There are many things that senior leaders can do to help influence people in their organisation to prioritise safeguarding. Three big ones are language, relationships and ownership. The phrases you use, the questions you ask, and how approachable you are, will quickly tell people whether safeguarding is genuinely welcomed or quietly avoided. If it’s a true priority, you will spend time, money and effort on it.
Here are 7 ways to influence people in your organisation to prioritise safeguarding.
- Change your language to build psychological safety: replace “why didn’t you…?” with “thank you for raising this, what do you need from us right now?” Make it clear you’d rather hear a concern early than late.
- Be consistent: use the same terms across clubs and regions and be clear about what triggers escalation. This can help reduce hesitation when people are thinking about reporting worries.
- Build genuine relationships: when people know and trust the lead safeguarding officer and board champion, they share worries sooner. Get to know people and connect with them on a personal level.
- Be visible because this signals that safeguarding is a priority: a short check-in at visits, camps, or competitions normalises safeguarding as part of performance and participation.
- Bring it to life: use anonymised ‘near misses’ and lessons learned in meetings and training rather than a policy reminder. Make it real, not theoretical.
- Remove friction and make the paperwork as easy as possible: give people templates, scripts, and checklists so safeguarding is simple under pressure.
- Use credible voices: a respected coach, performance lead, or committee member backing the message can help champion the mission. Look out for those who champion safeguarding early on and your influential people in your organisation. Who is listened to when they speak?
Safeguarding in sport is a team effort, but it needs to be led and championed. If it’s a priority, then people will notice when you spend time, money and effort on it.