England Lacrosse is proud to once again be supporting the NSPCC’s Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport week 2023.
Running from 2 to 6 October 2023, Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport week aims to highlight and support the role parents and carers play in keeping their children safe whilst taking part in sports and activities.
The campaign runs year-round with a focused awareness week taking place in the first week of October, bringing together parents, sports clubs, activity providers, and NSPCC supporters to help parents and carers to keep children safe in sport.
As part of the campaign, parents are asked to think and learn about three key areas of being involved in their child’s sport:
Getting involved
From showing an interest in the rules of the game to post-game support and the occasional bit of cheerleading, we know that children enjoy sport the most when parents are engaged in what they do.
Being supportive
The rises and falls of sport and achievement can be an emotional experience for children and it’s important that the adults around them can support them in a positive way. Negative feedback from adults can take the enjoyment out of sport for children. Equally, positive feedback can help them to celebrate success and stay active and engaged with sport.
Keeping children safe
Understanding the safeguards that should be in place in all sports is vital. All parents and carers should feel empowered with the knowledge of what makes a sport club safe for their child to enjoy, how to spot poor practice or abuse and who to turn to if they do have worries about their child or anyone else in sport.
To celebrate this year’s campaign, the NSPCC CPSU will be launching a brand-new video resource called “My No.1 Fan” which will feature real families, talking about what positive parental behaviour and support means to them and how negative behaviour can impact children’s enjoyment of sport.
As well as this new film, the NSPCC CPSU hosts a wealth of resources and information for parents and carers on their Parents’ Hub, including a free e-learning course on keeping children safer in sport, videos, podcasts, and factsheets.
To find out more about being your child’s biggest supporter and how to get involved with the campaign, visit thecpsu.org.uk/parents.
Stay up to date with what's going on during this week’s Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport campaign by following them on Twitter @TheCPSU and @NSPCC, and using the hashtag #SafeinSport.