Safer Recruitment
Safely recruiting staff and volunteers including doing appropriate background checks is a fundamental safeguard.
Safer recruitment aims to prevent harm by ensuring that individuals in positions of trust are appropriately screened, trained, and supported before engaging with participants.
Through this work, viaSport is helping sport organizations:
- Strengthen recruitment, screening, and onboarding practices.
- Reduce risks associated with positions of trust and authority.
- Improve consistency across the sport sector.
- Align with safeguarding principles and safe sport expectations.
- Create safer environments for participants, especially children, youth, and other vulnerable groups.
“Safer recruitment isn’t new work, it’s foundational work”
Safer Recruitment is a Priority
viaSport is working to improve the recruitment processes at provincial and community level in BC. A pilot initiative is underway that is providing a deep understanding of strengths and gaps at club level, and how viaSport can collaborate with Designated Sport Organizations to improve recruitment practices by addressing common obstacles.
The initiative focuses on how staff, volunteer, and contractor recruitment, background checks, training, and monitoring are completed in sport. Strengthening these processes helps create safe, trusted, and positive sport environments for everyone.
“When safeguarding issues emerge, everything else grinds to a halt.”
Ongoing Work – Working Sessions
Through working sessions led by an international Safeguarding Consultant and the viaSport Safety Manager participating Designated Sport Organizations and clubs will develop practical, realistic approaches that can be used to address gaps in their recruitment and screening processes and reduce their administrative burden. These working sessions are sport-specific and include staff and/or volunteers from the Provincial Sport Organization and the Club.
Working sessions focus on:
- Identifying what roles are involved in the organization,
- What recruitment and background screening is done for each,
- Identifying the most worrisome gaps, and
- Providing support and tools to address those gaps.
The goal is to improve the organization’s processes and confidence, to reduce their administrative burden where possible, and to learn from each organization so we can move towards a consistent framework for the sector.
We aim to complete the pilot phase by December 2026.
Lessons Learned
“Safer recruitment isn’t about suspicion or red tape. It’s about protecting what makes sport meaningful.”
