BE INFORMED: SAFE SPORT TRAINING FACTS
Anyone involved in sport should be able to thrive and perform at their best without fear of abuse, neglect or other maltreatment. Creating safe sport environments that provide those conditions is a collective effort — one that requires proper training so people can recognize maltreatment and prevent or address it.
The Coaching Association of Canada’s Safe Sport Training was designed to meet the needs of national-level sport organizations, but its principles apply at any level of sport.
BUILDING A SAFE SPORT ENVIRONMENT TOGETHER
Creating a culture where everyone can thrive is a shared responsibility. Safe Sport Training was developed to help anyone involved in sport — whether you have direct contact with athletes or work in the background — to promote physical, psychological, and social health, in line with the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport.
WHY IS SAFE SPORT TRAINING SO IMPORTANT?
Maltreatment can harm athletes and other sport participants in many ways: physically, emotionally and mentally. Safe sport training that aligns with the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport helps organizations, coaches and others create sporting environments that are safe for everyone.
HOW THE TRAINING CAME ABOUT
In February 2019, after a series of nationwide safe sport consultation summits, federal-provincial-territorial sport ministers signed the Red Deer Declaration, committing to the elimination of abuse, discrimination and harassment in sport. In response, the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport was developed as a foundation for a coordinated implementation strategy to prevent and address maltreatment across the sport system in Canada.
With the support of Sport Canada, a CAC Safe Sport Task Force for Mandated Training was developed to provide expert advice and feedback on the development and delivery of training activities to meet the goals and objectives of the mandatory training on harassment and abuse within the national sport system. The task force included representatives of national and provincial sport governing bodies, subject-matter experts, athletes, and advocacy organizations.
The CAC’s Safe Sport Training module is recognized as meeting the requirements for mandatory training on harassment and abuse. Certified coaches are also eligible for Professional Development points toward their maintenance of their certification.
