STePS

A Step ahead for embedding child safeguarding policies in Italy

Duration: n.18 months: May 2022– October 2023

Location: Italy – Regions Lombardy and Liguria

Applicant: Save the Children Italia Onlus

Partners: Uisp, Centro Sportivo Italiano

Financing body: Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri – Dipartimento per le politiche della famiglia

SUMMARY:

The project aims to promote the prevention and protection of boys and girls from any form of mistreatment, violence and abuse perpetrated in sports, through 3 macro actions:

1. construction of policies, procedures and tools to protect boys and girls against the mistreatment and abuse of children, in the sports field;

2. training and capacity building of operators / professionals regarding CSG standards and procedures and empowerment of children, adolescents and adults of reference;

3. strengthening the awareness of sports organizations with respect to their role in ensuring protection and safeguarding measures and in influencing their local networks in the application of such measures. The proposed activities therefore aim to support the project partners in the construction and implementation of prevention, protection and safeguarding measures against possible mistreatment and abuse against minors, which comply with international standards and are based on the aforementioned pillars, building procedures, tools and good practices applicable to the sport sector and to the capillary and territorial structure of the partners.

OBJECTIVES:

Promote in the regions of Lombardy (provinces of Milan, Lecco and Bergamo) and Liguria (provinces of Genoa and La Spezia) a model of prevention, protection and safeguarding of children from inappropriate behaviors, mistreatments, abuses and violence in sports organizations and their affiliates operating nationwide.

PROJECT ACTIONS:    

• Definition of policies, procedures and tools for the adoption of Child Safeguarding (CSG) measures in the territorial networks of the partners
• Analysis of the state of the art of the application of the CSG Policy of the project partners and of the application of CSG measures at the territorial level
• Adaptation and definition of CSG measures, resources and tools at territorial level through a cycle of workshops with the Natioanl CSG Focal Points and the Territorial CSG Focal Points of the committees identified by Uisp and Csi. Each organization will hold 4 workshops with the aim of defining procedures, tools and specific resources for the application of CSG measures at territorial level
• Participatory consultation with children, boys and girls, and adults of reference on CSG measures under definition
• Support for the drafting of a local implementation plan for CSG measures
• Training and capacity building: implementation of training and capacity building programs for partners’ operators who already work in contact with minors, and aimed at applying the protection system defined
• Training of Trainers for National CSG Focal Points, Territorial CSG Focal Points and trainers from Uisp and Csi: the action foresees to train those operators who will then be responsible for transmitting the CSG measures and tools defined to their affiliated associations, the ASD
• Capacity building to ASD representatives for a participatory construction and application of the CSG measures provided for in working with minors. The objective of this activity, in addition to allowing the replicability and sustainability of the action over time, is to understand together with the representatives of the aforementioned sports associations the most appropriate ways to apply the CSG measures in daily work with children and their families
• Monitoring and sharing of best practices for the application of CSG measures defined by the ASD
• Dissemination, networking and advocacy: this crosscutting activity aims at disseminating CSG measures and local best practices to promote a culture of child protection in all contexts they may attend and specifically in sports environments
• Creation of an online working environment for the construction and dissemination of CSG measures, tools and resources in the sports field. The online work environment created will contain the methodologies, tools and resources developed by the project in an interactive form
• Creation of a Community of Practice of sports organizations and other actors engaged in the child protection promoting good practices for the implementation of CSG measures and tools
• Dissemination, information and advocacy events