Safeguarding and GDPR: What should sports organisations know?

As safeguarding remains at the top of the agenda for sports clubs and organisations, internal and external safeguarding investigations are becoming more complex and protracted. The authors are seeing that organisations are experiencing historic disclosures well as contemporaneous disclosures relating to current behaviour and conduct.  Times have changed and all stakeholders in sport are simply more aware of safeguarding issues and the importance of boundaries. The last 5 years have seen pivotal reports released in football^[1], gymnastics^[2] and swimming^[3]. All of these reports criticise the handling of complaints, the lack of an inclusive safeguarding culture and the tick box approach that some organisations adopt.

The majority of safeguarding complaints come from children and vulnerable adults; all sporting organisations should offer a safe space in which they themselves or their parents/guardians feel able to report and concerns or issues.

This article examines the complex intersection between safeguarding responsibilities and data protection requirements. Drawing on recent high-profile reviews in football, gymnastics, and swimming, it explores the essential components of effective safeguarding frameworks while highlighting the critical importance of proper data handling during investigations. The authors end with some practical guidance for sports organisations on managing their obligations in relation to safeguarding and data protection.

It looks at:

• Building an effective safeguarding framework
• Understanding data protection in sport
• Managing personal data in safeguarding investigations
  • Data breaches
  • Data subject access requests
  • Special considerations for children’s personal data
• Working with external agencies on safeguarding investigations
• Top tips for sports organisations when dealing with data requests as part of safeguarding investigations