Checks don't put off volunteers, says charity
12 Aug 08
Disclosure rules not stopping people coming forward to help out at sports and youth groups
Potential volunteers and volunteers who help out at their local sports club are not being put off by the growing legislative demands around child protection, a new report claims.
The Sport Industry Research Centre interviewed almost 1,000 current, past and potential sports volunteers, of whom 90% said they believed child protection measures are essential.
The report, which was commissioned by sportscotland, the children's charity Children 1st and the Scottish Sports Association (SSA), also found that the majority of coaches and other adult volunteers (75%) believed disclosure checks were necessary.
The overwhelming majority of sports club volunteers and members think that disclosure checks boost parents' confidence and play an important part in ensuring children's safety. More than half (60%) also said that they felt that checks helped to remove unsuitable volunteers.
Sports clubs across Scotland find it difficult to recruit enough volunteers, but the research findings challenge the idea that this is due to increasing legislative requirements around child protection: not having enough time, the demands of paid employment or potential recruits feeling they lacked skills and/or experience were the main deterrents to volunteering.
Code of conduct deficit
The report's findings are in contrast to a recent report by Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People, which found that 48% of members of the public interviewed said they would be put off from volunteering by the threat of false accusations. This may imply that sport is seen as a less threatening environment in which to volunteer.
Sports club volunteer David Walker said: "I think it's right that we have things in place which make sport safe and fun for everyone. Sometimes it means a bit more paperwork but that isn't much when you consider the benefits.
"At our club the coaches, volunteers, parents and – most importantly – the children, understand that the welfare of our youngsters is the priority."
The report also showed that only 5% of clubs in Scotland currently have a written child protection code of conduct, and there are concerns that volunteers are often recruited on the basis of a clean disclosure check rather than being assessed on their overall suitability to work with children and young people. It calls for easier access to volunteer-friendly information, and more support for child protection officers on the ground.