Designated and Senior Safeguarding Lead in a Sporting Organisation

The club DSL or welfare officer is the first point of contact for all safeguarding issues within their club.

They are responsible for giving advice about the wellbeing, safeguarding and protection of young people, promoting good practice, ensuring the Reporting a Concern process is clearly communicated and understood within the club, and helping the club create a safe and enjoyable environment where everyone understands their safeguarding responsibilities.

Abuse occurs in all sports. Studies indicate 40% to 50% of athletes have experienced anything from mild harassment to severe abuse. Research suggests that sexual abuse in sports impacts between 2% to 8% of all athletes. 90% of child sexual abuse victims know the perpetrator in some way.

A knowledgeable and confident welfare officer is crucial to creating a safe, positive and inclusive culture in a sports club.

This course has been created and delivered by Milly Wildish, a child protection specialist who has worked in criminal, education and local authority settings and has worked as a designated safeguarding lead in a large primary school in London. Milly is a national safeguarding panel member and is currently engaged in a large-scale independent investigation, into current and historical allegations of child abuse in a sporting setting. Milly also conducts independent investigations on behalf of the house of commons and house of lords.

Your understanding of the course is tested though multiple-choice questions and you will receive a CPD accredited certificate, on the successful completion of the course.