3 - The organisation has clearly defined processes for resolving sports related disputes that include both internal means of handling complaints, and external dispute resolution mechanisms.

Member Protection
Member Protection Policies are considered a key part of a sport's integrity framework, one of several steps to address issues of harassment, discrimination, and child protection within organisations.
Australian Government funded sports are required to have a compliant Member Protection Policy to receive government funding.
- Sport Governance Principles: Principle 8, Sport Australia, (2020). An organisation should have measures and protocols to ensure integrity of the sport and safeguard its participants. Section 8.4: The organisation’s Member Protection Policy and Child Safeguarding Policy are compliant with Sport Australia and Sport Integrity Australia requirements and, 8.5: The organisation has established mechanisms to create a culture that promotes inclusion, safety and good behaviour through codes of behaviour and education to support their Member Protection Policy and Child Safeguarding Policy.
In May 2016 the Australian Olympic Committee also amended the Olympic Team Nomination and Selection By-Law to state that:
"Only those National Federations that have adopted and implemented a Member Protection Policy with which they conform and comply may nominate athletes for selection to, or membership or continued membership of, any (Olympic) Team".
Coates introduces tighter controls to prevent child abuse, AOC Media Release, 7 May 2016
In effect this means that athletes from any National Federation without a compliant Member Protection Policy will not be allowed to compete at the Olympic Games.

Parents
Your club is responsible for creating a safe place for your child to have fun, develop skills, learn valuable lessons, and build character. As a parent there are a number of things you can do to maximise your child’s enjoyment and minimise potential risks to their well-being including knowing the right questions to ask your club administrators.
You can ask to see if the club has a junior sport policy; has a member protection policy; regularly screens its coaches and administrators; and/or regularly promotes guidelines for creating a safe, fair, and inclusive environment for participants?
- Parent/guardian resource kit. Tennis Australia, (2017). The resource kit is intended to provide you with information regarding child-safety initiatives in Australian tennis. The resources have been developed in association with the ACF and are based on nationally recognised standards for the ACF Safeguarding Children program. This kit is part of a broader campaign, additional resources are available from Tennis Australia's website.
- Helping keep your child safe in sport, Child protection leaflet for parents, UK Child Protection in Sport Unit, (2015)
- Keeping Children Safe in Recreation and Sport, Government of South Australia, Office of Recreation and Sport, (June 2019).
- Managing Risks - Parents Play By The Rules.
- The Underwear Rule Help keep your child safe. UK National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Teach your child the Underwear Rule and help protect them from abuse. It's a simple way that parents can help keep children safe from sexual abuse – without using scary words or even mentioning sex. Our simple guides (available in multiple languages) will help you talk PANTS with your child.
Further information
International practice
- Minister Duncan Announces Stronger Measures to Eliminate Harassment, Abuse and Discrimination in Sport, Canadian government media release , (19 June 2018). Effective immediately: Federally funded sport organizations must take all necessary measures to create a workplace free from harassment, abuse or discrimination of any kind; They must immediately disclose any incident of harassment, abuse or discrimination that could compromise the project or programming to the Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities; They must make provisions—within their governance framework—for access to an independent third party to address harassment and abuse cases; They must provide mandatory training on harassment and abuse to their members by April 1, 2020 and are challenged to make this a priority and put mandatory training in place as soon as possible.
- Responsible Coaching Movement (RCM), Coaching Association of Canada, (June 2016). Responsible coaching allows you to support your participants’ right to a safe, positive environment. RCM is a multi-phase system-wide movement, coordinated by the Coaching Association of Canada and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport that has the potential to affect all sport organizations and coaches.
- Safe Sport Training, Coaching Association of Canada, (accessed 23 September 2020). Creating a culture where everyone can thrive is a shared responsibility. The Safe Sport Training module developed by the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) will help anyone involved in sport identify and prevent situations of maltreatment.
- Child Safeguarding in Sport (CSiS) is a European Union (EU) and Council of Europe (COE) joint project (1 March 2020-31 October 2021). Its main aims are to guide and accompany European countries in the setting up of positions of Child Safeguarding Officers in sport. The CSiS project builds upon the results and lessons learnt from two previous EU-COE joint projects Pro Safe Sport for young athletes 2014-2015, and Pro Safe Sport+ (2017).
- Pro Safe Sport, Council of Europe, European Union, (accessed 23 September 2020). The project entitled “Pro Safe Sport +: Put an end to sexual harassment and abuse against children in sport” (PSS+) was a nine-month project that commenced in April 2017, aimed at promoting a safe and healthy environment for young athletes. Sexual harassment, abuse and exploitation of children are widespread violations of the rights of the child, compromising the children’s social development and often having devastating mental and physical health consequences. Sport is an environment that encourages close relationships and trust between peers, coaches, team and support staff. Combating and preventing all forms of gender-based violence in the field of sport, and in particular sexual violence against children, is a priority for both the European Union (EU) and the Council of Europe (CoE). Progress has been made to implement policy standards that can help to effectively protect children; and prevent and respond to sexual and other forms of gender-based violence in sport. Despite the calls for reform and efforts to create standards that apply to sporting environments, progress is still slow and fragmented. A number of EU member states and sport organisations still have not prepared and adopted a national policy against sexual violence in sport.
- Start to Talk, (accessed 23 September 2020) A Council of Europe call for action to public authorities and the sport movement to stop child sexual abuse launched in 2017. It is a follow-up to the two successful Pro Safe Sport projects (in 2014 and 2017). So far, Start to talk has been launched in seven countries (Croatia, Finland, France, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Spain).
- European Sports Charter, Council of Europe, (2001). Provides guidance for the Council of Europe’s member states to perfect existing legislations or other policies and to develop a comprehensive framework for sport. The Code of Sports Ethics acts as a complement to the Charter.
- Code of Sports Ethics, Council of Europe, (2010). The Code of Sport Ethics recommends when working with young people to ensure that safeguards are in place within the context of an overall framework of support and protection for children, young people and women, both to protect the above groups from sexual harassment and abuse and to prevent the exploitation of children, particularly those who demonstrate precocious ability.
- Safeguarding Children in Sport: A mapping study, European Commission, (September 2019). The key aims of this small-scale research study were to undertake a rapid review of empirical evidence on violence against children in sport across the EU and to analyse how safeguarding issues are dealt with at national and/or international level through legal instruments and policy initiatives. This would serve to provide the European Commission with adequate knowledge of existing initiatives in order to identify where best to focus its efforts and those of the Member States.
- Child Protection Policies and Procedures, Women Win (2012). Women Win (WW) is an internationally recognised centre of excellence on gender and sport. This policy is developed to ensure the highest standards of professional and personal practice by persons associated with Women Win, both inside and outside the work environment. This includes but is not limited to: staff, volunteers, interns, the leadership and beneficiaries of program partners (defined in this document as: local organisations working with children in sports related programs), consultants, suppliers, investors, strategic partners, researchers, Board members, Advisory Council members. Specifically this Child Protection Policy aims to protect children by prohibiting:
- hitting, physically assaulting or physically abusing children;
- any relationships with children which are exploitative, abusive or put children at risk of abuse;
- employing children in contravention of ILO Convention 138 and 182;
- putting children in harmful or potentially harmful situations.
- International Safeguards for Children in Sport, International Safeguarding for Children in Sport Working Group, (2016). These Safeguards aim to outline the things that should be put in place by any organisation providing sports activities to children and young people. The Safeguards should be viewed as guides, which facilitate an organisation’s journey towards safeguarding children rather than an end in themselves. They reflect international declarations, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, relevant legislation, government guidance, existing child protection/safeguarding standards and good practice. They have been informed by research conducted by Brunel University with a diverse range of perspectives from different countries and stakeholder groups during an extensive piloting phase. These Safeguards represent collective good practice at a point in time and will be subject to periodic review to ensure they reflect developments within safeguarding practice.
- Safeguarding Guidance for Children and Young People in Sport, Sport Ireland, (accessed 23 September 2020). The aim of this guidance document is to help sporting bodies to create a culture of safety that promotes the welfare of children and young people engaged in sporting activities. This guidance document supports National Governing Bodies to meet their child safeguarding and child protection responsibilities which are cognisant of, and in line with, requirements under policy/legislation and with best practice.
- Safeguarding Training. Sport Ireland offers three workshop in the area of Safeguarding and child protection.
- Staying Safe Online. The Sport Ireland Staying Safe Online resource is web based information and guidance tool on internet safety predominately aimed at parents/guardians/coaches. The resource provides detailed content on all aspects of online safety.
- Garda Vetting. The National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 - 2016 provides a statutory basis for the vetting of persons carrying out relevant work with children or vulnerable persons. The Act also creates offences and penalties for persons who fail to comply with its provisions.
- National Children Officers. Each Governing Body of Sport should appoint a National Children's Officer. The National Children's Officer should be a member of the Executive Committee, or have access to the committee and its accompanying documents, to ensure that children's interests are kept on, and influence the decisions of, the agenda of the Governing Body.
- Good Practice Principles for the Provision of Sport and Recreation for Young People, Sport New Zealand, (June 2014). Early experiences shape life-long attitudes. It's critical that young people enjoy their formative sport and recreation experiences in order to develop and retain a love of sport for the rest of their lives.
- Safe Sport for Children, Sport New Zealand (2017). Children want to be in an environment that is safe and supportive, where they are encouraged to be the best they can be and gain maximum enjoyment from what they are doing. Safe sport for children is about balancing what children want to get from their sports experience while ensuring they are not subject to harm caused by an adverse social/or physical environment. Children can be harmed through their experiences of sport and recreation. This harm can take many forms including: physical harm from engaging in a physical activity, emotional abuse, bullying, put-downs, inappropriate cultural practices, physical and sexual abuse, and other harmful practices. Harmful practices have no place in children’s sport.
- Child Protection in Sport Unit. a partnership between the NSPCC, Sport England, Sport Northern Ireland and Sport Wales. The Unit maintains a website which contains information including Resources, News and Events, Help and Advice.
- Standards for safeguarding and protecting children in sport, (updated 7 September 2018). These Standards provide a framework for all those involved in sport to help them create a safe sporting environment for children and young people and protect them from harm.
- The Framework for maintaining and embedding safeguarding for children in and through sport, (updated 27 February 2019). The Framework was developed in conjunction with partner agencies to support this 'maintaining and embedding’ safeguarding work.
- Safe Sport Events Management Tool, (updated 25 August 2016).
- Safe use of changing facilities, (updated 23 July 2020). This briefing on the safe use of changing facilities (PDF) provides guidance on how to safeguard children and young people when they are using sports changing facilities. It includes recommended levels of adult supervision and examples of changing-room policies.
- Sample online safety and social media policy, (updated 23 November 2017). Provides an example of the procedures that should support the use of social media and other online services within your club or organisation.
- Standards for safeguarding and protecting children in sport, (updated 7 September 2018). These Standards provide a framework for all those involved in sport to help them create a safe sporting environment for children and young people and protect them from harm.
- Duty of Care in sport review, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Independent Report to Government, (April 2017). In December 2015, as part of the Sporting Future strategy, the Minister for Sport asked Baroness Grey-Thompson to conduct an independent review into the Duty of Care sport has towards its participants. This report sets out the findings of that review.
- Duty of care in sport, NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit, (2020). This briefing on Duty of Care (PDF) clarifies what that duty entails for sports organisations, and provides some guidance as to what steps can be taken in order to demonstrate that this duty is being met.
- Safeguarding, Sport England, (accessed 23 September 2020). We all have a role to play in keeping others safe and people should know what to do if they have any concerns. That’s why we're working to support parents, carers, organisations, associations, clubs, activity providers, instructors/teachers/coaches and leaders to safeguard children and adults at risk.
- Standards for child wellbeing and protection in sport, sportschotland, (2017). The Standards for Child Wellbeing and Protection in Sport and accompanying self-evaluation tool have been developed by the Safeguarding in Sport service for sportscotland, to enable sports organisations to put measures in place that help them on a journey to achieve these goals and beyond.
- Truth Project Thematic Report: Child sexual abuse in sports, Dr Andrea Darling, Laura Pope, Dr Jamie-Lee Mooney, et.al., IICSA Research Team, Independent Inquiry Child Sexual Abuse, (June 2020). This report describes the experiences of Truth Project participants sexually abused in sports contexts between the 1950s and 2010s, with the most recent cases in our sample beginning in the early 2010s. The research findings included in this report are only indicative of the specific experiences of those who chose to share their experiences with the Truth Project. Of the 3,939 people who shared their experience, 2% described child sexual abuse that took place in a sports context. Of these participants 91% reported being sexually abused by a sports coach or volunteer in a sports organisation and sports clubs were most frequently reported as the location of the abuse (61%).
- The Whyte Review, (2020). In July 2020 a significant number of gymnasts, and parents of gymnasts, made allegations about mistreatment within the sport of gymnastics. A number of the concerns alleged that British Gymnastics had failed to deal appropriately with complaints it had received. In response to these issues being raised, UK Sport and Sport England ('the Commissioning Organisations') have appointed Anne Whyte QC ('the Reviewer') to undertake an independent review ('The Whyte Review') into the issues that have been raised.
- Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017, Public Law No: 115-126, U.S. Government Publishing Office, (February 2018). Partially in response to the Larry Nassar case this Federal law was passed requiring sports governing bodies to promptly report allegations of abuse to law enforcement agencies.
- U.S. Center for SafeSport, The Center opened its doors in Denver, Colorado, in March 2017. Under the 'Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017' it develops resources and policies to safeguard athletes from bullying, harassment, hazing, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and sexual misconduct. The law entrusts the Center as the exclusive authority to respond to reports of allegations of sexual abuse and sexual misconduct within the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and their recognized National Governing Bodies (NGBs).
- SafeSport Code, U.S. Center for SafeSport, (effective 1 April 2020).
- Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies (MAAPP), (23 January 2019). The U.S. Olympic Committee and national governing bodies (collectively, “Covered Organizations”) are required to follow these Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies. At a minimum, these policies are also strongly recommended for National Member Organizations and Local Affiliated Organizations, and, at a maximum, the NGBs may require said organizations to follow them. Covered Organizations are responsible for implementing and monitoring compliance with these policies.
- U.S. Center for SafeSport: Preventing Abuse in Sports, Nicole Johnson, Katie Hanna, Julie Novak, et.al., Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, Volume 28(1), pp.66-71, (2020). This paper seeks to combine the current research on abuse in the sport environment with the work of the U.S. Center for SafeSport. The inclusion of risk factors unique to sport and evidence-informed practices provides framing for the scope and response to sexual abuse in sport organizations in the United States. The paper then explores the creation and mission of the U.S. Center for SafeSport, including the role of education in prevention and of policy, procedures, audit, and compliance as important aspects of a comprehensive safeguarding strategy. This paper provides preliminary data on the reach of the Center, established in 2017. This data captures the scope of education and training and the increase in reports to the Center from within the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement.
- United States Olympic Committee –Recognizing, reducing and responding to misconduct in sport: Creating your strategy, USOC Safe Sport Handbook (2012). There are many reasons to play sport with many potential benefits to participants. Unfortunately, sport can also be a high-risk environment for misconduct, including child physical and sexual abuse. This handbook offers strategies to deal with misconduct, they include: training and education; screening of staff, volunteers and contractors; establishing boundaries; managing training and competition; responding to abuse, misconduct and policy breaches, and; monitoring.
Case studies
In one of the most high profile sex abuse scandals in years doctor Larry Nassar, former doctor for USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University, was sentenced in early 2018 to more than 360 years in prison. Over 250 women, including several Olympic champions, accused Nassar of sexual abuse, with incidents occurring over decades under the guise of ‘medical treatment’. The scandal led the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) to demand the resignation of the entire USA Gymnastics board. USOC also committed to launching an independent investigation into whether anyone in USA Gymnastics knew of the abuse and the systematic failures that led to the abuse being unchecked for so long. These, and some other stipulations, were required to be met or the organisation would be decertified. Additionally, a number of high profile sponsors withdrew support from USA Gymnastics.
- How Larry Nassar Got Away With It, Rebecca Schuman, Slate, (29 November 2017).
- USOC gives USA Gymnastics board six days to resign or federation will be decertified, Nancy Armour and Rachel Axon, USA Today, (25 January 2018).
- Sponsors Flee Scandal-Ridden USA Gymnastics, Post & Courier/Athletic Business, (January 2018).
- Report of the Independent Investigation: the constellation of factors underlying Larry Nassar's abuse of athletes, Joan McPhee, James P. Dowden, Ropes & Gray, (10 December 2018). Ropes & Gray conducted an independent investigation into the abuse of hundreds of elite and Olympic gymnasts and other children by Larry Nassar. The scope of our investigation extended not only to “who knew what when” and what was and was not done in response, but also to any systemic deficiencies, failures of oversight, cultural conditions or other factors contributing to Nassar’s serial sexual abuse of young athletes over an extended period of time. The independent investigation also looked across elite athletics and Olympic sports to identify any relevant facts and circumstances or patterns across the National Governing Bodies for Olympic sports to more broadly inform our assessment of contributing factors and conditions.
- 100s of USA swimmers were sexually abused for decades and the people in charge knew and ignored it, investigation finds, Scott M. Reid, Orange County Register, (16 February 2018).
- USA Swimming leaders Susan Woessner and Pat Hogan forced out following reporting on sexual abuse, Scott M. Reid, Orange County Register , (22 February 2018).
- Everett Uchiyama whistle blowers go public for first time, say USA Swimming failed to protect athletes, Scott M. Reid, Orange County Register, (23 February 2018).
- Top USA Swimming officials under fire for alleged culture of abuse, Scott McLean & Sara Weisfeldt, CNN, (26 February 2018).
Resources and reading
Access to resources
Where possible, direct links to full-text and online resources are provided. However, where links are not available, you may be able to access documents directly by searching our licenced full-text databases (note: user access restrictions apply). Alternatively, you can ask your institutional, university, or local library for assistance—or purchase documents directly from the publisher. You may also find the information you’re seeking by searching Google Scholar.
- The basics of safeguarding, UK Child Protection in Sport Unit, (22 October 2019). We discuss the basics of safeguarding for sports organisations and provide useful guidance to help sports clubs and organisations put these safeguards in place.
- Safeguarding children in sport, Australian Sports Commission, SoundCloud, (7 September 2017). Australian Childhood Foundation (ACF) CEO Joe Tucci talks about the strategic work ACF’s doing in the child safeguarding space.
- Play By The Rules: Keeping kids safe in sport - a NSW perspective, Australian Sports Commission, SoundCloud, (August 2017). Play By The Rules’ Peter Downs talks to Kerryn Bolan (now former) Children’s Guardian in NSW
- Safeguarding, Child Protection and Abuse in Sport: International Perspectives in Research, Policy and Practice, 1st ed., M. Lang, M. Hartill (Eds.). Routledge Research in Sport, Culture and Society, (March 2016). Provides insight into the broader understanding of, and growing interest in, child athlete health and welfare, rights, and integrity in sport.
- Bravehearts mission is to stop sexual assault in the community and it does this through a range of activities including educating kids with strategies and skills to stay safe in a range of situations from bullying to sexual assault. They have been working with Little Athletics among others to train up staff about the issue.
- In May 2018 Gymnastics Australia announced an initiative with Bravehearts to deliver specialised education, training services, risk management and cultural reform outcomes to the management, staff, parents and children of Gymnastics Australia. Affiliated clubs will be provided with resources while Bravehearts’ specialised training will be a mandatory requirement for all coaches and officials.
- Safeguarding Children Accreditation Program. A unique voluntary accreditation scheme managed by the Australian Childhood Foundation (ACF) for organisations (such as sporting organisations/clubs) who have a duty of care to children and young people whilst delivering a service or activity to them and/or their families. The Safeguarding Children Program provides the resources to support organisations meet evidence based standards that ultimately reduce the risk of abuse of children and young people by employees and volunteers. Sport Australia (formerly the Australian Sports Commission), Surf Life Saving Australia, Swimming Australia, Tennis Australia, and the Australian Football League (AFL) are partner organisations.
- Best Practice For Handling Child Abuse Investigations In Sport, Law In Sport, (6 January 2017). Over the last few years, we have seen some of the UK’s most iconic and well-known institutions and individuals being faced with allegations of historical sex abuse of young people. Particular attention is now focussed upon the world of football, which is currently facing a tidal wave of sex abuse allegations made by former football players.[1] Numerous police forces are reported to have begun investigations as a result of hundreds of people coming forward to report sex abuse in connection with football in the UK.
- Creating a Safer Sport Environment with the Rule of Two, Michel Hachey, Coaching Association of Canada/SIRC, (13 June 2018). This three-part blog series will provide tools and resources to strengthen safety and ethical values in sport by introducing the Responsible Coaching Movement (RCM). Subsequent blogs: Background Screening (July 2018) and Respect and Ethics (August 2018).
- Jelena Dokic’s story of abuse shows links between elite sport and child labour, Michael Burke, Researcher and Senior Lecturer, Victoria University, The Conversation, (20 November 2017). It’s easy to blame controlling sport parents like Dokic’s father, but by doing this we’re ignoring a much larger problem. Child and adolescent sport at an elite level can mirror child labour, so the sport itself should be treated with same degree of scrutiny.
- Protecting Children from Violence in Sport, UNICEF, (2010). UNICEF has long recognized that there is great value in children’s sport and play, and has been a consistent proponent of these activities in its international development and child protection work.
- Top 10 Tips For Safeguarding Children And Vulnerable Adults In Sports, Alice Cave, Law in Sport, (6 December 2016). Disclosures by a number of former professional football players in recent weeks that they were victims of sexual abuse as children have highlighted the challenges which sports organisations face in trying to keep young participants safe. This demonstrates that real damage can be done if sports organisations are unable to prevent abusers from coming into contact with children through sport. This problem seems unlikely to be confined to football, and other sports may well become the focus of media attention over the coming weeks and months.
- What is child abuse and neglect? Child Family Community Australia, (September 2018). The purpose of this resource sheet is to provide practitioners, policy makers and researchers with a working definition of child abuse and neglect. It provides a general definition of child abuse and neglect and definitions of the five commonly regarded subtypes.
- A green flag for the Flag System? Towards a child protection policy in Flemish sport, Vertommen, Tine; Toftegaard-Stoeckel, Jan; Vandevivere, Lore et.al., International Journal of Sport Policy, Volume 8(1), pp.15-31, (March 2016). Despite a growing body of literature and research about sexual harassment and abuse in sport, there is hardly any evidence-based policy and prevention research to guide the policy implementation process. By using the Flemish sport system as its empirical focus, this article investigates the feasibility of the so-called Flag System to translate policy into practice. The Flag System is a didactic tool created to assist sport stakeholders in the assessment of sexual behaviour involving children. It is in the process of being implemented in Flanders, and preliminary findings suggest a high level of feasibility at all levels of organized sports. Demonstrating that a number of inhibiting forces have effectively been reduced in Flanders, the current analysis of the process of planned change suggests that the Flag System has potential in bridging the gap between policy and practice and may also be suitable for implementation in other Western countries.
- The Australian situation: not so touchy? Catherine Scott, Sport, Education and Society, Volume 18(5), pp.599-614, (2013). Fear of unmediated touch between adults and children has become a feature of life in Anglophone countries, including Australia. Previous research has shown that this fear has had an impact on interactions between adults and children, particularly in education and early years care contexts. To assess the extent to which these fears have influenced Australians' willing to participate or allow their children to participate in junior sport 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted with sports administrators, parents, junior sports officials and young sportspeople. Results suggest that Australians are aware of the prevailing discourses of risk but see these as irrelevant to their own contexts. As a result, junior sport in Australia continues to thrive.
- The Balance of Benefit and Burden? The Impact of Child Protection Legislation on Volunteers in Scottish Sports Clubs, Nichols, Geoff; Taylor, Peter, European Sport Management Quarterly, Volume 10(1), pp.31-47, (February 2010). This paper explores the benefits and burdens experienced by volunteers in sports clubs in Scotland arising from child protection (CP) legislation. The paper concludes that the difficulties of producing accurate evidence in this sensitive area restrict the extent to which legislation can be informed by estimates of reduced risk, weighed against the increased burden on volunteers. However, if society values the voluntary sector in sport and what it provides, it will have to give this sector additional support to cope positively with the legislation and incorporate it into ‘good practice’ working with children.
- Child Protection in Sport: Reflections on Thirty Years of Science and Activism, Celia H. Brackenridge and Daniel Rhind, Social Sciences, Volume 3(3), pp.326-340, (2014). This paper examines the responses of state and third sector agencies to the emergence of child abuse in sport since the mid-1980s. As with other social institutions such as the church, health and education, sport has both initiated its own child protection interventions and also responded to wider social and political influences. Sport has exemplified many of the changes identified in the brief for this special issue, such as the widening of definitional focus, increasing geographic scope and broadening of concerns to encompass health and welfare.
- Children’s experience of sport in Australia. Lynne McPherson, Maureen Long, Matthew Nicholson, et.al., International Review for the Sociology of Sport, Volume 52(5), pp.551-569, (2015). This paper reports on a study designed to explore children’s experiences of organised sport, as recounted by young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 years. Overwhelmingly, young people reported the lasting developmental benefits of participation in organised sport as children. More than 50% also reported negative experiences, including emotional and physical harm and sexual harassment. The reasons for these apparently contradictory findings are explored. The role of coaches, peers, parents and the wider sporting association ethos are investigated and suggestions made for future research.
- Interpersonal violence against children in sport in the Netherlands and Belgium, Tine Vertommen, Nicolette Schipper-van Veldhoven, Kristien Wouters, et.al., Child Abuse and Neglect, Volume 51, pp.223-236, (January 2016). Using a dedicated online questionnaire, over 4,000 adults who had participated in organized sport before the age of 18 were surveyed with respect to their experiences with childhood psychological, physical, and sexual violence while playing sports. The survey showed that 38% of all respondents reported experiences with psychological violence, 11% with physical violence, and 14% with sexual violence. Ethnic minority, lesbian/gay/bisexual (LGB) and disabled athletes, and those competing at the international level report significantly more experiences of interpersonal violence in sport. The results are consistent with rates obtained outside sport, underscoring the need for more research on interventions and systematic follow-ups, to minimize these negative experiences in youth sport.
- Kicking ‘No Touch’ Discourses into Touch: Athletes’ Parents’ Constructions of Appropriate Adult (Coach)-Child (Athlete) Physical Contact. Gleaves, Thomas and Lang, Melanie, Journal of Sport and Social Issues , Volume 4(3), pp.191-211, (2017). This paper reports on a study that investigates athletes’ parents’ perspectives of appropriate coach-child athlete physical contact within youth swimming. Parents constructed physical contact as necessary and legitimate in three specific contexts and drew on children’s rights principles to rationalize this. This paper discusses the significance of this and explores the benefits of adopting child-centred coaching practices.
- Protecting children from violence in sport: a review with a focus on industrialized countries, unicef, (2010). UNICEF has long recognized that there is great value in children’s sport and play, and has been a consistent proponent of these activities in its international development and child protection work. Health, educational achievement and social benefits are just some of the many desirable outcomes associated with organized physical activity. During recent years, however, it has become evident that sport is not always a safe space for children and that the same types of violence and abuse sometimes found in families and communities can also occur in sport and play programmes. The research presented in this publication shows a lack of data collection and knowledge about violence to children in sport, a need to develop the structures and systems for eliminating and preventing this form of violence, and that ethical guidelines and codes of conduct must be established and promoted as part of the prevention system. By addressing these gaps, significant improvements will be realized for the promotion and protection of the rights of children in sport.
- Protection of children in competitive sport: some critical questions for London 2012, Weber, Romana, International Review for the Sociology of Sport, Volume 44(1), pp.55-69, (March 2009). This article explores how children engaged in elite sport may suffer from health problems, lack of education and limited or no free time. Furthermore, it considers the ways through which they may be exploited by their training and competing environments and how their right to freedom of association is often limited. Adopting a human rights approach, this contribution seeks to examine national as well as international measures to protect child athletes. An analysis of existing regulation identifies shortcomings and is followed by suggestions on how to improve child protection in elite sport.
- Reports of child protection and safeguarding concerns in sport and leisure settings: an analysis of English local authority data between 2010 and 2015, Mike Hartill and Melanie Lang, Leisure Studies, Volume 37(5), pp.479-499, (2018). The abuse of children in sport has received considerable attention in recent years not least in the UK, where high-profile disclosures of abuse by former sports professionals have led to several independent inquiries and reviews. Subsequent public and media interest has focused on the potential scale of child abuse in sport. This scrutiny has highlighted how little data there are in this area, in a sector that thrives on statistics. This paper analyses official reports of child abuse in sport and leisure settings received by local authorities (LAs) in England during a five-year period (2010–2015) across a range of factors. Findings show that English LAs have varying capacity to provide data on sport/leisure contexts; receive substantively different volumes of reports of child abuse in sport/leisure; and record reports of sexual abuse in sport at higher levels than other forms of abuse. These data suggest that abuse in English sport is significantly underreported but that reports per annum increased over the period.
- Safeguarding in sport. Anthony Hedges, Sport in Society, Volume 18(5), pp.614-625, (2015). ‘Safeguarding’ is a new term, which has developed from child protection issues that resulted in UK legislation. It refers to an all-encompassing proactive approach to keeping children and vulnerable adults safe from harm or abuse. Sport leaders have both the opportunity and influence that may facilitate abuse. Therefore, all sports require robust safeguarding and safer recruitment policies and practices including the use of Criminal Record checks.
- Safeguarding the child athlete in sport: a review, a framework and recommendations for the IOC youth athlete development model. Mountjoy M, Rhind DJA, Tiivas A, et. al., British Journal of Sports Medicine, Volume 49(13), pp.883-886, (2015). This safeguarding model is designed to assist sport organisations in the creation of a safe sporting environment to ensure that the child athlete can flourish and reach their athletic potential through an enjoyable experience. The aim of this narrative review is to (1) present a summary of the scientific literature on the threats to children in sport; (2) introduce a framework to categorise these threats; (3) identify research gaps in the field and (4) provide safeguarding recommendations for sport organisations.
- Understanding the Use of Emotionally Abusive Coaching Practices. Ashley Stirling, International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, Volume 8(4), (2013). The purpose of this study was to explore coaches' reflections on their previous use of emotionally abusive practices in the coach-athlete relationship. Findings are interpreted to suggest two distinct origins of emotional abuse. Additionally, based on the coaches' reflections on perceived reasons for why they no longer use emotionally abusive practices, determinants of change in coach behaviour are proposed. Applied and theoretical recommendations are discussed.
- Child Safe Sport, Play by the Rules, (accessed 23 September 2020). Provides an overview of the available resources and information to help sport and recreation organisations keep kids safe.
- 'Child Safe Sport Toolkit', Sport Australia, (2017). Although responsibility for child safeguarding moved to Sport Integrity Australia when they commenced on 1 July 2020, the material is still available. View the material as it appeared on the Sport Australia website.
- Child Protection Resources. Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS), (26 May 2020). Resources include an Athlete Wellbeing Framework; Child Protection Policy & Procedure; QAS Code of Conduct for interacting with children & young people; and a Question & answers for athletes factsheet.
- Create a child safe environment. Resources from the Government of South Australia, Office for Recreation and Sport, (July 2016).
- Child protection and safeguarding in sport. sportanddev.org, (accessed 23 September 2020). This section is designed to provide more information on child safeguarding and - by linking with our Toolkit section - the necessary tools to develop and implement a culture that includes practices, procedures and policies. These practices, procedures and policies are to ensure that all who participate in sport remain safe, have fun and learn.
- Child Protection in Sport Resource Library, UK Child Protection in Sport Unit, (accessed 22 September 2020).
- Responding to children and young peoples disclosure of abuse, Child Family Community Australia, CFCA Practitioner Resource, (March 2015). This paper is a guide to responding to children and young people's disclosures of abuse. It outlines what we know about how, why, and when children and young people are likely to disclose and suggests actions to take at the time of disclosure and in the longer term.
- Understanding safeguarding practices for children with disability when engaging with organisations, Sarah Wayland and Gabrielle Hindmarsh, Child Family Community Australia, CFCA Practitioner Resource, (October 2017). This resource explores how an understanding of abuse and neglect relating to children with disability can assist in establishing child-safe organisations.
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- Safeguarding Sport, Janise Mitchell, Australian Childhood Foundation, Our Sporting Future 2015, Gold Coast, Australia (22 October 2015)
- Creating Child Safe Environments Workshop, Our Sporting Future 2013, Melbourne, Australia (10 April 2013)
- Child Protection case study, Michael Haynes, Basketball Australia, Play By The Rules Forum for National Sports Organisations (18 April 2012)
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