SAFEGUARDING

Fair play starts with safe participation.

Competition can be exciting, intense, creative, social, and occasionally wonderfully chaotic. None of that changes the responsibility to protect participants from abuse, exploitation, harassment, neglect, retaliation, and other preventable harm.

OCA safeguarding is built around prevention, good event design, clear boundaries, accessible reporting, and appropriate response when something goes wrong. It applies across the full range of OCA competition, not just traditional sports.

Our Safeguarding Standard

Safeguarding is part of running a competent event.

OCA does not treat safeguarding as something that begins only after a complaint is made. Good safeguarding starts earlier, by designing events so inappropriate access is harder to obtain, expectations are clear, concerns are easier to raise, and participant safety does not depend entirely on whether a particular adult happens to be trustworthy.

That can mean visible and interruptible adult-minor interactions, clear supervision responsibilities, sensible controls around changing areas and photography, professional communication, appropriate travel and lodging procedures, accessible reporting routes, and defined responsibilities when a concern arises. The exact safeguards should reflect the realities and risk profile of the event.

Participant safety and dignity are conditions of OCA sanctioning, not optional enhancements.

The Safeguarding Lead

An event-designated safety first-contact.

What is a Safeguarding Lead?

A Safeguarding Lead is the designated event official responsible for receiving safeguarding concerns, coordinating the event’s safeguarding response, making sure reporting procedures are available, and serving as the primary safeguarding contact.

What does a Safeguarding Lead do?

• Helps build safeguarding into event operations before competition begins.
• Makes sure staff and participants know how safeguarding concerns can be reported.
• Receives reports and responds to immediate safety needs.
• Coordinates appropriate documentation and event-level action.
• Helps make sure required reports or referrals reach the appropriate external authorities.
• Maintains appropriate confidentiality while sharing information when necessary for safety or reporting.
• Serves as a point of contact when staff, competitors, parents, guardians, or others are unsure what to do.

What a Safeguarding Lead Is Not

A Safeguarding Lead is not an amateur detective, criminal investigator, or forensic interviewer. Their job is to protect, listen, document, and report, not to interrogate participants or determine guilt themselves.

Which Events Require Safeguarding?

Required for Every Sanctioned Event That Permits Minors

Every OCA-sanctioned event that allows minors to participate must designate at least one Safeguarding Lead. That person must successfully complete the OCA Safeguarding Youth & Vulnerable Adult Competitors course and assessment before serving in the role.

Strongly Encouraged for Other High-Risk Events

Events involving vulnerable adults or other elevated safeguarding risks are strongly encouraged to designate a trained Safeguarding Lead even when no minors are participating.

Examples of factors that increase event safeguarding risk:

• Events involving vulnerable adult competitors
• Overnight or multi-day events
• Organizer-arranged transportation or lodging
• Substantial private coaching or mentoring
• Changing room or backstage areas
• Events where adults have significant authority, access, or control over participants

Protect. Listen. Document. Report.

Four Words to Remember

1. Protect: Address immediate safety needs.
2. Listen: Allow the person to speak without interrogating, leading, or pressuring them.
3. Document: Record factual information, including what was observed, what was said, what actions were taken, and who was notified.
4. Report: Follow the event’s safeguarding procedure and make any legally required external report.

OCA reporting does not replace legally required reporting. Laws concerning minors, vulnerable adults, mandated reporters, abuse, neglect, exploitation, and reporting deadlines vary by jurisdiction. Events remain responsible for understanding and complying with the law where the event occurs.

OCA Safeguarding Training

Safeguarding Youth & Vulnerable Adult Competitors

OCA’s safeguarding training is designed specifically for the broad competition environment. It covers dance competitions, performance contests, judged creative events, fairs, leagues, battles, exhibitions, hobby competitions, and other sanctioned activities without assuming that every participant is an athlete or every competition is a sport.

The course covers topics including:

• power, access, authority, and vulnerability
• abuse, exploitation, neglect, grooming, and retaliation
• youth supervision and one-to-one contact
• communication, social media, photography, and digital conduct
• travel, transportation, lodging, and social events
• changing areas, costumes, touch, personal care, and accessibility
• safeguarding vulnerable adults
• responding to disclosures
• reporting, documentation, confidentiality, and non-retaliation
• organizer and official responsibilities
• competition-specific scenarios
• risk assessment and proportionate safeguards

The accompanying assessment is scenario-based rather than trivia-based, with a suggested passing score of 80%, or 20 of 25 questions.

Safe Participation is Part of Fair Play

Open competition depends on people being able to participate with dignity, trust, and reasonable protection from harm. Safeguarding is not separate from good competition administration. It is part of it.