Call to Action
Key actions for safeguarding children in sport
The Call to Action calls on all organisations that provide sport to children to sign up to key actions, such as involving children and young people in creating child protection plans, and ensuring appropriate checks are followed when recruiting staff and volunteers.
Developed in partnership with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Sport England, UK Sport and the Youth Sport Trust, it builds on the progress made over the past decade.
The Call to Action is one of the Child Protection in Sport Unit's key work areas.
What is the Call to Action?
The Call to Action:
- communicates a refreshed vision for all those concerned with the safety and welfare of children and young people participating in sport
- builds on the significant progress made by sports organisations since the creation of the Child Protection in Sport Unit in England in 2001
- outlines the principles which guide work to safeguard children and young people in and through sport
- identifies key actions for organisations to take individually and collectively to realise the vision
- updates the vision presented in the
Strategy for safeguarding children and young people in sport (2006-2012) (PDF, 2.4MB)
in line with current sport and safeguarding statutory requirements, policy, strategy and practice
- identifies the structure required to implement and review the effectiveness of the Call to Action and to ensure effective communication between stakeholders.
An operational group is currently undertaking a review of the Call to Action. Further information on the revised strategy document will follow shortly.
Aims and objectives of the Call to Action
Our vision is that sport will lead the way in ensuring that children and young people are able to enjoy sport and achieve their potential free from all forms of abuse and exploitation.
Sport cannot do this alone. It will need to work in partnership with colleagues in the statutory, voluntary and private sectors to ensure that we all safeguarding children.
By 2015 we should be able to see that:
- all funded national governing bodies (NGBs) of sport and county sports partnerships (CSPs) have achieved and maintained the Advanced level of the Standards for Safeguarding Children and Young People in Sport
- all CSPs and 05/09 funded NGBs have embedded safeguarding practice through the implementation of the new Framework for safeguarding children in and through Sport
- all recognised NGBs are able to access support and expertise to establish appropriate safeguarding systems
- safeguarding practice is co-ordinated throughout a child's life in sport from participation in schools, clubs and sports facilities through to elite sport through all organisations working confidently together
- sport and all organisations which work with sport understand each others roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children and work in partnership to achieve the best outcomes for children
- sport will have embedded best practice in the recruitment and selection of staff and volunteers including implementation of the government's disclosure and barring scheme
- sport will no longer sit outside of mainstream safeguarding but its role in safeguarding children will be recognised by government departments and by statutory agencies from national to local level, with particular reference to the new Children and Young People's Plans
We have developed a variety of resources to help sports organisations safeguard children and young people.
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