As an England Netball Coach you are in a unique position to safeguard young people and adults at risk (those with care and support needs).
In particular you are the person who determines whether players keep coming back, whether they enjoy the sport, how they relay their experience to friends, family and loved ones. And you have the power to empower, build confidence and grow individuals and teams.
We hope this page helps you to avoid upsetting, disappointing, harming or abusing those who trust you.
As a minimum, to coach children you should have the following:
Once those are in place you could consider the following:
Involving children/young people and adults at risk
Safeguarding should be a subject that children, young people and adults at risk are familiar with, not just who the Safeguarding Officer is, but where to find out more information. Young people and adults at risk should be consulted with and listened to.
You could consider regularly seeking feedback during training session, 1:1 chats or surveys about your coaching style, competitions, team management etc.
See here for more ideas:
Involving children and young people in their sport | CPSU
Creating the right environment or culture
As a coach, you are in a position of power: deciding who is in the team and who isn’t. You contribute to club success, player enjoyment and safety. With power comes responsibility. Good coaches understand that they work in collaboration with clubs, parents, players, children and volunteers. They understand that all those people are all in a bystander position. Coaches should encourage people to call out, challenge and intervene, not create a permissive environment/false consensus.
When things go wrong it is sometimes because the coach is too powerful; for fear of deselection, negative treatment or perceived as failing, people do not feel free to speak out or to question poor practice.
More ideas and guidance via the links below:
To view and download Guidance, Polocies and Guidance, please visit this page:
Safeguarding Policies and Documents
To raise a safeguarding concern, please visit this page:
I want to report a Safeguarding Concern
