Safeguarding and Ethics
Special Olympics Ireland is committed to the ongoing implementation of our Safeguarding policies in our clubs and at our events. We strive to foster a culture of understanding and compliance for all and to create an athlete-centred environment.
Safeguarding is at the core of all Special Olympics Ireland activities and is fundamental to the development and implementation of everything we plan for the future. We are fully compliant with the Children First Legislation (ROI) and engage regularly with Sport Ireland, Sport Northern Ireland, the Child Protection in Sport Unit, and the HSE to continually meet legislative requirements and industry standards.
Please find our Child Safeguarding Statement here
Contact Amanda Ní Ghabhann
e: amanda.nighabhann@specialolympics.ie
Safeguarding Policies and Guidelines
Choose Safeguarding Session
Safeguarding 1 - Virtual Delivery
Suitable for all volunteers
Attendees must be volunteers with Special Olympics to receive their certificate of completion
Safeguarding 2 - Virtual Delivery
Suitable only for volunteers who are the Safeguarding Officer in their local club
Attendees must be volunteers with Special Olympics to receive their certificate of completion
Safeguarding 3 - Virtual Delivery
Suitable only for volunteers who are the Chairperson in their local club
Attendees must be volunteers with Special Olympics to receive their certificate of completion
Safeguarding Workshop Information
These are the Sport Ireland Safeguarding courses delivered via a virtual platform online and are suitable for volunteers in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. This is the current replacement for the face-to-face workshop during the covid-19 pandemic. All certificates are valid for three years upon completion however Safeguarding 1 can be extended to a six-year validity if an online refresher is completed three years after a Face-to-Face course ( NB the refresher must be done within 3 months of the expiry of the original cert or it will not be accepted and a full 3 hour Face to Face course will need to be attended). If the times and dates of our courses do not suit you, courses are also available through Local Sport Partnerships in ROI or by emailing workshop@sportni.net if you are based in NI.
Each course takes 3 hours in total and will have a short 5-minute comfort break in the middle. Attendees must stay for the full three hours. The course requires you to have a working camera and microphone on your device to take part as it is an interactive course with attendee participation required.
For Safeguarding 1 15; 16 and 17-year-olds must complete a parental consent form. If you require further information or a consent form please contact volunteers@specialolympics.ie. or you can download a digital version here
For Safeguarding 2 & Safeguarding 3, participants must be 18 years or older.
Places are limited so please ensure you will attend before taking a space. If for some reason you can no longer attend give as much notice as possible and email safeguarding@specialolympics.ie Due to the virtual format we can only accept 18 participants per course.
