Safeguarding

Safeguarding refers to the process of protecting children (and adults) to provide safe and effective care. This includes all procedures designed to prevent harm to a child (or adult). Everyone who partakes within our sport has a responsibility to support and protect each other to prevent harm to others. Athletics NI works with a number of partners and organisations to implement ways of creating a safer culture within our sport to the implementation of policies & procedures, providing further support and guidance, providing education and training and administering criminal record checks and licensing requirements.

The tabs on the right hand side of the screen will provide further support in the relevant area

Safeguarding and Welfare Policies

UK Athletics and the four Home Country Athletics Federations (HCAF) have launched the new safeguarding policies and procedures set to bring heightened levels of safeguarding expertise and improved processes throughout the sport across the UK.

Safeguarding Regulations

Please see below the newly updated Policies, Procedures and Codes of Conduct:

Adult Safeguarding Policy

Adult Safeguarding Procedures

Child Safeguarding Policy

Child Safeguarding Procedures

Child Safeguarding Process Map

 

Codes of Conduct

Codes of Conduct Booklet

Code of Conduct- Children & Young People

Code of Conduct- Club Safeguarding

Code of Conduct- Club Welfare Officer

Code of Conduct- Coaches

Code of Conduct- Parents & Carers

Code of Conduct- Senior Athletes

Code of Conduct- Technical Officials

Code of Conduct- Volunteers

Safeguarding Children in Athletics

Thank you for taking time to visit the Athletics Northern Ireland Child Protection section. This section was developed by Athletics NI in partnership with UK Athletics and the NSPCC’s Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU).

Athletics is an every-day activity for many children and makes a significant contribution to their well being and development. All athletics clubs have a duty to safeguard children from abuse within our sport. They also have a role in recognising and responding to concerns that a child may be being harmed within another setting, such as the family home. By encouraging all clubs to implement the Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Children’s Sport we believe that everyone in athletics will benefit – children, parents/guardians and leaders. For more information CLICK HERE.

The Wider Picture

Children can be subjected to many forms of unacceptable treatment by adults or indeed by their own peers, which we may never consider being abuse, but none the less the impact of such ill treatment is wide-ranging and impossible to quantify. At a personal level, such ill treatment can completely destroy a child’s sense of worth attacking their self-confidence and self-esteem. At its worst some children can feel that their situation, which if it goes unchallenged, is so hopeless that suicide is their only option.

For further information please contact Athletics NI Welfare Officer;

Allister Woods - welfare@athleticsni.org Telephone. 028 9060 2707