Our highlights from the podcast
Three passionate voices and experts in this field shared powerful reflections on what it really means to create safe, inclusive, and engaging environments for young people in community sport. Their stories challenge us to move beyond paperwork and procedures, and to focus on what truly matters: people.
“Let’s move safeguarding from policies to people” – Anita
Anita, as a Sport Welfare Officer in Norfolk, recalls walking into a sports club for the first time, ready to support their safeguarding efforts. She was greeted with three thick folders of policies and procedures. But instead of diving into the paperwork, she asked a different question:
“Tell me about your club. What’s it like to teach these young people? How do you have conversations with them?”
This moment set the tone for how she reflected on her role and the role of safeguarding to a more human-centred approach and one that prioritises relationships over checklists.
She shared a powerful story from a forum with young people from a disability group in Norfolk. When asked what safeguarding meant to them, one young person replied:
“When I think of safeguarding, I think of folders, risk assessments and bits of paper.”
But when asked what made them feel safe, the answer was simple:
“People make me feel safe.”
That insight sparked a shift in thinking: safeguarding isn’t just about documents – it’s about trust, connection, and care.
“Organisations wear different coats” – John
John, the Designated Safeguard Lead from StreetGames, offered a broader systems perspective, describing how organisations often wear different “coats” – health, safety, sport – depending on the day. But at the heart of it all is a shared goal:
“We want to create a safe environment for young people to play sport.”
Sport, he says, is a powerful tool to engage young people – but only if it’s delivered well and with purpose. For clubs to be sustainable, they need to think beyond just the sport itself. They need to ask: What else can we offer? How can we meet young people where they are?
One of John’s most memorable stories came from a project in Durham, where they transformed the lower level of an ASDA car park into a youth club – because that’s where the young people already were.
“You had the lights on, it was covered, there was food… you essentially had a youth group without walls.”
PCSOs and youth workers began to drop in. It became a safe space – not because of a building, but because of the relationships and presence that were built there.
“We train on skills, but values are paramount” – Ross
Ross, the Strategic Director from Sporting Communities, stressed the importance of getting the right people in from the start, as volunteers or staff. Before an organisation gets into the fun and games of what they are offering, who will be delivering it?
“We do value-based interviews… we want our staff to be able to react appropriately and according to the young people’s needs.”
Ross shared with us that their organisation runs youth forums, mobile youth clubs and a family support unit. Again, the message was clear, that it’s important to go into the heart of communities, be visible and work with, not just the young people, but the parents and local community.
“It’s about the wider community… we build trust with them as well.”
Getting the right people in the right roles to care for children and young people, then all the other work, policies, training, frameworks and responses will slot into place.
