LimeCulture was excited to host our inaugural Safer Sport Knowledge and Network Conference on 3 July. Delegates from more than 50 wide-ranging national, regional and local sporting organisations joined us to share their experiences, passion and commitment for creating safer cultures in sport.
Themes of inclusion, equity, transparency and authenticity were threaded throughout the day, with speakers reflecting on the inspiring and often unacknowledged work of safeguarding professionals within sport, the power of the absence or presence of strong and sustained leadership in developing and continually evolving safer cultures in sport, and the need to harness the love and enjoyment of sport to drive the safeguarding agenda forward.
Kim Doyle, Chair of LimeCulture, said of the event:
‘LimeCulture is privileged to work at the forefront of safeguarding in sport. Today’s conference underlined from every angle why culture is critical to effective safeguarding and realising the rights of every individual to be protected from abuse and harm. The pace of change in sport over recent years has been phenomenal, and we’re delighted to be able to use this event to step back and reflect with colleagues on the fantastic work under way in so many sports across the country to keep children and adults safe, and to celebrate the commitment and achievements of those individuals that make it all possible.’
Huge strides forward
Opening the event, the conference Chair Christopher Quinlan KC warmly welcomed delegates to the conference. He shared his experiences in reviewing safeguarding in sport, reflecting on the huge strides that have been made in recent years to acknowledge and address issues around harm and abuse, and the significant challenges around safer sporting culture that still need to be addressed. He commended the critical work that safeguarding leads undertake, day in and day out, to make sport a safer place.
Culture is key
Delegates then heard from Unicef UK’s Liz Twyford, who explored why organisational culture is critical for effective safeguarding. Recognising that safer cultures are hard won and easily lost, Liz explored how the new organisational culture assessment tool can support senior leaders in sport to take stock of where they are and put in place a proactive culture change programme underpinned by effective and integrated systems, strategies, and policies.
Our next speaker, Stuart Cornish, talked about the impacts of racist abuse on players and staff at Luton Town FC, and how it is routinely encouraged and normalised by mainstream media. He emphasised the importance of protecting the joy in sport and sporting achievements, and shared the fantastic work under way at Luton to engage with the local community, to call out abuse, and to make a difference through taking an inclusive approach.
People, spaces and places
Dr Emma Kavanagh then encouraged delegates to think afresh about psychological safety and what that means within sport. She focused on pressures experienced by young athletes involved in high performance sport and the intensifying effect of social media, and explored how myths about resilience can undermine efforts to create safer cultures in sport.
The realities of speaking out
The conference was joined by Amy McLeod, Safeguarding Lead at Motorsport UK and Peter Jeanes, Team Manager and Driver-Coach in Kart Racing, to reflect on the realities of disclosing abuse. Peter spoke powerfully about the aftermath of his own childhood experience of abuse in sport, and the club and organisational failures to support him. He emphasised the importance of listening to children to keep them safe.
Amy then shared the significant programme of work under way within Motorsport UK to embed safeguarding in grass roots clubs and ensure safeguarding officers are not only in place and confident and competent to respond to concerns, but also active and visible within the community to give children and parents the confidence to come forward.
Evolving policies and practice
In the afternoon session, Alexandra Moore from Sport England and LimeCulture’s Director of Safeguarding in Sport Annabel Timmins together launched the new Best Practice Guide on developing safeguarding in sport policy, guidance and procedures. Delegates heard how the guidance, which was driven by the learnings and developments in British Gymnastics following the Whyte Review, explores the interaction between meaningful policies and safer cultures, setting out a principled framework for effective safeguarding policies, and offering guidance on its practical implementation.
Geraldine Costello explored the experiences of British Gymnastics in implementing best practice approaches in safeguarding and seeking to build a positive, healthy and safer culture in their sport. She reflected on the power of partnerships in developing and embedding authentic and meaningful policies; the importance of ensuring effective response systems are in place; and remembering that at the heart of all these systems, policies, procedures and intentions are individuals that have experienced harm and abuse.
Next, Richard Watson from the English Cricket Board shared the ECB’s work to put the voices of young people at the heart of safer cultures in cricket. He reflected that listening to young people from different backgrounds about what they value most about sport, what worries them, and what makes them feel safe, has been critical in improving and transforming safeguarding.
Our final speaker, Jo Wheatley from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) considered transferable harm within sport, and looked at the legal duties requiring organisations involved in regulated activity to refer into the DBS a critical part of keeping children and communities safe.
After a well-earned break, delegates came back together again to celebrate the outstanding achievements of their colleagues through the LimeLight Awards. The Awards were presenting to the winners by Kim Doyle and Christopher Quinlan KC.
Kim Doyle said, “I’m delighted to launch the 1st LimeLight Awards for Safeguarding in Sport to recognise the passion, commitment and outstanding achievements of those working in safeguarding in sport. The LimeCulture team has been overwhelmed by the quality of the nominations we’ve received, which are testament to the amazing work that is going on in sporting organisations all over the country.”
The winners of the LimeLight Awards for Safeguarding in Sport are:
Award for Outstanding Service as a Safeguarding Lead: Kath Bennett, RFU
Kath has been an invaluable resource to the lead safeguarding officer network, with a wealth of experience, and always happy to provide her time and support wherever it is needed. She has been an unofficial mentor and an outstanding role model in an incredibly difficult area of work.
Award for Outstanding Service by a Sport Organisation:
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club were recognised for their unwavering dedication, innovative practices, and people-centred approach setting new benchmarks in safeguarding in sport. Their outreach programmes, which include workshops, seminars, and community events, have fostered a greater understanding of safeguarding issues and promoted a culture of vigilance and care in the wider community.
Award for Outstanding Achievement of a Safeguarding Board, Leader or Senior Manager: Liz Behnke at British Rowing
‘Most importantly, thanks to this person, I never felt alone in safeguarding.’ Liz was recognised for her tireless efforts to improve standards in safeguarding and dedication to drive the agenda for safeguarding from Board to ground level. Liz was described as incredibly inspiring, knowledgeable and approachable with their commitment to mentorship and authentic leadership as invaluable.
Congratulations from the LimeCulture Team to all the winners and to everyone who was nominated and shortlisted.
The shortlisted nominees were:
Award for Outstanding Service as a Safeguarding Lead
Jane Bane – British Gymnastics
Kath Bennett – Rugby Football Union
Andrew Bowly – British Judo Association
Marc Scott – British Triathlon
Award for Outstanding Service by a Sport Organisation
Badminton England
Rugby Football Union
Table Tennis England
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Award for Outstanding Achievement of a Safeguarding Board, Leader or Senior Manager
James Avery, Royal Yachting Association
Liz Behnke, British Rowing
Christine Scarborough, The British Mountaineering Council
Victoria Wiegleb, ECB Cricket Regulator
Find out more here about LimeCulture’s work in sport