“Call to Action” to put child protection at the heart of sport

The NSPCC has today announced a 'Call to Action' to sports organisations and their partners in England to sign up to a shared vision of child protection in sport for 2015.

The Call to Action calls on all organisations providing sporting activities for 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.

Around 8 million children and young people take part in sporting activities each year. Most do so safely, but a small number of children do suffer at the hands of adults working or volunteering in sport.

Sport England’s director for children and young people, Mike Diaper, said: “We want sport to continue to lead the way over the next decade, promoting the welfare of children and young people. Sport has so much to offer young people, it’s vital that all sports organisations work together so that every child can participate in a fun and safe environment.”

Anne Tiivas, head of the NSPCC’s Child Protection in Sport Unit said: “In the year 2000, only one in ten sports bodies completed police checks on paid coaches and staff members dealing with children and almost half had no reporting system in place for handling abuse allegations.

"Thanks to the huge progress made by sports organisations in introducing safeguards, since the creation in 2001 of the Child Protection in Sport Unit in England, co-funded by the NSPCC and Sport England, the picture today is very different.

"The NSPCC is calling on anyone providing sport for children to work closely with partners in the statutory, voluntary and private sectors to ensure children and young people can enjoy sport free from all forms of abuse and exploitation."