Safe Sport - Distinguishing Child Rights & Safeguarding in Sport

Who is this for?

• Staff and board members
• Safeguarding leads and welfare officers
• Coaches and practitioners working with children
• Policy, compliance and participation leads
• Funders and policymakers in sport

Aim
To support sport organisations to clearly distinguish between safeguarding and a child rights approach, and to understand safeguarding as a foundational element within a wider children’s rights framework.

Objectives

• To clarify the definitions and differences between safeguarding and a child rights approach in sport
• To explore how safeguarding enables, but does not replace, wider children’s rights obligations
• To deepen understanding of participation (UNCRC Article 12) and why it must go beyond safeguarding alone
• To support organisations to move beyond compliance‑only approaches toward child‑first sport environments

Outcomes
Participants will gain clarity on their responsibilities beyond safeguarding, understand how rights‑based practice strengthens safe sport, and be better equipped to embed participation, dignity and accountability alongside protection.

Topics Covered

• What safeguarding is – and what it is not
• What a child rights approach means in sport
• Safeguarding as essential but not exhaustive
• The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in sport
• Participation, voice and influence (Lundy Model)
• Comparing safeguarding‑led and rights‑based approaches
• Role of duty‑bearers across sport systems
• Risks of tokenism and ‘safe sport only’ compliance
• Practical implications for policy, culture and day‑to‑day practice

By the end of this L&D opportunity delegates will be able to...

• Clearly articulate the difference between safeguarding and a child rights approach
• Explain why safeguarding alone does not fulfil all children’s rights obligations
• Identify where participation and influence are missing from existing practice
• Understand how strong safeguarding enables safe and meaningful participation
• Reflect on how their organisation can embed rights‑based principles alongside safeguarding

Tutor Biography

Sorcha Kennedy is a Children’s Rights and Sport Specialist at UNICEF UK. Her work focuses on embedding child rights based approaches across sport systems, including safeguarding, participation, policy development and organisational culture. She works with national governing bodies, grassroots organisations and international partners to support rights respecting, child first sport environments.

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/sorcha-rowan-kennedy-8005a9198

Presentation Style

Blended learning: facilitated workshop combining short input sessions, discussion, case studies and reflective activities.