News & Updates
Safeguarding in Sport #CEADay22 Kevin Murphy
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The NWG team have written a series of articles to support National Child Exploitation Awareness day 2022 (#CEADay22) – 18th March. Today we hear from Kevin Murphy NWG Safeguarding in Sport Lead
Another year has passed since the last Child Exploitation Awareness Day but this year we see hope on the horizon as finally, we are seeing the end to Covid restrictions and hopefully the end of this traumatic two-year period for us all.
During the last two years we have seen how beneficial the world of sport and physical activity is to the mental health and well being of both children and adults, following the end of lockdown it became obvious that there is the need for children to connect again. School and sports were the main way that allowed this to happen albeit with restrictions still in place.
Children crave interactions especially after being deprived of human connection for so long, technology was there but it’s simply not the same as face-to-face contact with other children, their friends, class and teammates. Parents were also delighted that their children could once again access sport and participate in activities outside of school hours, a welcome relief for many as the benefits of sport is there for all to see for both parents and children.
However, speaking to colleagues who deliver sports activities there is still a complacency with some parents who have a “drop and go” mentality with regard to their child’s sports activities, they pull up in their cars, open the door, let the children out and then off they go, contact with the club is rare and they are just happy to pay fees or subs. And yet by doing this they are missing out on precious moments in their child’s lives but also an opportunity to help keep their children safe, the more independent eyes that are on children at sports sessions the safer children will be.
Following the Larry Nassar case in USA Gymnastics, the Barry Bennell case in the UK and other examples from many sports around the world we have seen what happens when children can become isolated in sport and we know all too well how perpetrators will groom children to reject their friends and support networks which leads to isolation and the opportunity for abuse to occur.
If parents are in attendance, they have the opportunity to become active bystanders, support their children, support their club and also see how others behave towards children and just as importantly how other children behave as well.
Parents, we are our children’s first teachers and have a huge level of influence over them, yet on the sports pitches around the country we will hear children making racist and homophobic comments, sexist jibes at girls, every curse in the world aimed at Referees and Umpires, wholly inappropriate use of language between their peers that is all too often dismissed as “banter”. This is where we need parents, sports coaches and volunteers to become trained in Bystander Interventions. The NWG has partnered with Dr Rachel Fenton from Exeter University and Dr Nathan Eisenstadt from Bristol University to deliver their successful Bystander Intervention training for grassroots sports clubs to help reduce the impact of abuse against children. Our team has been trained to deliver their “Football Onside” Bystander programme as we would like more adults to take the initiative and become active bystanders, call out and call in bad behaviour, challenge inappropriate language but at the same time give children a differing narrative to help them understand the impact of their behaviour and use of language.
If anyone is in any doubt about the need to educate our children and the scale of the problem facing girls in society today then just click on the link to the website Everyone’s Invited below, read the info, scroll down to the bottom to the Everyone’s Invited Challenge, take the challenge then click on the list of schools where girls have report shocking levels of abuse from their male classmates, take a moment to look at the length of the school’s list and see if any school that your children may attend is listed. Now you will see the need for everyone to realise the scale of the problem and the need for more active bystanders in all walks of life.
https://www.everyonesinvited.uk/
If you would like any more information about our Bystander training then please do contact the Safeguarding in Sport team for more information and details.
Kev Murphy
NWG Safeguarding in Sport Team
01332 585371
07399 449045