Swansea City Foundation Achieve CPSU Level One
Swansea City AFC Foundation is proud to have achieved Sport Wales and the Child Protection in Sport Unit’s standards for safeguarding and protecting children in and through sport in Wales (CPSU) Level One.
This is part of our continued efforts to make the Foundation a safe and welcoming environment for all our participants.
CPSU Level One involved working closely with the CPSU to review, update and improve five areas of our safeguarding.
- Policy
- Procedures
- Practices
- Education and training
- Implementing and monitoring
This saw us reviewing and improving our policies and procedures, updating the website to make our safeguarding section practical for parents to access and use, and making sure staff receive high quality training.
CPSU Wales development officer Cerri Dando said: “Swansea City AFC Foundation have fully committed to making their sport safer, they have worked diligently to review and implement their safeguarding policy, procedures and practices throughout the organisation and the community activities that they provide.
"Their hard work has enabled them to successfully achieve the Level One safeguarding standard in Wales.
“Standards provide a framework for all those involved in sport to help them create a safe sporting environment for children and young people. The safeguarding framework is an overarching approach to safeguarding children in and through sport.
“It is based on current good practice and is informed by legislation, guidance, and evidence from research, drawing from the fields of safeguarding and sport.
“The standards also seek to provide a benchmark to help those involved in sport make informed decisions, and to promote good practice and challenge practice that is harmful to children.
“Children and young people have a right to enjoy sport, free from all forms of abuse and exploitation, everybody has a responsibility to support the care and protection of children and young people.”
Swansea City AFC Foundation safeguarding manager Graham Smith added: “As a Foundation, keeping the children and young people we work with safe is our priority.
"By achieving the Sport Wales and CPSU standards for safeguarding and protecting children in and through sport in Wales Level One, we have demonstrated our commitment to that stance, and we know everyone who takes part in our community-based activities will benefit as a result.
“Through meeting these standards, we have improved our safeguarding policies, procedures and staff training. Our team have been working hard to implement the resulting changes in our sessions and we are seeing positive developments throughout our youth engagement, education and inclusion projects.
“Some examples of the positive changes we’ve been able to make include introducing a specific safeguarding section to our website where parents and members of the public now have an opportunity to share any concerns they may have, along with the chance to read key documents like our code of conduct and safeguarding policy.
"In our sessions staff are now able to report any concerns through an app, which speeds up the reporting process, and we have created resources that signpost children and young people to organisations that can provide further support if they need it.
“By working with nationally recognised organisations like Sport Wales and the NSPCC, the Swansea City AFC Foundation will continue to gain from their experience and make our sessions a safe and welcoming environment for everyone who comes along.”
