Safeguarding Training Levels
UK Sports Sector
Level 1 – Basic Awareness
Who it's for: All sports staff and volunteers, including receptionists, administrators, event organisers, maintenance staff, and occasional community volunteers.
Focus: Recognising signs of abuse, understanding basic responsibilities, and knowing how to report concerns immediately.
Work contexts: Sports clubs, gyms, community sports events, school-based sports settings.
Level 2 – Direct Contact with Children and Adults at Risk
Who it's for: Coaches, personal trainers, gym instructors, PE teachers, teaching assistants, sports supervisors, and regular volunteers working directly with children and vulnerable adults.
Focus: Enhanced skills for identifying abuse, responding promptly and effectively to concerns, maintaining safe practice, and implementing safeguarding policies.
Work contexts: Sports clubs, gyms, personal training sessions, schools, community sports activities, volunteer-led sports events.
Level 3 – Staff with Safeguarding Responsibilities
Who it's for: Designated safeguarding officers, lead coaches, managers, school-based sports coaches, and those with specific safeguarding responsibilities.
Focus: Advanced understanding of safeguarding processes, detailed risk assessment, multi-agency collaboration, legal responsibilities, and managing complex safeguarding cases.
Work contexts: Sports clubs, schools, large gyms, community sports organisations, event organisers, training academies.
Level 4 – Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL)
Who it's for: Senior safeguarding leads, club managers, safeguarding coordinators, and individuals responsible for strategic safeguarding leadership within sports organisations.
Focus: Leadership in safeguarding, policy development, managing organisational safeguarding procedures, overseeing complex cases, and ensuring compliance.
Work contexts: Large sports clubs, school sports departments, major gyms or fitness chains, regional sports organisations.
Level 5 – Strategic and Senior Safeguarding Roles
Who it's for: Senior executives, heads of safeguarding, directors of sports organisations, and regional safeguarding board members.
Focus: Strategic governance, development and oversight of safeguarding frameworks, senior-level inter-agency cooperation, policy enforcement, and safeguarding culture enhancement.
Work contexts: National governing bodies of sports, large regional sports organisations, large fitness providers, sports federations.
Level 6 – Executive and Board Level
Who it's for: Executives, trustees, board members, senior non-executive directors responsible for safeguarding governance across major sports organisations.
Focus: Organisational governance and accountability, strategic safeguarding leadership, compliance assurance, and promoting a robust safeguarding culture.
Work contexts: National governing bodies, large sports federations, major professional sports clubs, large sports organisations.
References
- Sport England – Safeguarding in Sport: Provides the foundational “Basic Awareness” content covering recognition of abuse and reporting responsibilities for all sports participants and staff. (sportengland.org)
- Child Protection in Sport Unit – Minimum Safeguarding Training Standards: Defines baseline competencies and outlines training expectations across various role levels in sport safeguarding. (thecpsu.org.uk)
- Sport England et al. – Safeguarding Training Map (November 2021): Collaborative framework mapping out introductory through advanced safeguarding training levels and recommended content provider partnerships. (sportengland-production-files.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com)
- UK Coaching – Safeguarding & Protecting Children Workshop: Details the interactive Level 2 course designed for coaches and volunteers working directly with children, focusing on recognition and response. (ukcoaching.org)
- Sport Wales – Safeguarding & Protecting Children Workshops: Specifies workshop content and booking information for club-level safeguarding courses, aligning with Levels 1–2 training requirements. (sport.wales)
- Sport Scotland – Child Wellbeing and Protection in Sport Training: Outlines two formal training pathways (CWPS and CWPO) covering basic to intermediate safeguarding responsibilities in Scottish sport. (sportscotland.org.uk, sportscotland.org.uk)
- NSPCC Learning – Safeguarding Children Training Levels 1, 2, 3: Explains the distinctions between core safeguarding training levels, applicable across sectors including sports. (learning.nspcc.org.uk)
- Parkour UK – Safeguarding Training at a Glance: Summarises introductory, basic, and specialist training levels, clarifying training prerequisites and role-based applicability. (parkour.uk)
- High Speed Training – Safeguarding Training Bands/Levels Explained: Breaks down the scope and audience for Levels 1, 2, and 3 safeguarding courses, supporting role-based training selection. (highspeedtraining.co.uk)
- Disability Sport Wales – Safeguarding Standard for Sport: Describes the intermediate (Level 2) and advanced (Level 3) safeguarding standards assessed through evidence portfolios and panel presentations. (disabilitysportwales.com)
- Paddle UK – Safeguarding and Protecting Children and Young People Training: Offers a range of courses from basic awareness to specialist levels, tailored to paddlesport coaches, staff, and volunteers. (paddleuk.org.uk)
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