At Patronus Safeguarding, we believe protection shouldn’t stop at childhood. Sport now needs to build a culture that safeguards everyone, at every stage of life.
At Scottish Rugby, a quiet but powerful shift is already under way. The organisation has moved from a traditional “child protection” focus to introducing a Safeguarding Everyone Policy and it recognises a simple truth: wellbeing and protection don’t stop at 18. It’s not a new document for the shelf; it’s a signal of cultural transformation.
That change captures something the rest of sport now needs to face: safeguarding isn’t a finite task or a childhood phase. It’s a lifelong commitment that adapts to people, pressures, and environments.
From the Care Act to the changing room
Under the Care Act 2014, adult safeguarding rightly prioritises those most in need of protection and support. Its six principles of empowerment, prevention, proportionality, protection, partnership, and accountability should anchor every safeguarding conversation in sport. The “protection” principle reminds us that some adults will always need targeted help and intervention.
But vulnerability is fluid. A player returning from injury, a volunteer isolated from their team, a young coach facing online abuse, or an official dealing with burnout can all find themselves at risk for a day, a week, or a season. Circumstance, not category, creates vulnerability.
That reality calls for something broader than compliance. It calls for a safeguarding culture that recognises everyone can be at risk at some point in their life and ensures support is available when they are.
The system gap
For years, safeguarding in sport has meant child safeguarding. And the progress there has been significant. But because of that focus, many safeguarding teams across sports organisations and national governing bodies don’t yet have the expertise or frameworks to expand into adult safeguarding.
This isn’t a criticism; it’s a capacity issue. The skill set required to understand adult risk, coercive control, domestic abuse, mental health, and capacity differs from child protection work. Without additional leadership and guidance, teams risk being stretched between two very different safeguarding landscapes.
That’s why transformation in this area rarely happens from within alone. These are dedicated professionals doing difficult work. They simply need a framework that keeps pace with the reality of adult lives and it requires external input, interim leadership, and sector-wide support to help organisations build confidence, structure, and clarity.
Changing culture, not just policy
Safeguarding everyone means changing how people think, not just what they sign. Policies matter, but culture is what protects people when no one is looking.
At Scottish Rugby, the move towards a unified safeguarding approach wasn’t just about updating procedures; it was about aligning values. It reframed safeguarding from something reactive to something relational, from a compliance exercise to a shared responsibility woven through performance, wellbeing, and inclusion.
This is where sport’s next evolution lies: in normalising conversations about adult welfare, training safeguarding leads to recognise adult risk indicators, and creating environments where speaking up is always safe.
The time for change
Sport has already shown it can transform through changes such as concussion protocols, welfare standards, and mental health awareness. Adult safeguarding deserves the same urgency and investment.
The message is simple: if safeguarding stops at childhood, it isn’t safeguarding; it’s a boundary.
Those who lead safeguarding now have the chance to redefine what protection looks like in sport. Now is the moment for governing bodies, clubs, and coaches to look again at what protection means, who it includes, and how far it extends.
At Patronus Safeguarding, we’re supporting organisations to make that transition, from child-only frameworks to safeguarding cultures that protect everyone at every stage of life.
If your organisation is ready to start that journey, we can help.