Coaches Across Continents Initiative to Promote Child Protection Policies

September 6, 2019

Leading sport-for-development curriculum provider, Coaches Across Continents (CAC), has launched a campaign working with community partners in over 60 countries to create internationally-approved Child Protection Policies.

The three-month campaign will culminate on Universal Children’s Day, November 20, when the CAC network will celebrate the culture change in global Child Protection worldwide. The day will be a celebration of the progress made in the space in recent years and also act as a call to action to keep improving. 

CAC notes that there needs to be a shift from organizations “simply having a child protection policy document”  to having communities who have comprehensive and friendly practices engaging all stakeholders to protect children as part of CAC’s Community Empowerment to Ensure All Human Rights.

The aim of the initiative is to create Child Protection Policies that are child-, coach- and organization-friendly and is outlined with the following goals:

• Education: Informing stakeholders based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
• Child Safe: Having children understand their rights by playing CAC Purposeful Play games, understanding who they can talk to, and providing services for the child should any breach of their rights occur
• Coach Safe: Training practitioners on best practices for safe coaching
• Organization Safe: Developing procedures and policies that guide the entire organization, from preventative measures to protect children to reporting procedures if violations occur
• Community Safe:  Engaging key stakeholders on Child Safety and Protection measures and bringing CAC’s Theory of Change and the communities’ new and improved Child Protection to life

CAC is a pioneering member for the International Safeguards for Children in Sport, has published papers on Child Protection and Peace and Child Rights, is on three UNICEF working groups for Child Protection and is currently working with governments and NGOs on six continents to develop stronger child protection policies, procedures and cultures.

“We are proud that CAC is leading Child Protection globally,” said Nick Gates, CAC Founder.

Coaches Across Continents is a three-time Beyond Sport Global Awards winner, most recently winning most recently the Global Impact of the Year in 2018. Learn more about this year’s Awards at beyondsport.org/awards.