Keeping kids safe at sports and group activities
Oct 28, 2024
Parent Question: I am thinking of enrolling my son in an organised group activity, but I am worried about the safety aspects for him whilst being around adults we don’t know personally. Is there any way we can make it safer so he can still enjoy being involved in group activities?
Sports and organised group activities are amazing for kids. They bring a whole new and happy element to our childhoods that help children develop into a whole, healthy human.
My parents enrolled my brother and I into every after-school activity and sport they could. We were SOOO busy that we didn’t have time to get into trouble and we had friends from a diverse range of activities, that we were never without a friend if we needed one.
Being involved in community and sporting groups, enables a child to make a variety of friends from differing backgrounds, allows them to have varying experiences outside of home and school and since most group/community activities are outside or involve physical activity, helps them have a healthy, varied childhood.
I wholeheartedly encourage kids to be involved in any form of group activity that gets them outside and learning important life lessons. However, organised group activities such as sports and community activities, do add an extra risk for our children and that needs some consideration and careful risk management.
Through research, we now know that adults who have an attraction to children are 3 times more likely to work in a child-based career or industry and this is not something to ignore.
Source: Identifying and understanding child sexual offending behaviours in Australian Men
This is even more apparent in community run organisations and sports, due to the easy access to unsupervised children.
Second to adult offenders targeting children, we also need to be mindful that children can also be perpetrators of abuse, in the form of harmful sexualized behaviours. 30-50% of all child sexual abuse is perpetuated by another child and without adequate supervision, awareness and tools to help your child identify these unsafe and ‘tricky’ behaviours, it’s a possibility that your child could also be harmed by another child.
To mitigate this, we just need a few safety measures in place to help keep your child safe, but also so they can enjoy a healthy, full childhood.
Here are some ways you can keep them safe:
- Be involved in the group/sport activity as a parent helper, committee member or event organiser – being there in the periphery as a helper or organizer, not only means you can be on hand to keep an eye on things for your child and the interactions they have with other adults, but it also helps the community organisation or sporting group. It’s also hugely rewarding for parents and families.
- Attend activity days, overnight camps or sporting competitions – being on hand as a parent helper or chaperone to ensure your child’s safety is one of the benefits of attending these events, however, just being there as a helper or parent supporter also models that being present for your kids and helping in the community is important. It is also a MASSIVE deterrent to people who are looking for children to groom and abuse. There is nothing more repelling for a sex offender than an involved, present and attentive parent.
- Be the go-to ‘safe’ parent – be that parent who is helpful and safe for your child’s friendship and sporting groups. Be the one that models ‘safe’ adult behaviour and allows your child’s buddies a safe space to talk and share. They might not have that at home, or they may not have a ‘safe’ adult in the moment they need it, so be that person who can help a child in need. For more information about what makes someone a ‘safe’ adult, see my blog here: https://www.cape-au.com/blog/what-makes-someone-a-safe-adult
- Create a community of like-minded adults and parents – talking about child safety, red flags of grooming and overall abuse information, although seriously hard to do at times, can also let people know that you won’t tolerate abuse towards kids. Likewise, finding other parents and sharing safety information within the group and creating awareness, also allows for other parents to learn and become allies in child safety. It is also another massive deterrent to abusers. Don’t underestimate how much you can do just by calling out unsafe behaviours or educating other parents.
- Teach and talk about Body Safety to your kids – we know through research that confident, informed and empowered children are a deterrent to child sex offenders and less likely to be abused. The way to help our kids be empowered and confident is through teaching body safety and talking about it regularly. When a child knows their ‘body safety rights’ they are less likely to be targeted by an abuser or be harmed in an incident of ‘harmful sexualized behaviours’ by another child. They are also more likely to speak up as soon as something happens. Body Safety conversations don’t have to be scary or hard and can start from birth. If you want help in talking about ‘Body Safety’ with your children, check out my Conversations with Kids ‘Body Safety’ series, get your cards here: https://www.cape-au.com/conversations-with-kids-body-safety
There are many positive benefits and reasons for kids to be involved in group activities.
I understand that in today’s very busy world, it can often be hard to attend everything that your child is involved in, however, making the effort to attend some events and activities, whilst also creating a network and community of ‘safe adults’ around your child is one of the best ways to keep them safe. It is also the biggest deterrent to a child sexual offender.
Along with ensuring they know what unsafe or ‘tricky’ behaviours are and who they can talk to if anything happens (we teach this in age-appropriate ways in body safety), will arm them with the tools to not only feel safe but be safe.
We can’t wrap our kids up in bubble wrap, but we can empower them with tools to help them know their rights and feel safe! It is simpler than you realise.
Kristi x
