Those seeking a job with sports organisations should be thoroughly screened to exclude people convicted of abuse-related offences, new guidelines propose.

The guidelines, issued by the Malta Sports Council, aim to raise awareness on potential child abuse and to highlight precautions that should be taken to prevent unsuitable people from working with children and young people.

“We recommend that organisations elicit information about the applicants’ past experiences and request self-disclosure about any criminal record,” KMS chairman Bernard Vassallo said.

Sports organisations should also turn to the Register of the Protection of Minors compiled by the Justice Ministry, he said.

The guidelines were drawn up after lengthy discussions with national sports organisations, the Commissioner for Children and government support agency Appoġġ.

“These are guidelines so far but our aim is to phase them in gradually so that in, say, three years’ time they will become binding,” Mr Vassallo said.

Not all sports organisations are affiliated with the council but membership is on the rise.

“For organisations to be eligible to government subsidy schemes, they need to be registered with us,” he pointed out.

The council was doing its utmost to help clubs and sports organisations become more professional and the guidelines were a step in that direction. “We have a situation where someone can wake up in the morning and become a coach. It’s not the way to do things,” he said.

The guidelines tackle all forms of child abuse in sport: physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, bullying and racism.

They also refer to children with disability.

Advice is given on the sort of physical contact that coaches and instructors should have with children.

“Coaches need to fully understand what constitutes appropriate physical contact in relation to the particular sport and should never engage in rough, physical or sexually provocative games,” said Mr Vassallo.

The guidelines cite swimming as an example. It would not be possible to teach a child to swim without helping the child to float or holding his/her arms or feet to demonstrate a movement.

However, it would not be appropriate to hold a child suggestively, for example from under the breasts, because this is not essential to the development of the skills.

“This is about fostering a culture of child protection, so children can benefit entirely from sports,” he said.

For more information about the Child Protection in Sport Guidelines go to www.sportmalta.org.mt.

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