Building Coaches' Skills in Addressing Child Abuse and Neglect

Abstract

Incidences of child abuse and neglect in youth sport, youth development programs, and on university campuses have increased the awareness and concern for safety. In response, various entities are exploring the coaches' responsibility in relation to ensuring the safety and well-being of the children and youth they work with. The “Protecting Youth” training was developed for and implemented with coaches at Ohio State University's Buckeye Sports Camps (BSC). This article discusses the topics covered in the training and evaluation findings. Specifically, of the BSC coaches who completed an online survey, nearly all reported that it was important for staff to be trained in child abuse–reporting procedures, and that they learned new content as a result of their participation. These and other findings showcase the value of providing training to coaches and others working with youth to further ensure the safety of young ones involved in sport, youth development, and university-led youth programming.