Children and Young People

Advice for Parents and Carers

(Information sourced from the Child Protection in Sport Unit)

The best way to make sure an activity is right for you and your child is to attend a session or practice in advance, or go along with your child when they visit for the first time. Speak to staff, coaches and your child, look around the facilities and see what’s on offer before you both come to a decision.

Any good club or activity should have certain things in place to make sure they’re taking care of children during sessions, practices and competitions, including any activities at different locations such as away matches.

You should feel confident asking a club / organisation about any of the points below. Remember: you have a right to know these things and any good organisation will be happy to let you know what they have in place.

Quick Checklist

Every club / organisation should:

• let you see their policies and procedures on how they deal with any concerns raised about poor practice or abuse
• give you the name of a safeguarding, welfare or child protection officer in case you have any concerns
• show you written standards for good practice, such as a code of conduct for staff or volunteers
• ask you to provide essential medical and emergency contact information, and get your consent for your child to participate
• be able to let you know about the types of things they do to make sure their staff or volunteers are safe to work with your child

The Child Protection in Sport Unit have designed this poster to help parents/carers choose the right sports club for their child. The poster covers 5 key questions parents should feel confident about asking their child’s sports club or a club they’re looking to join, in order to keep their child and other children safe in sport. These questions are equally relevant for other activities / organisations.

For more information please visit:

https://thecpsu.org.uk/media/385224/Parents-Charter-for-keeping-children-safe-in-sport-English.pdf

Remote Teaching and Online Coaching

This is a really challenging time due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Sports clubs and activities have had to be cancelled and sports organisations are looking at how they can stay in touch with their teams and club members during this time.

The Child Protection in Sport Unit has provided the information below about what safeguarding procedures sports clubs and organisations should have in place if they are delivering virtual sessions:

For all online teaching and coaching, the following questions should have been considered by your sports club or provider of activities:

• Do they have an online safety policy and an acceptable use statement? These should include the use of social media for staff and young people. Are there specific procedures to follow in the event of concerns arising during online interaction, for example between a coach and a young person?
• Do all those using, or likely to use, online coaching know what the codes of conduct are for these environments? What processes are in place to ensure that coaches offering their coaching services online have been recruited appropriately and have the correct qualifications and insurance to offer online coaching?
• Parental involvement is critical to ensure there is parental consent for involvement in the activity. How is this managed by the coach?
• What is the process for addressing concerns raised, such as instances of misconduct online, and how do these work during the current pandemic?

For more information on online group coaching sessions and one-on-one coaching sessions please visit:

https://thecpsu.org.uk/resource-library/best-practice/remote-teaching-and-coaching/