NCJ Number
211529
Journal
Child Abuse Review Volume: 14 Issue: 4 Dated: July-August 2005 Pages: 259-274
Date Published
July 2005
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study presents a case study of the English Football Association to examine the current state of systems for recording and managing abuse referrals in sports in England.
Abstract
The New National Standards for Child Protection in Sport requires that all sports organizations in England receiving state funding adopt procedures for managing referrals of abuse and poor practice. Despite this policy, few sports organizations have developed robust case-recording and management systems. The current study presents a case study using sample data from an analysis of extant abuse referrals to the English Football Association. A template for the analysis of data was developed using variables from previous inductive studies. Data for 50 variables were then recorded into the database from 132 case files. The subsequent data were analyzed in terms of previously expressed concerns about false allegations, perpetrator roles, and location of abuse. While fears of false allegations of abuse were discovered to be unfounded, the case-recording system used here yielded little usable data. The findings underscore the importance of developing a standardized and systematic recording system grounded in a highly specified data-recording method. The findings also illuminate the need for a revised reporting form that should include both case management information and the variables necessary for monitoring risk and assessment. Figure, tables, references