What is a Duty of Care in Sport?
In sport, duty of care refers to the moral and legal obligation of individuals and organisations to act reasonably to prevent harm to others.
This includes governing bodies, their affiliated clubs/sporting organisations, Board members/Trustees, managers, coaches, athletes and event organisations. They must ensure that the standard of care provided meets reasonable expectations, bearing in mind generally accepted good practice standards.
A duty of care exists where there is a formal relationship between two parties, for example between a club and a club member, a coach and an athlete, or an activity provider and a participant.
In fulfilling their duty of care, sporting organisations need to take steps to safeguard the adults with whom their organisation works. This means taking all reasonable steps to prevent any harm to them; putting an adult safeguarding policy in place, with robust procedures and guidelines; and responding appropriately to concerns or allegations of adult abuse. Duty of care liability arises when an individual or organisation within sport fails to act with reasonable care, causing foreseeable harm to another person.
