Safeguarding policy template for sports clubs

What’s in the template

• Policy statement and principles. Who it covers and the principles it rests on.
• Welfare officer. The named contact and their deputy.
• How we keep children safe. Safer recruitment and criminal records checks, training, codes of conduct, supervision, photos and online contact.
• Responding to a concern. Seven steps for anyone who is worried, and who to call.
• Records, whistleblowing and review. Plus a short section on adults at risk and a contacts table.
• Record of concern form. For writing down a concern or disclosure straight away.

What a club safeguarding policy needs

NSPCC Sport sets out ten standards for safeguarding and protecting children in sport, and a policy is the first of them. It also publishes its own policy statement template. In Scotland, clubs follow the Standards for Child Wellbeing and Protection in Sport, and in Northern Ireland Sport NI lists what every club with under-18s should have.

Your governing body will have its own safeguarding requirements and may give you a policy to adopt. Where it does, its version takes priority; use this template to check yours covers the essentials.

• A named welfare officer (designated safeguarding lead), trained and known to everyone.
• Safer recruitment: references and the right criminal records check for each role.
• Codes of conduct for coaches, volunteers, parents and young members.
• Clear steps for responding to a concern, and who to report to.
• Rules on photos and video, online contact, supervision, transport and trips.
• A date to review it.

DBS, PVG and AccessNI checks

In England and Wales, people in regulated activity with children need an enhanced DBS check with a check of the children’s barred list. These checks are free for volunteers (gov.uk), and the DBS Update Service lets a check move with a volunteer between clubs, free for volunteers.

From 1 September 2026 the supervision exemption was removed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, so people who work with children under another checked adult’s supervision, such as assistant coaches, can now be in regulated activity too (gov.uk). Review every role, not just the lead coach’s.

In Scotland, people in regulated roles join the PVG scheme, which is free for volunteers with a qualifying voluntary organisation (mygov.scot). In Northern Ireland, standard and enhanced AccessNI checks are free for volunteers with non-profit organisations (nidirect).

Photos, and adults at risk

NSPCC Sport’s guidance is that a parent or carer gives consent for photos of a child under 16, while a young person over 16 who understands what they are agreeing to can consent for themselves (NSPCC Sport: photography and filming). Record each answer and make it easy for coaches to see.

If your club works with adults who may be at risk of harm, adopt a separate policy for them as well. The Ann Craft Trust provides guidance and templates for sport and activity.

Adopting and reviewing it

Have the committee formally adopt the policy, publish it, and make sure every coach and volunteer has read it. NSPCC Sport recommends reviewing it a year after it is first written and then every three years, and sooner after a change in law or guidance or a serious incident (NSPCC Sport).

Anyone worried about a child can call the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.

Common mistakes

• Adopting a policy nobody has read. Coaches and parents should know who the welfare officer is and how to raise a concern.
• Checking only the head coach, when assistants and regular helpers may now need a check too.
• Letting checks and training lapse because nobody tracks the renewal dates.
• Taking and posting photos without recorded consent.
• Investigating a concern yourself instead of passing it to the welfare officer and the statutory agencies.

Questions

More from the toolkit

Every template and guide in the club admin toolkit