Recent research conducted by Australian Catholic University has shown ensuring children’s safety in sport is a team effort.
ACU Institute of Child Protection Studies Senior research officer Douglas Russell said adult’s behaviour had a direct impact on the enjoyment of the sport by its participants.
The findings, based on a survey of 79 young athletes and 25 adults, helped researchers understand how safe athletes feel in a particular sport and how capable the adults are in preventing and responding to abuse.
The data was then compared to participants from other sports along with different sectors such as education and out-of-home care.
“We found adults are equally as capable in sports clubs as adults in other sectors to prevent and respond appropriately if something might happen to make a child unsafe or if something is making a child feel unsafe,” Russell said.
Another aspect which contributes to child athletes feeling unsafe at sports is parents’ attitudes, as children mimic trusted adults in their lives, he added.
“It’s potentially a safeguarding issue because these parents are potentially role modelling behaviour that we would not see as respectful.”
Russell said opportunities for abuse may occur if there is no respect for other participants and their boundaries.
“What we’re seeing is that one of the things that young people, and us as a community, need children to learn is that you need to show respectful behaviours to one another,” he said.
The study required young participants to complete a survey that presented them with a number of animated scenarios showing either an adult or a peer doing something that might make a young person feel unsafe.
The participants were asked four questions: would they feel safe in this situation; are they worried something may happen; if it did, would they speak to someone; and if they have confidence in the adults in the organisation in the scenario.
The adult capability survey measured four domains of adults’ capabilities within a youth serving organisation context such as sports clubs, to prevent and respond appropriately to abuse.
The institute has created five steps to best manage risk and danger in children’s sport for parents – staying involved and observant by attending sports practices and watching for behavioural changes, educating their children on appropriate boundaries, knowing the policies of the club, encouraging open communication and recognising warning signs like favouritism from coaches.
Russell says these five ways a “great start” for parents in safeguarding their children but thinking about their own behaviour is also very important.
“For most kids, the reason they take part in sport is because it’s fun,” he said.
“What are they doing to make sure that their child is having fun, whether they’re at practice or any competitive game?”
Keep your kids safe from abuse in sport
- Stay involved and observant: Attend training (if allowed), watch for changes in behaviour, and be aware of interactions. If training is ‘closed’ make sure you ask your child their impressions afterwards
- Educate your child on boundaries: Teach them about appropriate behaviour and encourage open communication
- Know the policies: Ensure the club has safeguarding policies and proper screening for staff
- Encourage open communication: Make sure your child feels safe reporting any concerns
- Recognise warning signs: Watch for favouritism, secrecy, or unsupervised one-on-one time
Institute of Child Protection Studies, ACU