Partnership Achieves National Safeguarding Standard
The Tyne & Wear Sport Partnership has successfully achieved the Intermediate Level of the NSPCC National Standards for Safeguarding and Protecting Children in Sport, following the portfolio submission in April 2008.
The standards provide a national benchmark of good practice for sports organisations to work towards, to help those involved in sport to make informed decisions, promote good practice and challenge practice that is harmful to children. The standards raise awareness and help organisations know what they need to do to protect children involved in sport and to minimise avoidable risks. When implemented fully they should provide parents and carers with increased confidence and peace of mind. Most importantly of all, they should help create safer environments for children, where they can enjoy and get the very best from their involvement in sport.
Ian Simon, Executive Director of Tyne & Wear Sport, stated: “I am delighted that we have achieved the Intermediate Level of the Safeguarding Standards, following on from our successful attainment of the Preliminary Level in 2004. This demonstrates our partnership’s commitment to safeguarding and protecting children and young people in sport in Tyne & Wear, and the improvements that we have made in this important area of work. We are working very hard to promote the adoption and implementation of effective safeguarding measures to ensure that all children and young people can enjoy sport in a safe environment and be protected from harm.”
Sport England has made working towards achieving the standards a condition of grant aid and they are mandatory for County Sport Partnerships and National Governing Bodies of Sport. The areas covered in the standards include Policy; Procedures & Systems; Prevention; Codes of Practice & Behaviour; Equity; Communication; Education & Training; Access to Advice and Support; Implementation & Monitoring; and Influencing.
The portfolio submitted by Tyne & Wear Sport was praised by the review panel as it demonstrated the steps that we are taking to support our partners to provide effective safeguards for children in sport, and it showed evidence that a considerable amount of progress has been made in a relatively short period of time.
Steve Boocock, Director of the Child Protection in Sport Unit, noted: “I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Tyne & Wear Sport on your portfolio and the continued progress that has been made since the introduction of the Standards.”
Jenni Price, Chief Executive of Sport England, and Mary Marsh, Director of the NSPCC, thanked the partnership for all of their hard work to date and commented: “The continued work Tyne & Wear Sport has undertaken makes an important contribution to the drive to help create a safe sporting environment for children and young people and ensure that they are protected from harm. It also enables sports professionals to have the skills and knowledge to meet the needs of children. These skills are key if we are to achieve our aim of providing opportunities for all of our young people to make England an active sporting nation.”
For further information on the safeguarding standards, please click here (5.4MB file).
