Durham Cricket and its Foundation support NSPCC's Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport Week
Durham Cricket and its Foundation are backing the NSPCC’s Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport Week, which launches today, and alongside the Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU) are calling on sports and activity clubs, teams, parents and carers across the UK to take part.
The club and its charity arm have recently partnered with the NSPCC and are delighted to be championing this campaign. The Foundation’s work, which supports communities’ health and wellbeing by impacting lives in a positive way through cricket, is underpinned by safe environments for everyone.
The club share the same commitment across their pathways, Academy, playing team and staff, on and off the field.
Part of a year-round safeguarding campaign, this year’s week of action takes place between October 7 and 11.
Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport is designed to raise awareness of safeguarding in sports and activity clubs and create safer sporting environments for children across the country. Celebrities and clubs backing this year’s campaign include Alan Shearer, Olympic basketballer and star of BBC’s The Traitors Fay Greaves and Olympic weightlifter Chloe Whylie.
The aim of this year’s campaign is to focus on the importance of building stronger, more inclusive communities around sporting and activity clubs, encouraging parents and carers to look out for not just the young people taking part, but their families too, helping anyone who needs support get it sooner.
The top two concerns reported to the NSPCC’s Helpline in 2023/24 by adults relating to a sports setting regarded ‘sexual abuse and exploitation’ as well as ’emotional abuse’. The same was true of contacts from young people to Childline relating to sports settings.
Julie Allison, Head of Safeguarding at Durham Cricket, said: “We are thrilled to be partnering up with NSPCC as part of this fantastic campaign. Safeguarding and protecting young people and adults is something that myself and everyone at Durham Cricket and the Foundation are very passionate about.
“It’s important to have and maintain conversations around safeguarding – this is what the campaign is all about. At Durham Cricket and the Foundation, we are passionate about safeguarding, and we know that ongoing discussions create awareness, which turns to action, when needed. So, I hope that many clubs around the region will join us in supporting and proactively creating safer cultures – this campaign is an excellent way to do this.”
The NSPCC’s CEO, Sir Peter Wanless, said: “By participating in this year’s campaign, clubs are showing that they are serious about creating a safe, inclusive, and enjoyable sporting environment for young people.”
“Each year, Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport Week gets stronger, and it provides an opportunity to reflect on how we can all work together to ensure that every child can participate in sport free from harm.”
Michelle North, Head of the CPSU, continued: “Safeguarding children in sport is a shared responsibility. This campaign gives us the opportunity to come together as a community to ensure that the safety and well-being of young athletes are always our top priority.
“By getting involved in this initiative, sports clubs, coaches, and parents can help create a culture where safeguarding is embedded in every aspect of the sporting experience.”
Through the Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport campaign, the CPSU aims to empower parents and carers to feel confident in their role in keeping children safe while helping clubs and teams understand how they can foster a protective and inclusive environment.
As part of this initiative, clubs, coaches, and parents are being urged to host a “Team Huddle” event — a fun and informal gathering that brings together everyone involved in the sporting community to raise awareness and create meaningful discussions around safeguarding.
A Team Huddle can be part of an existing event, such as a club meeting, or it can be its own standalone event designed to bring everyone together. Free Team Huddle Event Packs are available from the CPSU website which includes a variety of resources to help spark conversations about safeguarding.
The pack features a fun quiz and other activities, but clubs are encouraged to get creative and whether the huddle invites parents to participate in a quiz, a sports day, a scavenger hunt or even a barbecue, the focus is on connection, conversation, and community.
Michelle North added: “Team Huddles are a brilliant way to bring people together, providing an opportunity for parents, coaches, and club leaders to connect in a relaxed environment.
“But they also serve an important purpose. These events open the door to vital conversations about safeguarding, giving everyone involved a chance to reflect on their role in keeping children safe in sport.”
Any clubs taking part in Team Huddles can share their experiences on social media using the hashtag #SafeinSport and help spread the word about the importance of safeguarding practices and celebrate the efforts being made at the grassroots level to protect young athletes.