6.6 Why should you engage adults with lived experience of abuse?

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People who have experienced abuse in sport are in a unique position to inform and improve safeguarding. Organisations must create opportunities for those with lived experience to have a voice and learn from them in making the sports environment safer.

Abuse often has an impact that lasts into adulthood, and some individuals want to use these experiences to help protect others. Many others choose not to, or are unable to. It is vital that care is shown in approaching, engaging, and supporting individuals or groups.

Most people with lived experience appreciate ‘control’, ‘respect’, and ‘feeling valued’. When engaging survivors of abuse in sport, they should feel believed, acknowledged, safe, and empowered.

Activity: Why engage those with lived experience?

Take a moment to think about the benefits of involving people with lived experience in your safeguarding. Think both about the potential benefits to them as individuals, as well as to your organisation.

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Here’s what we came up with:

  • Benefits for individuals: They often wish to be heard because they desire to create change – to know that their suffering matters enough to produce action. Helping others not suffer, can give meaning to what has been endured.
  • Benefits for the organisation: Personal testimonies help convince others of the reality and impact of abuse and of the need to act. Those with lived experience may be best equipped to critically assess current safeguarding arrangements and your reporting mechanisms.

Engaging people with lived experience needs commitment. First, the person could be re-traumatised if you don’t put in place the right preparation or support arrangements. You also need to be sincere and not tokenistic in your engagement.

Engagement

Any engagement must be meaningful and have the scope to impact what your organisation says and does.

"Whether the survivor’s experience will be healing, or re-traumatising, is dependent on what the organisation is truly willing to do with the message it receives."

(Source: Rachael Denhollander, survivor of sexual abuse in USA Gymnastics)

6.5 How can you embed this approach across case management?

6.7 How can those with lived experience of abuse contribute to safeguarding?