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Seven key safeguarding in sport relationships
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Exploring the crucial relationships between players within the field to ensure safeguarding in sport.

The safeguarding environment is largely a reflection of the nature of relationships between sport organisations, sport participants and sport stakeholders. Good safeguarding relationships between sport organisations and their stakeholders are the foundation of  building a good safeguarding system.This article discusses seven key safeguarding relationships which safeguarding in sport experts should understand, manage and develop for successful formulation and implementation of safeguarding in sport initiatives.

Sport organisation to sport organisation

Sport organisations are structured differently with the sole purpose of serving the sport consumer or sport participants. This relationship examines the interaction, influence, importance and involvement of sport organisations with regards to matters of safeguarding in sport.

A basic example would be the relationship between national sport federations and the regional, continental and international federations pertaining to safeguarding in sport - their positions, perspectives, policies and programmes. In developing regions, it is a challenge to preach the good news of safeguarding within national federations if they have not received information from their international federations. It is therefore important for international sport governing organisations to embrace, educate, empower and enforce safeguarding principles and policies from the highest level down to the lowest level in their sport structures.

Sport organisation to government/quasi-government institutions

Sport organisations operate in different countries and fall under different types of governmental systems. Sport organisations and government institutions have a common ground in matters of safeguarding in sport. Although roles and responsibilities might differ, safeguarding is a place of common interest as the government plays a regulatory role of safeguarding in the nation, whilst sport organisations have a specialised focus on safeguarding in the confines of sport.

Cases of violations of safeguarding rights in sport often have serious legal implications that require good working relationships between sport organisations and law enforcement organisations (which are government institutions). The complementary relationship between sport organisations and government institutions is important in providing and enabling safeguarding in sport with legal frameworks that shape a safe sport environment at a national scale. In developed and developing regions most sport federations operate under the auspices of quasi-government institutions that play a pivotal role in inculcating the safeguarding culture in sport.