2.2 Risk assessment when planning activities

It is important to apply a consistent approach to undertaking a safeguarding risk assessment.

Below are six steps to help guide and inform risk assessments for activities or events of any size:

1. Identify the key general safeguarding risk areas.
2. List the specific risks associated with each of these risk areas in an event or activity.
3. Identify what actions are needed to mitigate (remove or reduce) each risk.
4. Label them high, medium, or low, based on how likely each risk is.
5. Decide who (or which department) will be responsible for addressing each risk, how it will be addressed, and by when.
6. Monitor progress as actions are taken to reduce specific risk levels and prioritise areas where risk levels are higher.

A risk assessment template can help guide and record this important process:

You can find the risk assessment template [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] on the Safeguarding Resources site.

In the template we refer to ‘venues and facilities’. This means anywhere that sports activities take place, for example a rugby pitch, a golf course, or a swimming pool, as well as areas like changing rooms, or catering facilities.

Over the next few sections, you will work through this template. You start by understanding the general safeguarding risk areas.