Improving community sport volunteers’ response to abuse of children in sport: a theory informed educational workshop

Purpose/Rationale Despite evidence of high rates of abuse in Australian community sport, little research exists on the efficacy of educational workshops to improve volunteer capacity to respond to it.Design/Methodology/Approach A mixed methods design informed by the COM-B theory of behaviour change was used to evaluate the efficacy of a workshop to improve volunteer responses to child abuse in sport.Findings Pre-workshop, participants were motivated to respond to child abuse in sport but had low levels of capability (confidence and competence) and a lack of opportunities (physical resources and social support). Post-workshop, capabilities and some opportunities improved, though fears of social repercussions persisted. There were also discrepancies in pre-questionnaire responses and the qualitative data from the workshop, which highlighted participants’ confusion around what constitutes abuse in sport.Practical Implications These findings provide insights for the development and implementation of safeguarding education initiatives in the community sport volunteer context.Research Contribution The study advances the theoretical understanding of the utility of the COM-B for addressing and evaluating safeguarding interventions within the sport management field. Originality/Value: This is one of the only studies exploring the efficacy of child abuse prevention and response education in the volunteer sport management context.