7.3 A competition safeguarding plan
We recommend creating a specific safeguarding plan for each competition, which sets the minimum operating standards for everyone taking part.
The plan can be used as a template for future events.
Activity: Patience describes developing her competition safeguarding plan
Listen to Patience’s account and develop a checklist based on her actions.
Download this audio clip.Audio player: patience_english_nc5266_2024_aug005a_7.3.mp3
Transcript
PATIENCE
I developed the competition safeguarding plan with a child protection expert from a local NGO and a colleague from the organising team. We had a useful combination of experience, knowledge and skills that covered sport, competitions, and safeguarding. First, we identified where and how vulnerable individuals would be involved, from community members and athletes, to children and spectators.
We then engaged with all stakeholders – local authorities, protection and emergency services, as well as the competition organisers to identify the risks specific to the competition and local context. We created a risk mitigation plan, assessed existing safeguarding arrangements already in place, and made sure all measures for the competition were in line with the local legal and social context.
The plan set out what we expected everyone associated with the competition to do, and the arrangements that would be in place, before, during, and after the competition. This included identifying roles and responsibilities, having an agreed ratio of supervisors for children, defining how the safeguarding team would work with other teams, including security, legal and volunteer management, and making sure transport and accommodation were safe. We also agreed a dedicated budget for safeguarding.
It was important to start managing risk before the event took place. Actions included operating a safer recruitment process, sharing and enforcing codes of conduct, and providing safeguarding training and information to everyone. We required visiting teams to include parental consents, medical information, and emergency contact details as part of our athlete registration process.
We developed a clear, centralised system for reporting safeguarding concerns – with different ways for people to access this system and clear processes for responding. We developed a simple reporting form that everyone could use to capture key information. We also ensured the competition had effective security, promoting key contact details for competition safeguarding staff, and had processes to respond to lost or missing persons and emergency evacuations.
Finally, after the competition, we held a formal review of the safeguarding arrangements to help improve support for future competitions. We also monitored the progress of the safeguarding concerns that had been raised during the competition.
The plan was approved by the competition organisers and shared with all the stakeholder groups and organisations we had identified at the outset.
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Comment
Here’s our checklist – does it agree with yours?
- Identification of relevant local stakeholders and available resources.
- Safer recruitment, employment, and deployment of staff and volunteers.
- Codes of conduct.
- Risk assessment and mitigation plan.
- Reporting process supported by simple reporting forms.
- Agreed ratios of supervisors to children/young people.
- Missing persons process.
- Consents and medical information.
- Information for athletes, parents, staff, and volunteers.
You can download a Safeguarding Checklist for Smaller Activities and Events [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] on the Safeguarding Resources site.
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7.2 Competitions in context – the basics
