ABSTRACT

There is now undeniable evidence of child maltreatment in sport. This has provoked the gradual proliferation of safeguarding research aimed at protecting children from harm in sport. Such research recognises the need for a comprehensive and holistic approach that addresses individual, interpersonal and systemic contributors to child maltreatment in sport. This study sought to provide such an approach by applying the well-researched concept of safety culture to safeguarding children in sport. The aim of this study was to conceptualise safety culture from a child safeguarding in sport perspective (i.e., safeguarding culture). To achieve this, 77 participants from five globally representative organisations took part in 45 Interviews and 7 focus groups. This produced 52 units of qualitative data which were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings suggested that safeguarding culture represents a holistic and integrated approach to prevent child maltreatment which comprises three first-order themes; safety management systems, committed leadership and stakeholder engagement. These themes have dynamic and reciprocal relationships, with their ideal formation and application dependent on internal and external contextual factors. Based on these findings, the Safeguarding Culture in Sport Model is presented before practical implications, limitations and directions for future research are offered. By presenting a new approach and model to safeguarding children in sport, this study represents an important advancement of knowledge around safeguarding children in sport.

摘要

现在有无可否认的证据表明在体育运动中虐待儿童。这引发了旨在保护儿童免受运动伤害的保护研究的逐渐普及。此类研究认识到需要一种全面和整体的方法来解决运动中虐待儿童的个人、人际和系统因素。本研究旨在通过将经过充分研究的安全文化概念应用于保护运动中的儿童来提供这种方法。本研究的目的是从儿童保护运动的角度（即保护文化）概念化安全文化。为实现这一目标，来自五个全球代表性组织的 77 名参与者参加了 45 次访谈和 7 个焦点小组。这产生了 52 个单位的定性数据，这些数据使用主题分析进行了分析。调查结果表明，保护文化是防止虐待儿童的整体和综合方法，其中包括三个首要主题；安全管理系统、坚定的领导和利益相关者的参与。这些主题具有动态和互惠的关系，其理想的形成和应用取决于内部和外部的背景因素。基于这些发现，在提供实际意义、局限性和未来研究方向之前，提出了体育模型中的保护文化。通过提出一种在运动中保护儿童的新方法和模式，本研究代表了有关保护儿童运动的知识的重要进步。