Parents in Sport Week 2020
5th – 11th October 2020
Parents in Sport Week is an annual campaign, run by the NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU), which aims to highlight the important role parents play in youth sport, from helping to keep children safe, to encouraging them to take part and stay active.
This year’s theme is ‘Let’s talk about keeping children safe in sport’ and the aim is to raise awareness amongst parents of the types of things clubs should have in place to keep children safe and how parents can get help with any concerns.
Information for Parents
For more information on how you can get involved in this years parents in sport week click on the relevant link below.
Make the Sports Parent Promise:
As part of the campaign, the CPSU are asking sports parents to make the Sports Parents Promise to help their child have a safe and enjoyable experiences of sport. The promise is a 3-point pledge to their children to;
- listen to them about concerns,
- check clubs are safe to enjoy, and
- encourage their children to take part in a positive way
They hope this will help parents to understand how their contribution to their child’s sport makes it a safer place for all children.
For more information and to make the Promise online click here and, in return, you’ll be directed to vital information about how to keep your child safe in sport. You can also download a certificate of your own to share on social media or print out and stick up on the fridge. Show your child you support them and spread the word on social media using the hashtags #SportsParents and #ParentsInSportWeek2020.
Tag us in your post: Facebook: @cgigolf Twitter: @CGI_Golf Instagram: @cgi_golf
How Safe is your child’s golf club:
Below are six questions, with answers, that you should be asking your child’s golf club to ensure they have a safe and enjoyable experience.
Have the PGA professionals and volunteers completed garda vetting/ enhanced access NI check?
It is now mandatory for all those involved in any work or activity which is carried out by a person, on a continuous, regular and/ or ongoing basis with young people (U18) to complete a garda vetting/ enhanced access NI check.
Have all those working with juniors in the club completed the appropriate training?
All those working with juniors are required to complete a Safeguarding 1 basic awareness workshop. The Club Children’s Officer must attend Safeguarding 1, basic awareness workshop, and safeguarding 2, club children’s officer workshops. The Designated Liaison Person must attend safeguarding 1, basic awareness workshop, and safeguarding 3, designated liaison person workshop.
Have all juniors, parents, volunteers and PGA coaches signed the relevant code(s) of conduct?
All volunteers, coaches, juniors and parents should also sign the club’s codes of conduct annually. Codes of conduct are an essential framework for staff and volunteer interactions with children with regard to support and supervision, training needs and disciplinary actions.
Does the club have a safeguarding policy?
Every golf club must have a safeguarding policy in place to safeguard children. It should be available for all members to read either in the club or on the club’s website.
What happens if there’s an accident in the club?
Ask the club if they have a first aider. They should also have your contact details in case of an emergency.
Who can you and your child talk to if there is a problem?
Every golf club must appoint a Club Children’s Officer (CCO) and Designated Liaison Person (DLP). And their details should be promoted and displayed within the club so that juniors and adults know who to contact if they have a problem.
The appointment of the CCO is an essential element in the creation of a quality atmosphere. They act as a resource with regards to children’s issues. The club children’s officer role is to promote awareness of safeguarding guidelines in the golf club, check that all activities are safe and fun and inform adults of how to deal with any concerns that may arise in relation to the protection of children.
The DLP is responsible for ensuring that reporting procedures within an organisation are followed so that child welfare and protection concerns are referred promptly to the Statutory Authorities. The Designated Liaison Person should record all concerns or allegations of child abuse brought to his/her attention, and the actions taken following receipt of a concern or allegation of child abuse.
For full role description of CCO and DLP see our website.
Parenting at competitions:
The below downloadable fact sheet is available on the CPSU website and covers the following:
- advice on how to support your child
- what you can do before, during and after competitions
- example behaviour which may help your child
For more information visit the CPSU website.
Online safety:
How aware of you about your child’s safety when using their mobile phones for text, web and social media?
As the golf day can be long and parents are not always near by, it is a good idea to have contact with your child using their mobile phone, but are you sure that it’s being used in a safe manner?
For online tips on how to talk to your child about online safety click here
For information on setting up parental controls on specific apps and devices click here
Webinars for parents
From a survey the NSPCC and CPSU carried out with sports parents, parents said one of their main worries about sport during the Covid-19 pandemic was how to keep children safe while communicating with clubs and coaches online. The NSPCC and O2 are offering free 30 minute webinars for groups of parents, grandparents and carers, making it easy for you to keep your family safe online. Webinars are delivered by experienced NSPCC staff.
For more information or to set up a workshop email
parentworkshops@nspcc.org.uk or visit the NSPCC website.
Videos for parents:
The CPSU have a number of videos available on their website for parents that look at how they can help young people play and achieve to the best of their ability.
To view the following videos, click here.
- Messages for parents of young athletes
- The role of parents in supporting children and young people in sport
- The importance of parents in sport
Useful Downloads:
The CPSU have a range of resources for parents on their website including what to look for in a sports club and tips on how to support your child. Click here to visit their website.
More Information and Resources
What clubs can do:
- If you’re a sports club, talk to the parents in your sport and encourage them to make the Sports Parents Promise.
- Ensure parents, along with coaches, volunteers, juniors and PGA professionals, sign codes of conduct annually. For sample codes of conduct click here
- Tips for working with parents
Make the Sports Parent Promise:
As part of the campaign, the CPSU are asking sports parents to make the Sports Parents Promise to help their child have a safe and enjoyable experiences of sport. The promise is a 3-point pledge to their children to;
- listen to them about concerns,
- check clubs are safe to enjoy, and
- encourage their children to take part in a positive way
They hope this will help parents to understand how their contribution to their child’s sport makes it a safer place for all children.
For more information and to make the Promise online click here and, in return, you’ll be directed to vital information about how to keep your child safe in sport. You can also download a certificate of your own to share on social media or print out and stick up on the fridge. Show your child you support them and spread the word on social media using the hashtags #SportsParents and #ParentsInSportWeek2020.
Tag us in your post: Facebook: @cgigolf Twitter: @CGI_Golf Instagram: @cgi_golf
How Safe is your child’s golf club:
Below are six questions, with answers, that you should be asking your child’s golf club to ensure they have a safe and enjoyable experience.
Have the PGA professionals and volunteers completed garda vetting/ enhanced access NI check?
It is now mandatory for all those involved in any work or activity which is carried out by a person, on a continuous, regular and/ or ongoing basis with young people (U18) to complete a garda vetting/ enhanced access NI check.
Have all those working with juniors in the club completed the appropriate training?
All those working with juniors are required to complete a Safeguarding 1 basic awareness workshop. The Club Children’s Officer must attend Safeguarding 1, basic awareness workshop, and safeguarding 2, club children’s officer workshops. The Designated Liaison Person must attend safeguarding 1, basic awareness workshop, and safeguarding 3, designated liaison person workshop.
Have all juniors, parents, volunteers and PGA coaches signed the relevant code(s) of conduct?
All volunteers, coaches, juniors and parents should also sign the club’s codes of conduct annually. Codes of conduct are an essential framework for staff and volunteer interactions with children with regard to support and supervision, training needs and disciplinary actions.
Does the club have a safeguarding policy?
Every golf club must have a safeguarding policy in place to safeguard children. It should be available for all members to read either in the club or on the club’s website.
What happens if there’s an accident in the club?
Ask the club if they have a first aider. They should also have your contact details in case of an emergency.
Who can you and your child talk to if there is a problem?
Every golf club must appoint a Club Children’s Officer (CCO) and Designated Liaison Person (DLP). And their details should be promoted and displayed within the club so that juniors and adults know who to contact if they have a problem.
The appointment of the CCO is an essential element in the creation of a quality atmosphere. They act as a resource with regards to children’s issues. The club children’s officer role is to promote awareness of safeguarding guidelines in the golf club, check that all activities are safe and fun and inform adults of how to deal with any concerns that may arise in relation to the protection of children.
The DLP is responsible for ensuring that reporting procedures within an organisation are followed so that child welfare and protection concerns are referred promptly to the Statutory Authorities. The Designated Liaison Person should record all concerns or allegations of child abuse brought to his/her attention, and the actions taken following receipt of a concern or allegation of child abuse.
For full role description of CCO and DLP see our website.
Parenting at competitions:
The below downloadable fact sheet is available on the CPSU website and covers the following:
- advice on how to support your child
- what you can do before, during and after competitions
- example behaviour which may help your child
For more information visit the CPSU website.
Online safety:
How aware of you about your child’s safety when using their mobile phones for text, web and social media?
As the golf day can be long and parents are not always near by, it is a good idea to have contact with your child using their mobile phone, but are you sure that it’s being used in a safe manner?
For online tips on how to talk to your child about online safety click here
For information on setting up parental controls on specific apps and devices click here
Webinars for parents
From a survey the NSPCC and CPSU carried out with sports parents, parents said one of their main worries about sport during the Covid-19 pandemic was how to keep children safe while communicating with clubs and coaches online. The NSPCC and O2 are offering free 30 minute webinars for groups of parents, grandparents and carers, making it easy for you to keep your family safe online. Webinars are delivered by experienced NSPCC staff.
For more information or to set up a workshop email
parentworkshops@nspcc.org.uk or visit the NSPCC website.
Videos for parents:
The CPSU have a number of videos available on their website for parents that look at how they can help young people play and achieve to the best of their ability.
To view the following videos, click here.
- Messages for parents of young athletes
- The role of parents in supporting children and young people in sport
- The importance of parents in sport
Useful Downloads:
For tips on how to, encourage positive sports parents, manage challenging parental behaviour and more, click here to visit the CPSU website for more information on what clubs can do to support parents involvement in sport.
Featured Videos:
The below video shows several children involved in sports, describing how the behaviour of parents/ spectators deteriorates when they wear their ‘magic sports kit’ .i.e. when they compete. They talk about a range of bad adult behaviours and how these negatively impact on them. They then describe and promote positive behaviour.
The below video highlights the important role that positive sports parents play in supporting their children to participate and engage in sport.
The following video emphasis the negative effects that sports parents can have on their child’s performance. First thing is for children is that sports should be fun, parents should be good role models and support fair play. This video provides advice on keeping children safe in sports and dealing with pushy parents to help anyone involved in sports activities with children and young people – including coaches, volunteer helpers, activity organisers and parents.
For videos on the importance of parents in sports CLICK HERE
If there is something you are not able to find in relation to safeguarding please contact: fiona@cgigolf.org or phone 01 505 4272
