Safeguarding for children and young people

Everyone has a role to keep you safe, like coaches, parents and helpers.

Your sport follows special rules called the Children and Young People Safeguarding Policy. These rules help make sure sport is safe and fair for everyone.

These rules explain:

• How people should treat you.
• What behaviour is okay and what’s not okay.
• What you can do if someone hurts you or makes you feel unsafe.

People like your parents, carers, coaches and volunteers all have a job to make sure you’re safe and respected when you play sport.

• Treat you with respect
• Treat you fairly
• Keep you safe and not hurt you in any way
• Respect your privacy
• Listen to you
• Follow the rules of their jobs at all times
• Support you and protect you from harm
• Not treat you badly because you told someone about being hurt
• Be allowed to work with children and young people

There are many other things that might make you feel upset, scared or embarrassed that are not mentioned here. You have a right to tell someone about anything that makes you feel unsafe or upset.

Your rights

You have rights that help keep you safe and happy:

• You have the right to feel safe. No one should hurt you in any way.
• You have the right to privacy. Your body belongs to you. No one should touch you or take photos that make you feel uncomfortable.
• You have the right to be treated fairly. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from, or what you can do – everyone should be treated with respect.
• You have the right to speak up. You can share your thoughts and feelings, and adults should listen and take you seriously.

You can learn more about your rights on the UNICEF website.

Your responsibilities

Your rights come with responsibilities too. That means:

• You should respect other people’s rights.
• You shouldn’t hurt others or stop them from feeling safe and happy.
• Following the set of rules your sport has that says what kinds of behaviour is and isn't allowed in sport. 

If you ever feel unsafe or someone isn’t respecting your rights, tell an adult you trust – like a coach, parent, carer or teacher. 

If they don’t help, keep telling someone until you feel safe.

Resources

You can find factsheets and guides for children and young people in our resources section.