The GUARD project continues to advance its mission of creating safer, more supportive, and child-centred sport environments across Europe. Coordinated by the Croatian Olympic Committee together with partner National Olympic Committees and institutions, the project focuses on strengthening safeguarding systems and empowering sport organisations through education, operational guidance, and international cooperation.
Over the past period, the consortium has continued the implementation of key project activities related to the establishment and education of Child Safeguarding Officers (CSOs) within sport organisations. Through a combination of national and transnational activities, the project partners have worked on developing practical safeguarding tools, educational resources, and implementation frameworks adapted to different national and sport-specific contexts.
A significant focus of the project has been placed on the pilot training for CSOs, bringing together representatives of sport organisations, experts, safeguarding practitioners, and institutional stakeholders. The programme combines theoretical foundations with practical learning approaches, including case studies, safeguarding scenarios, operational guidance, and interactive discussions aimed at strengthening safeguarding capacities in sport environments. A total of 3 modules were successfully, combining national learning environment for Module 1 and 3, while focusing more on transnational exchange for Module 2.
In parallel, the GUARD consortium continues to develop and finalise several important project outputs, including guidance procedures, operational resources, training standards, and the long-term model for safeguarding education in sport organisations. These materials are designed to remain sustainable beyond the duration of the project and contribute to the long-term strengthening of child safeguarding systems in European sport and will be published later this year.
The project also places strong emphasis on awareness raising and dissemination activities. Through newsletters, web publications, social media communication, and stakeholder engagement, GUARD aims to encourage broader dialogue on the responsibility of sport organisations in protecting children and young athletes. Furthermore, the project final conference will take place in November in Zagreb.
As part of this communication effort, we are pleased to share the latest edition of the GUARD project newsletter, available in multiple partner languages. The newsletter provides an overview of recent project activities, educational initiatives, consortium cooperation, and ongoing developments within the project.
We thank all partners, experts, stakeholders, and participants for their continued commitment and contribution to creating safer sport environments for children and young people across Europe.
