Child protection

In 2001, the Child Protection in Sport Unit was launched and jointly-funded by Sport England and the NSPCC. Since then, our world-leading achievements have been recognised by the United Nations in their global study of children.

The unit’s remit is to help children play sport, stay safe, enjoy and achieve.

It has set out Standards for Safeguarding and Protecting Children in Sport which national governing bodies and  (CSPs) are required to adopt. This standards framework is an acknowledged market leader, encouraging sports organisations to safeguard children, in line with their statutory responsibilities, and to ensure best practice.

There are three levels of achievement – preliminary, intermediate and advanced. To qualify for the intermediate and advanced levels, organisations need to show commitment and action in keeping children and young people safe.

To date, with the support of the Children Protection in Sport Unit, 52 governing bodies have achieved preliminary level, and 33 have achieved intermediate level. As for CSPs, all 49 have achieved preliminary level, while 45 have achieved intermediate level. This has been a huge effort and we congratulate the sports and partnerships.

These tiered standards give parents, staff and volunteers confidence that the overall sporting experience for young people is being actively monitored, and that safety and welfare issues are taken seriously.

Visit the Child Protection in Sport Unit website