Can we identify risks before something bad happens?

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An illustration of a downhill skier passing a marker post. The marker post banner is in red and has two question marks printed on it.

Is identifying different risks key to safeguarding?

An important part of safeguarding is to identify risks before they happen. Once you know the risks, you can then plan how they can be prevented and managed.

Living conditions at a youth training camp

To explore identifying and preventing risks a little more, let's watch another video scenario.

While you watch the video, think about these two questions:

  1. What three risks to the athletes or players at the youth training camp can you identify?
  2. How might these harm the athletes or players?

Trigger warning: The following animation contains content related to abuse in sport which some viewers may find difficult or distressing.

Download this video clip.Video player: nc5227_2023_vid002_ski_camp_1920x1080_2.mp4
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Transcript

MALE NARRATOR:
A successful ski and snowboard club is taking its best young athletes away for an intensive training camp. The camp is just before they sit their school exams and lasts a whole month. The club have provided transport, accommodation, food, coaches, and equipment, but no safeguarding officer and no risk assessment.
FEMALE NARRATOR:
When the children return from the camp, they tell their parents that they don't want to go again next year. A journalist discovers they face serious issues.
MALE NARRATOR::
They didn't have enough to eat and had to train very hard.
FEMALE NARRATOR::
There were terrible sanitation facilities. They missed a whole month of school and had no time to study. The signal in the mountains was really bad, so they couldn't call their families.
MALE NARRATOR::
And they had to sleep in overcrowded, dirty, mixed-sex dormitories with minimal supervision. The rooms were cold and dark at night.
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You may have identified many types of risks and harm that could arise at the youth training camp. Some of the risks include, but are not limited to:

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These are all forms of what is called ‘neglect’ of the children in the sports club.

What comes next if I identify risks?

Once the safeguarding risks have been identified, the next step is to plan how they can be prevented or managed.

The whole process is known as a safeguarding risk assessment. We will explore risk assessment in more detail later in the course.

Working through the first part of this course might have raised some concerns for you. If you have any concerns, report them straight away to your local sports Safeguarding Lead or to your local police and child protection services. This topic will be covered in more detail in the final part of the course.

Well done, you've almost completed the first part of this course.

Why is safeguarding in sport important?

Closing thoughts and main messages