Safer Club Programme
As of the 26/27 membership year all clubs will have to complete the safer club programme every 3 years.
We have developed the safer club programme to help clubs build on the Safeguarding Minimum Operation Requirements and better embed safeguarding practices within the club culture. As of August 2026 all Scottish Gymnastics clubs will need to complete the process every 3 years.
The safe sport team will work with the club safeguarding officer(s) and senior staff at the club on the following areas;
• Club self assessment using the CWPS tool
• Policies and procedures
• Staff checks
• How to promote the safeguarding officer(s) to members
• Venue visit
• Member feedback through surveys
How are clubs selected?
The selection process will be random however some clubs may be specifically identified for the following reasons:
• Clubs volunteer
• It has been 3 years since last completing the process
• Scottish Gymnastics is aware of information which raises concerns about the club’s safeguarding practices.
• There is or has been a safeguarding issue at the club.
• The club is in receipt of funding or benefits from Scottish Gymnastics.
How long does the prorgamme take?
We work with clubs with an aim of completing within 4 months.
Survey
Club’s will be provided with a survey link to send to their members. Giving them feedback from 3 key groups:
• Coaches, helpers, volunteers, and officials
• Gymnasts
• Parents and guardians
Responses will be collated and anonymised by the Scottish gymnastics safe sport team. The report summarises members’ awareness of safeguarding practices and effectiveness in implementing safeguarding procedures.
Ways to promote survey to members
We appreciate gathering survey responses is tough however we believe the feedback gain is invaluable to the club. Clubs need to aim for 50% of gymnasts and parents but 100% of staff and volunteers. Helpful ways to encourage members to complete.
• Use the poster with the QR code and put in high visible areas sign in sheet, back of toilet doors etc
• Make it a competition
• Talk about it with members and highlight its importance
• Sit with gymnasts at the start or end of class
• Email
• WhatsApp
• Share on club social media
Physical visit
We will contact the clubs safeguarding officer to arrange visitng the club venue.
During the physcial visit, Scottish Gymnastics will:
• Speak with relevent club staff and ask questions about the safeguading standards
• Speak with some randomly selected indivduals (e.g. coaches, volunteers, gymnasts)
• Carry out a visual check of the venue and its safeguarding practices
Scottish Gymnastics may attend the club again with little or no notice if further checks are needed. If any safeguarding concerns are identified during the visit, these will be reported to the satutory agencies for investigation.
Action plan
We will help the club create an action plan specific to the feedback from members and venue. The plan will aim meet and exceed the standards for child wellbeing and protection in sport.
Clubs must submit evidence of actions to Scottish Gymnastics. If actions are not complete within an agreed timescale, then it may be escalated to the head of wellbeing and safe sport..