British Judo discussing safeguarding in sport on BBC 5 Live

The NSPCC is today calling on Government to act quickly to close two legal loopholes that leave the door open for child abusers to target young people in sport and beyond.

Revelations about sexual abuse in football shook the nation in November, leading the NSPCC to set up a dedicated football hotline, funded by the Football Association.  NSPCC counsellors have heard from callers how adults working with children had abused their trusting relationship to groom and abuse young players.

The scandal has highlighted gaps in child protection which could make children vulnerable to being abused in sports settings and in other children’s clubs too.

The NSPCC’s #TrustToLead campaign wants to increase the number of children being protected and to extend the most stringent checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to cover more adults working with children.

British Judo’s Safeguarding Manager Keith Eldridge spoke to the BBC 5 Live Investigates team on Sunday 15 January about the increase in DBS referrals across sport and the processes and challenges different National Governing Bodies face in ensuring children are fully safeguarded while taking part in the sport of their choice

You can check out the interview below starting at 14:10