Information to help your club be safer and more inclusive

Safeguarding is about more than case management and compliance. Fundamental to creating safe environments is the preventative work that creates a positive environment in clubs, where participants feel included, respected, valued and their voice is heard.

To facilitate the development of this culture, on this page we will upload useful guides, the latest information and advice to help develop fun and thriving clubs.

Please feel free to contact us with anything that you find helpful at your club so that we can share good practice across the network. Also, if there is something that you are looking for advice or help with, then we are a part of a wider network of experienced safeguarding, education and social work professionals who will be able to share information and support. Please ask, we’re here to help.

Creating and using support plans

We can help with template questions to ask those who have additional support needs. The care plan helps coaches understand how the child prefers to be communicated with, what adjustments can be made and how to help in certain situations. Putting this into action can really help include some children.

Disabilitiy sport also offers resources and training for help create inclusive sessions:

Activity Inclusion Model (AIM) –

Coaching Resources –

A guide for coaches to include those with ADHD

Athlete Wellbeing

Questions to Ask

What to expect from a cycling provider

All of our affiliated clubs with Under 18 or Protected Adult members meet our Minimum Operating Standards. By doing this, you can be confident that those delivering activity for you child are competently trained, insured, and up to date with knowledge to keep your child safe.

There are unaffiliated clubs and commercial operators who offer activity for children. When you engage a commercial operator, you should be confident in asking them questions about their safeguarding practices, including whether they are members of the PVG scheme and have processes in place when something happens. This useful guide produced by Children First and sportscotland gives a comprehensive list of things you might want to ask.

If you are unsure of an organisation operating in this space, and they use British Cycling qualifications to deliver activity, then we’d be happy to informally look at their policies and procedures to make sure everything is as it should be.

Questions to Ask

Online Safety

The use of social media and internet sites for club’s coaching children has obvious benefits and its’ use is largely unavoidable. However, there are many pitfalls by using this space, so appropriate boundaries and rules should be set. Our Practice Note 9: Social Media and Digital Communication outlines some good practice for clubs to follow.

The UK Safer Internet Centre offers advice and guidance for several online topics, from the use of social media, to parental controls and online bullying. The information at this site is useful for clubs with children and parents alike.

In September 2024, the National Crime Agency (NCA) issued an urgent warning about the growth of sextortion crime after a more than doubling of cases being reported. The issue can affect anyone but predominantly targets young males between 14-18 years old. You can read more in this guide issued by the NCA.

Many clubs and groups will use Whatsapp to communicate. This guide produced by the CPSU outlines how to do this in the safest way.