ADEPS – Sport Administration of the Federation Wallonia-Brussels (FWB) Ministry, as the coordinator for the “Child Safeguarding in Sport” (CSiS) project in FWB, organised an event to present their roadmap for effective child safeguarding in sport policies.

The event was held on 8 June 2022 in hybrid format (Brussels/online) and gathered about 70 participants, including representatives of the Council of Europe, Safe Sport International, sport organisations and members of the FWB steering committee dedicated to further implementation of the roadmap and strengthening of child safeguarding in sport.

Ms Valérie Glatigny, Minister responsible for Sport, opened the event by expressing her support to the CSiS project and emphasising that the measures envisaged in the roadmap will complement those already being initiated in the FWB. In this regard, the Decree on Sports Ethics is an important step in the fight against violence. Ms Glatigny noted that the work done in the framework the CSiS project will enrich some of the major projects currently underway in the WFB and offer new avenues for further strengthening the protection of children and young people in sport.

In his welcoming speech, Yves Polomé, Deputy Director General of ADEPS, indicated that the launch of the FWB roadmap shows a common desire to eradicate all forms of violence in sport settings. Belgium, and the FWB, have been playing a leading role for several years in making those involved in sport as actors of the solutions and protection from violence through an intersectoral preventive policy and activities. He emphasised the importance of the prevention as a way to develop values that connect people and create a common base for communication and actions.

Ms Sophie Kwasny, Head of the Council of Europe’s Sport Division, noted that in sport, as in other areas of life, children are often at risk of violence and abuse. It is necessary to take measures and ensure that sport is safe and beneficial space for children, in all disciplines and all levels of sport, with no exceptions. Ms Kwasny welcomed the roadmap prepared for the FWB and reminded of the recommendation that all the Communities in Belgium consider the benefits of mechanisms for sharing their safeguarding developments, with a view to ensuring that all children in Belgium have a consistent experience of safe, inclusive and enjoyable sport.

FWB steering committee representatives (ADEPS – Sport Administration of the FWB Ministry, YAPAKA – Coordination unit for child abuse prevention of the FWB Ministry, ONE – Office of Birth and Childhood, LFH – French-speaking Hockey League, ACFF – Association of French-speaking Football Clubs) presented the roadmap, reflecting the key milestones to be reached in relation to the development of national policy framework for safeguarding and protecting children in sport, establishing new partnerships and strengthening the existing ones, development of the system and structure for responding to concerns about children and young people, development of the advice and support system, as well as education and training framework.

Central to the roadmap is a plan to establish child safeguarding officers (CSO), starting with recruitment of the CSO at the level of ADEPS, while the long-term vision would be to have one CSO in each of the seven Centres for Sport Advice (located at provincial level). The ADEPS CSO will have a leading and co-ordinating role for the sport sector and for the setting up of other CSOs within ADEPS and in other sport settings, including federations and their clubs, other sport associations and sport centres.

In the discussion participants emphasised the need to ensure appropriate resources to achieve the objectives and the need to invest in education and training of the CSOs.
 

  Belgian FWB roadmap for effective child safeguarding in sport policies

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