When it comes to excellence in sport, Wales has much to be proud of. In 2016 alone the nation laid claim to some of the finest Olympians and Paralympians to have emerged from this year’s games. This year also saw its national football team fight against all odds to claim a place in the 2016 European Championship semi-finals. Not bad for a nation smaller in population than London city alone. And yet, alongside such incredible and unprecedented successes, 2016 has also brought with it a variety of stark and haunting reminders that behind the glitz and glamour of high end sport there the potential for danger is unfortunately never too far away as news of youth team football child abuse is made public.
Very few can have escaped the headlines flowing out from the world of football in recent weeks. More than 20 former footballers have waived their right to anonymity to help bring historic sex abuse cases committed during their time as junior footballers in the 1980s and 1990s to light.
In what is fast becoming the biggest scandal for the FA to date, more than 20 former footballers including Derek Bell, Paul Stewart and Andy Woodward have now also come forward to give their official statement to police, with 15 forces involved in the case UK wide.
Through sheer bravery and courage, both existing and former sportsmen have put aside their fears to remind the world of sport overall that safeguarding young people in the pursuit of their sporting passions must always be a priority, regardless of the discipline or level at which it being played.
The Future
Following on from the negatives of the many traumatic and harrowing accounts of youth football child abuse that have come to light in the media recently, the positives that those involved were no doubt aiming to bring about as a result of their selfless actions are also emerging.
Serving as a catalyst for associated bodies across the board to remind those working, volunteering, participating and parenting those in sport of the safeguarding systems that are already in place, ongoing reports coming in have also led the majority to call for improved measures to be made effective wherever possible.
Welsh Sporting Association (WSA) chief officer Victoria Ward was among those who issued a statement this week highlighting the need to prioritise the protection of vulnerable individuals amongst members, saying: “Waiving the right to anonymity to highlight this issue is extraordinarily brave – it’s also a stark reminder to anyone involved in sport that safeguarding the welfare of children and vulnerable adults must always be, without exception, our top priority.
“When it comes to safeguarding, there is no such thing as ‘it’s not my job’. We all have a responsibility. Whether we are parents or carers, coaches or CEOs, volunteers or supporters, we all have a duty to ensure we do everything we possibly can to keep children safe.”
The majority of sporting organisations today are doing a great job when it comes to safeguarding both their senior and junior members, but complacency is clearly not an option when it comes to consistently reviewing and improving screening procedures already in place.
DBS checks are incredibly useful but are not the only solution – all clubs need to ensure they have the correct set of procedures in place to be able to deal with a range of issues that could crop up.
If you would like to speak to a member of our team for further support, you can call us on: 01443 799 900 or email us on: info@cbscreening.co.uk