Frequently Asked Safeguarding in Sport Questions
Why is safeguarding children in sport so important to Coacha?
We’ve obviously done our research around safeguarding in sport. But this isn’t the only reason we have such extensive knowledge on the matter. We’re coaches ourselves. We're aware of the benefits of safeguarding in sport. We run our own clubs, classes, courses and safeguarding and child protection software.
Before
CoachaGDPR even existed, we were looking into which pieces of sport/children safeguarding software to use for our own clubs. Obviously, we didn’t find any that we thought were satisfactory; hence why we built our own. But when we were conducting our research into kids' safeguarding software, we discovered that, sure, there was software out there that held your athlete’s information, allowed you to use registers and send emails; but where were the specific features focusing on safeguarding and data protection/? The answer? There weren't any!
What has Coacha implemented to help coaches see the benefits of safeguarding in sport?
We have built our whole system to assist club's with safeguarding tasks. Our biggest child protection feature is our collaboration with the NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU). The NSPCC's role in safeguarding is vast. Coacha’s primary goal will always be to keep your members’ information as safe and secure as possible, whilst allowing you to use Coacha’s tools to adequately safeguard them.
We built Coacha’s communication feature around NSPCC CPSU safeguarding guidelines, so that no member can ever be contacted when they shouldn’t be (as long as members’ dates of births are correct). This means if members are too young to be contacted, their parents will automatically be contacted instead. Meaning the administrative side of your communication process just got a whole lot safer and easier by using our safeguarding and child protection software. We're helping you protect your members in partnership with the NSPCC CPSU.
Can I allocate a role to my Safeguarding Officer?
Within our children safeguarding software, you add an ‘Independent Moderator’ who will be copied in on all emails to those who are underage. So, whether or not someone attends NSPCC safeguarding training, they can be confident they're a part of a club who do their very best to protect its members.
Can I privately document a safeguarding concern?
One of the features we’re most proud of within Coacha, our kids' safeguarding software, is ‘Coach’s Notes’. Each member profile will have a ‘Coach’s Notes’ section that can be used to track progress, note behavior, grades etc.
Coaches' Notes are subject to instant data download via the Member Portal by members/their parents under GDPR. However, if you need to use Coach’s Notes to document safeguarding concerns (that you may have picked up on in NSPCC safeguarding training), you can.
You may not think the note is appropriate for the parent to read (in view of the child’s safety), so you can upgrade the note to a ‘Safeguarding Note’. This will make the note exempt from data download, so you're always safeguarding children in sport to a high standard.
What are the benefits of safeguarding in sport?
Safeguarding children is a vital task. We all have a duty to protect children, especially when we're such huge figures of trust in their lives. If your club has never dealt with a safeguarding concern, fantastic! But you may also be wondering what the benefits of safeguarding in sport are?
The sad thing is, we're seeing more & more reports of child abuse in sport all across the world. As coaches, we always need to be alert and aware. We need to know what signs to look out for if a child is being abused/groomed and be prepared for the next steps. Using Coacha can help you in this process, as it provides you with the tools to make things safer, more secure and more efficient.
High quality safeguarding in sport will mean that children within your club are protected and feel safe. This is the absolute most important benefit. It means that you and your coaches' knowledge, tools and procedures will protect all children and your club will be a known as a place where they will remain safe at all times.