The Children and Young People Safe Practices exist to identify and prevent behaviour that may be harmful to children and young people participating in sport. The Practices are defined in our Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy, so compliance with them is compulsory (as well as being a vital step in protecting children in sailing). 

In this series of articles, we'll look at some of the Practices and give some practical tips on implementing the Practices around your club. All of these tips come from the Children and Young People Safe Practices Do's & Don'ts booklet published by Sport Integrity Australia. 

This article focuses on supervision children and young people. Supervision is a key aspect of children and young people safe. Adults must be aware of risks and hazards and the potential for accidents and injury throughout training and competition, and not just in their immediate area. 

Do 

• Ensure supervision is constant, active, and diligent, prioritising the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. Where possible, ensure you are able to observe each child or young person. 
• Know the location of each child or young person if direct supervision is not possible, and ensure you can respond to individual needs and immediately intervene if necessary. 
• Ensure there are appropriate supervision ratios based on the sport, age and gender of the children and young people and the size of the group. 
• Keep trainings/competitions/events open to observation by parents/carers – this creates an environment of transparency and safety. Ensure any treatment by a medical practitioner or health professional is performed under the supervision of an approved person or relevant person. 
• Avoid one-to-one unsupervised contact with a child or young person, except in an emergency. If this occurs, immediately report it to your sporting club management within 24 hours of the incident occurring. 

Don’t 

• Leave children or young people unsupervised during official sport trainings/ competitions/events. 
• Engage in unnecessary conversations with another adult that may distract from effective supervision of the group. 
• Text, talk or browse on a mobile phone when supervising children and young people. 
• Exclude parents/carers from attending training sessions. 

The Child and Young Person Safe Practices are a helpful set of practical guidelines to help keep everyone safe. 

To read the Children and Young People Safe Practices Do's & Don'ts booklet, click here. 
If you need to report a breach of the Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy, click here. 
If you have any questions about Safeguarding, contact your local Club Support team. 

By Michael Arnold, National Officiating and Integrity Lead.