The Child Protection in Sport Unit
The Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU) is a partnership between the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), Sport England, Sport Scotland, Sports Council for Northern Ireland and the Sports Council for Wales. The Unit was founded in 2001 to co-ordinate and support sports organisations implementation of the 2000 National Action Plan for Child Protection in Sport.
The CPSU’s mission is to safeguard the welfare of children and young people under the age of 18 and to promote their well being. The CPSU plays an important part in the NSPCC’s long term strategy for ending child abuse by helping sports and other organisations to:
- Recognise their responsibility to protect children and young people left in their care.
- Develop strategies and standards to protect children and young people.
- Identify and respond to adults who are a threat to children and young people
- Develop child protection knowledge and skills among all staff and volunteers.
As a County Sports Partnership, the National Standards promoted by the CPSU provide a benchmark of good practice for us and other sports organisations to work towards. Their implementation by an organisation helps to raise awareness among staff and volunteers and minimise avoidable risks. When the Standards are fully implemented, it is likely to increase confidence among parents and carers about their children’s safety.
The CPSU website contains some very useful and up to date legislation on the protection of children and young people in sport. The website contains details of Child Protection Officers or Lead Contacts for most Governing Bodies of Sport.
Managing Challenging Behaviour
Staff/volunteers who deliver sports activities to children may, on occasions, be required to deal with a child’s challenging behaviour.
The CPSU have produced guidelines to promote good practice and to encourage a proactive response to supporting children to manage their own behaviour. They suggest some strategies and sanctions which can be used and also identify unacceptable sanctions or interventions which must never be used by staff or volunteers.
Download the CPSU guidance on Managing Challening Behaviour 
Anti-bullying resources:
The Child Protection in Sport Unit in Northern Ireland has put together a range of resources to help clubs deal with bullying. These can be accessed at the link below: -
Other useful websites: