Senior Lecturer/Researcher at Victoria University: safe sport and exercise enjoyment
Every conversation matters. Principles of trauma informed care should be foundational to the response to abuse in sport. National child protection week, day 5, and today I want to focus on what the sport organisation can/should do when responding to abuse in sport. First and foremost, your organisation should seek to do no harm and not re-traumatise the victim/survivor coming forward.There are many examples of how this can go terribly wrong. Here is an excellent short piece from colleges V. Roberts and Alison Quigley https://lnkd.in/gPcKRGFq. Some practical things to consider to reduce this risk include: 👉🏻1/ Minimise barriers to access/engage with services. Think about who victim/survivors can go to and how. Remember that children will often go to a parent as the first adult, not necessarily the safeguarding officer. Make sure it's clear that it's ok and make sure the adults know they can then reach out to the safeguarding officer or member protection information officer. 👉🏻Transparently communicate the procedures for what happens next. Make no promises but be clear on what steps will be taken and approximate timings. Explain that a formal procedure may limit what can be shared during an investigation process but provide updates on changes to timelines. 👉🏻 Have a list of relevant mental health and appropriate support services for the child, the parent and for the safeguarding officer. There are so many excellent organisations outside of sport that can assist, depending on the circumstances. Orygen Headspace and Bravehearts for adult survivors. Organisations like IGFF (In Good Faith Foundation) has a focus on sexual abuse and is a national recovery system and can provide case management, advocacy support and education. 👉🏻 Minimise harms from the system such as repeated requirements for disclosures. Survivors of abuse often speak about how many times they are required to recount their stories of abuse, and each one takes a toll. Try to avoid duplication and repetition of disclosures within your organisations process. While this may be unavoidable in cases reaching a criminal level, capturing detailed notes and ensuring clear communication within the organisation can help. 👉🏻Have support available for the adults/safeguarding officers who receive disclosures (team debriefing procedures). This can be a challenging role, especially when it is taken up by one person in the organisation. Ensure there are support mechanisms in place. #nationalchildprotectionweek #NAPCAN #Safesport #abuseinsport
Doctoral candidate (law), analysing child safe policies in gymnastics
5moThanks for sharing