15 June, 2023
Badminton England has launched a new safeguarding strategy that strives to ensure badminton is a safe and welcoming sport for all.
Speaking about the strategy Sue Storey, CEO said: “This is the first time Badminton England have developed a safeguarding strategy for our sport. It is an important area for us to focus on and we believe that a proactive approach is crucial. It should always be part of our decision making, at every level.
“Ultimately, we hope that we can share our knowledge and experiences with other organisations and National Governing Bodies, so that we can contribute to making all sport a safer place for everyone.”
The strategy is underpinned by the frameworks established by the NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit and the Ann Craft Trust, that Badminton England, as a National Governing Body, are required to follow to safeguard all children and adults in the sport.
The strategy focuses on four key areas in which Badminton England believes will create a safer culture.
Leadership
We will provide strong leadership to demonstrate that we are committed at the highest level to continually improving our safeguarding capability, response and systems, ensuring we do the right thing and do not lose sight of the importance of ensuring welfare and wellbeing is central to our sport.
This means having Board members, senior management, staff and committees who are informed and fully understand that safeguarding is, in its fullest sense, part of their duty of care to the organisation and badminton in England.
Standards
This will see Badminton England continue to implement and monitor required standards for safeguarding, to support the badminton community to take responsibility for keeping everyone safe, comply with legislation and national guidance and minimise risk.
This means taking a proactive approach, sharing ownership of those standards to ensure everyone experiences consistent safeguarding practices. When issues do occur, and concerns are reported, then we will react promptly, carefully following our case management procedures.
Training and Education
This will see Badminton England continue to provide effective safeguarding training to create a confident workforce of volunteers and staff who fully understand their role in promoting the welfare of all those involved in our sport.
This means delivering training that helps individuals understand how to create an inclusive and welcoming environment, promote expected standards of behaviour, recognise any concerns and provide the knowledge of how to share them.
Communication
Badminton England will deliver clear and inspirational messages and will listen and respond to our members and volunteers to better understand what is needed to create impact and consistently deliver safe and positive experiences.
This means working collaboratively, using the experiences of others to shape our actions and actively seeking feedback if we truly want to understand the impact of our safeguarding strategy and implementation plan.
View the new Safeguarding Strategy for badminton in England HERE
If you would like to know more about safeguarding in badminton, please visit our web page HERE.
