Protecting children in sport

As promised the Royal Commission is turning its attention to sport and the institutional responses to child sex offences.  Today's story of a cricket club unprepared to handle abuse allegations won't be the worst.  I'm certain you'll hear of abuse going on for years, deceived parents, of abusers gaining and retaining positions of power and influence for years and of governing bodies remaining ignorant or failing to act. 

How do I know? After years running sport and leisure facilities and working in sport  I know that sports clubs, like schools, youth groups or churches are the places that abusers target in order to access children who aren't always supervised by their own parents. I'm not saying there has been a rise in the number of paedophiles, but I do know what works and what doesn't when it comes to child protection.

I'd recommend starting with these steps:

(1)Enforce child protection checks for all members and volunteers
(2)Ensure you have at least one trained Member Protection Information Officer  in your club and that they introduce themeselves and their role at the start of the season
(3)Run regular clinics for coaches, parents and volunteers to discuss child protection issues in your sport - helmets, rubber-crumb pitches, hydration, appropriate coaching techniques
(4)Make sure you have strong policies in place to back you up

For information, education resources  or assistance in handling matters check out www.keel.consulting