Be informed: Safe Sport Training facts

Anyone involved in sport should be able to thrive and perform at their best without fear of abuse, neglect or other maltreatment. Creating safe sport environments that provide those conditions is a collective effort — one that requires proper training so people can recognize maltreatment and prevent or address it.

The Coaching Association of Canada’s Safe Sport Training was designed to meet the needs of national-level sport organizations, but its principles apply at any level of sport.

Building a Safe Sport environment together

Creating a culture where everyone can thrive is a shared responsibility. Safe Sport Training was developed to help anyone involved in sport — whether you have direct contact with athletes or work in the background — to promote physical, psychological, and social health, in line with the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport.

What will I learn?

Acknowledgement
Understand that everyone has a role to play in keeping sport safe, how the misuse of power leads to maltreatment, and the principles of the Universal Code of Conduct.

Awareness
Learn about the various types of maltreatment, the conditions that enable them, and how to recognize signs that they may be happening.

Action
Find out what to do if you suspect maltreatment, and how you can create a culture that protects all participants.

Interested in taking the CAC Training?

To learn how to prevent maltreatment in sport, create your free account in the Locker.

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Why is Safe sport training so important?

Maltreatment can harm athletes and other sport participants in many ways: physically, emotionally and mentally. Safe sport training that aligns with the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport helps organizations, coaches and others create sporting environments that are safe for everyone.

Why choose the Coaching Association of Canada’s Safe Sport Training?

With Safe Sport Training from the Coaching Association of Canada, you get:

A complete program of safe sport training at no cost
An eLearning module that works with all computer operating systems, mobile phones, tablets and other devices
Training in your choice of English or French
Online training that’s compliant with accessibility standards
Professional development points for certified coaches

Information for members of the media

The news releases and other resources below provide more background on the Coaching Association of Canada’s Safe Sport Training.

For media inquiries, please see coach.ca/media-inquiries.

How the Training came about

In February 2019, after a series of nationwide safe sport consultation summits, federal-provincial-territorial sport ministers signed the Red Deer Declaration, committing to the elimination of abuse, discrimination and harassment in sport. In response, the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport was developed as a foundation for a coordinated implementation strategy to prevent and address maltreatment across the sport system in Canada.

With the support of Sport Canada, a CAC Safe Sport Task Force for Mandated Training was developed to provide expert advice and feedback on the development and delivery of training activities to meet the goals and objectives of the mandatory training on harassment and abuse within the national sport system. The task force included representatives of national and provincial sport governing bodies, subject-matter experts, athletes, and advocacy organizations.

The CAC’s Safe Sport Training module is recognized as meeting the requirements for mandatory training on harassment and abuse. Certified coaches are also eligible for Professional Development points toward their maintenance of their certification.