Safeguarding – Keeping Young People Safe in South Central Hockey

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility

Safeguarding is one of the most important responsibilities we have within hockey and within wider society.

Every young person has the right to participate in sport in an environment where they feel safe, respected, valued and listened to.

South Central Hockey is committed to working with England Hockey and our clubs to ensure that junior hockey provides a positive, safe and enjoyable experience for every young person.

Safeguarding is not simply about responding when something goes wrong. It is about creating a culture where good practice is expected, concerns are taken seriously and everyone understands their responsibility to protect young people from harm.

If something doesn't feel right, speak up.

Our commitment to young people

Young people should be able to enjoy hockey without fear of abuse, bullying, discrimination, exploitation or inappropriate behaviour.

South Central Hockey supports the England Hockey safeguarding framework and expects everyone involved in junior hockey to understand and follow the relevant safeguarding policies, procedures and guidance.

This includes:

• Coaches and assistant coaches
• Club Welfare Officers
• Junior Organisers
• Team managers and volunteers
• Umpires and officials
• Club committees
• Parents and guardians
• Adults involved with junior teams
• Young people themselves

Safeguarding is a shared responsibility. It cannot sit solely with the Club Welfare Officer or one individual within a club.

Creating a safe hockey environment

Good safeguarding starts with good practice.

Clubs should create an environment where young people:

• Know who they can talk to if they are worried
• Feel comfortable raising concerns
• Are treated fairly and with respect
• Understand appropriate boundaries
• Are protected from inappropriate behaviour
• Can participate without fear of bullying or abuse
• Have their privacy and dignity respected
• Know that adults will listen to them and take concerns seriously

The same principles apply whether hockey is being played at training, a league match, a tournament, a festival, a tour or another hockey-related activity.

Recognising a concern

Safeguarding concerns can take many forms. They may involve abuse, neglect, bullying, inappropriate relationships, poor practice, online behaviour or other situations that could place a young person at risk.

Sometimes a concern may be obvious. At other times it may be a change in a young person's behaviour, something they say, or simply a feeling that something is not right.

You do not need to be certain that abuse has taken place before raising a concern.

If you are worried about the welfare of a young person, it is important to report the concern through the appropriate safeguarding process rather than trying to investigate it yourself.

What should I do if I have a concern?

If you are concerned about a young person

Listen. Reassure. Record. Report.

If a young person tells you something that causes concern:

1. Listen carefully and remain calm.
2. Take them seriously and reassure them that they have done the right thing by speaking to you.
3. Do not promise confidentiality. Explain that you may need to share the information with someone who can help.
4. Do not investigate or ask leading questions.
5. Make a factual record of what has been said as soon as possible.
6. Report the concern using the appropriate England Hockey or club safeguarding procedure.

If there is an immediate risk of harm, the priority is the young person's immediate safety and appropriate emergency services should be contacted.

Club Welfare Officers

Every junior hockey club should have effective safeguarding arrangements and a clearly identified person responsible for welfare.

The Club Welfare Officer has an important role, but safeguarding does not belong to the Welfare Officer alone.

Club committees, coaches, volunteers, parents and officials all have a responsibility to create and maintain a safe environment.

England Hockey provides specific guidance and training for Club Welfare Officers, including the Time to Listen workshop.

Safeguarding training

Having the right training is an essential part of safeguarding.

England Hockey currently provides role-specific safeguarding education, including:

Safeguarding Awareness
A foundation for people working or volunteering with under-18s.

Safeguarding in Hockey Workshop
For lead coaches, coaches and welfare officers, providing a deeper understanding of safeguarding and how to create a safer environment.

Time to Listen
Specific training for Club Welfare Officers. (England Hockey)

A DBS check is an important part of safer recruitment, but a DBS check alone does not provide safeguarding knowledge or determine how someone will respond to a concern. Appropriate training is therefore equally important. (England Hockey)

Parents and guardians

Parents and guardians have an important role in creating a positive hockey environment.

You should know:

• Who your club's Welfare Officer is
• How to raise a safeguarding concern
• What safeguarding policies your club follows
• What good practice should look like
• Who to contact if you are unhappy or concerned about something

Most importantly, make sure your child knows that they can talk to you if something doesn't feel right.

England Hockey provides specific safeguarding resources for parents, including guidance on reporting concerns, recognising poor practice, good practice, photography, transport, WhatsApp and other areas relevant to junior hockey. (England Hockey)

Young people – your voice matters

Safeguarding is not just something adults do.

Young people have an important voice in creating a safe and positive hockey environment.

If something happens that makes you feel uncomfortable, worried, frightened or unsafe, tell someone you trust.

You can speak to:

• A parent or guardian
• Your coach
• Your team manager
• Your Club Welfare Officer
• Another trusted adult

You will not be in trouble for raising a genuine concern.

If something doesn't feel right, speak up.

Safeguarding and social media

Modern hockey involves communication through phones, messaging services and social media.

Clubs and adults working with young people should ensure that online communication is appropriate, transparent and in line with England Hockey guidance.

Particular care should be taken with:

• WhatsApp and group messaging
• Direct messaging
• Photography and video
• Sharing young people's personal information
• Social media posts
• Online bullying
• Communication between adults and young players

England Hockey's SafeGuard resources provide specific good-practice guidance for these areas. (England Hockey)

Policies, guidance and reporting

South Central Hockey follows the safeguarding framework established by England Hockey.

Clubs and individuals should ensure they are familiar with the latest England Hockey safeguarding policies, regulations and reporting procedures.

Useful England Hockey resources

SafeGuard – Safeguarding in Hockey
Role-specific guidance for welfare officers, coaches, parents, young people, officials, junior organisers and club committees. (England Hockey)

Safeguarding Regulations
The framework England Hockey uses to investigate safeguarding matters and take appropriate action where required. (England Hockey)

Safeguarding Training and Education
Information about the training required for different roles within hockey. (England Hockey)

England Hockey Safeguarding Policies and Regulations
The latest safeguarding policies, reporting procedures and regulations. (England Hockey)

Need help or want to report a concern?

If you have a safeguarding concern relating to hockey, please do not ignore it.

Speak to your Club Welfare Officer in the first instance where appropriate, or use the England Hockey safeguarding contacts if the concern cannot be dealt with through your club or if you feel unable to raise it locally.

England Hockey Safeguarding Team

Email: safeguarding@englandhockey.co.uk

England Hockey's Ethics and Welfare Team can provide advice and support and has specific contacts for safeguarding cases and DBS enquiries. (England Hockey)

Our message to everyone involved in South Central Hockey

Creating a safe environment for young people is not an administrative exercise. It is part of the culture we want to create across our sport.

Every coach, volunteer, official, parent, committee member and player has a part to play.

Be aware.
Be approachable.
Listen.
Speak up.
Take concerns seriously.

Together, we can make South Central Hockey a safe, welcoming and positive environment for every young person.

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.

A couple of changes I would make to the webpage itself

I would also change the structure and presentation, rather than simply replacing the words.

1. Put a strong safeguarding statement at the top.
Something such as:

Every young person has the right to feel safe, respected and valued when taking part in hockey.

2. Add prominent buttons rather than burying links in text:

• I have a safeguarding concern
• England Hockey SafeGuard
• Safeguarding Training
• Find out about Club Welfare Officers
• England Hockey Policies & Regulations

3. Make “What do I do if I'm worried?” highly visible.
This is probably the most important practical information on the page.

4. Include a dedicated section for young people.
That makes the page much more than a compliance page—it tells juniors directly that their voice matters.

5. Keep the England Hockey links current.
England Hockey's safeguarding resources have evolved considerably, with the current SafeGuard site providing different guidance according to the person's role. (England Hockey)

I would also avoid making the page sound overly legalistic. The tone should be serious but reassuring: safeguarding is about creating a culture where young people can enjoy hockey safely, and where adults know what to do when something doesn't feel right. This fits closely with England Hockey's current position that safeguarding and creating safer environments are responsibilities shared across the whole hockey community. (England Hockey)

There are three safeguarding workshops that England Hockey promotes, each aimed at different positions within hockey, and can be found by following this link