In 2002, East Ayrshire Sports Council introduced a programme of compulsory
child protection training to all affiliated clubs.
The executive committee of the Sports Council set a 3-year timescale
for every affiliated club to send at least one representative to the sports coach UK Good Practice and Child
Protection Workshop.
As an incentive, each affiliated sports club was offered a free place on the Good Practice and
Child Protection courses organised within their local authority area. In addition, at the Sports Council’s AGM, the
constitution was altered to reflect the compulsory nature of child protection training for all member sports clubs and linked
this to the club's eligibility for grant aid from the Council.
To ensure that child protection remains a high priority
among local sports clubs, the Sports Council has also endorsed the training of one local volunteer and the Council's club,
coach and volunteer development officer as sports coach UK tutors for the Good Practice and Child Protection
course.
In 2003, the Sports Council Executive commissioned the development of local child protection guidelines. These
guidelines, which were published in 2004 and again in 2006, offer advice and information on legislation, as well as draft
policies related to child protection in sport. The guidelines feature national child protection guidance as well as key contacts
for further information, and are available to all sports clubs and organisations. Their development was supported by CHILDREN
1ST and local authority legal and social work departments.
Since 2002, key successes have included:
- more
than 200 local sports coaches and leaders undergoing Good Practice and Child Protection training in East Ayrshire
- a
condition of grant aid funding through East Ayrshire Sports Council being that clubs must be able to give evidence of their
child protection policy!
- a large number of voluntary sports clubs having a child protection officer or co-ordinator
in place
- qualification of two local Good Practice and Child Protection tutors
- production and publication of
informative and easy to use local child protection guidelines which are available free to all sports clubs
- the first
In Safe Hands training, with 11 attendees, delivered by CHILDREN 1ST
In the year ahead, East Ayrshire Sports Council
will be embarking on a comprehensive programme of training sports clubs, coaches and volunteers. Local tutors will deliver
training to club child protection officers and head coaches. The purpose of this training is to ensure that the guidelines
are implemented and actioned by each club. The tutors will also deliver training to support this through the revised sports
coach UK Good Practice and Child Protection workshop, now re-named Safeguarding and Protecting Children. Finally East Ayrshire Sports Council will continue to deliver In Safe Hands training to child protection officers in partnership with CHILDREN 1ST.
If you would like more information,
please contact:
Douglas Porteous,
Club, Coach and Volunteer Development Officer,
East Ayrshire Council,
01563 576718
or email: douglas.porteous@east-ayrshire.gov.uk
