Latest news with #Safeguarding
Washington Post
a day ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
The group in charge of tennis in the US is starting its first coaching program
The U.S. Tennis Association announced the start of its first all-encompassing coaching program on Wednesday, a little more than a year after an outside review of the USTA's safeguarding system offered recommendations for how to better protect players from abuse such as sexual misconduct. 'At the end of the day, we have to create safe environments for all our players,' Craig Morris, the CEO of the new USTA Coaching initiative, said in a video interview with The Associated Press from Florida.
The Independent
a day ago
- Sport
- The Independent
The group in charge of tennis in the US is starting its first coaching program
The U.S. Tennis Association announced the start of its first all-encompassing coaching program on Wednesday, a little more than a year after an outside review of the USTA's safeguarding system offered recommendations for how to better protect players from abuse such as sexual misconduct. 'At the end of the day, we have to create safe environments for all our players,' Craig Miller, the CEO of the new USTA Coaching initiative, said in a video interview with The Associated Press from Florida. Miller said the USTA now can make sure that everyone who is certified is Safe Play approved, including completing a criminal background screening and being able to identify, respond to and prevent misconduct. The USTA estimates there are currently 25,000 to 30,000 coaches in the United States, and the country's official governing body for the sport would like to see the number rise to around 75,000 to 100,000. That would include everyone from parents teaching their children to the sorts of professional coaches who will be working with athletes at the U.S. Open, the USTA's showcase event that begins on Aug. 24. The effort is connected to the group's goal of having 35 million people playing the sport in the U.S. by 2035. 'The USTA's never been in the coaching business. We're probably the last major tennis federation in the world that doesn't do this. And it's our responsibility. … This is recruitment, marketing, benefits, services, education, certification. What's the future generation of coaching going to look like? We have to start getting high school kids and college kids looking at this as a career," Miller said. 'This is fundamental for U.S. tennis. For the protection of this game, the USTA has to invest in protecting the delivery system of the sport,' he added. 'And for the very first time in our history, we're going to do that.' In June 2024, a 62-page report presented to the USTA Board of Directors included 19 specific recommendations for how to 'increase player safety.' The report was made public less than two months after a tennis player was awarded $9 million in damages by a jury in federal court in Florida following her accusation that the USTA failed to protect her from a coach she said sexually abused her at one of its training centers when she was a teenager. The USTA also was a defendant in four other lawsuits related to sexual abuse of tennis players over the last two decades. ___ Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: More AP tennis:
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
School didn't do enough to stop abuse, say jailed welfare officer's victims
Victims of a former school welfare officer who was convicted of sexual assault have told BBC News NI their school did not do enough to prevent the abuse. Neil Beckett groomed the schoolgirls and used his position as a welfare officer at Lagan College in Belfast to access vulnerable young women. He was found guilty on 17 counts and jailed in December. In a statement, Lagan College told the BBC: "We pay tribute to the bravery of those pupils who came forward and we assure you that the school acted properly and promptly and in accordance with Lagan College's Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy, which adheres to Department of Education guidance, at all times." Two young women, who have spoken to BBC News NI anonymously, and the parents of some of the victims believe the school wasted crucial opportunities to safeguard pupils from harm. Beckett joined Lagan College in 2021. In late 2022, allegations were made against him by two pupils. A pupil said Beckett hugged her and kissed her on the cheek, another said he had given her a hug under her blazer. The principal, Amanda McNamee, gave evidence during the trial and said the school safeguarding team was involved and that she took Beckett through the school's safeguarding policy and his job description "line by line". Mrs McNamee told the court that the parents involved were content with the school's actions. Beckett then continued in his role as before and within a few months, in early 2023, further allegations were brought to Mrs McNamee and a Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) investigation began. Jane and Ann, not their real names, spoke to The State of Us podcast about their experiences. "There was a grooming pattern of trying to befriend people, he didn't portray himself as a teacher. he portrayed himself as a friend," Jane said. "He wanted to get close to you. He wanted you to let your guard down, and he used that." Ann said: "He was unnervingly charismatic. Now that I look back he just had a way of talking to you that made you feel like you could tell him anything." She said he had different ways of physically abusing his victims. "I have a lot of sensory issues and he'd tickled me, and I felt really, really weird about it." Both Ann and Jane said the majority of the abuse they suffered at Beckett's hand happened after the initial allegations against him in October 2022. "That just felt like a bit of a kick in the teeth that they knew about this," Jane said. "There'd been allegations made before it had happened to us. "The fact that the school didn't do enough to prevent it then is ridiculous." Ann said: "They could have prevented this, they could have stopped it there in October and we wouldn't have faced as much abuse as we did, but they didn't. "I don't think that's how a school should handle themselves." Both Jane and Ann, and several parents of Beckett's victims, have told BBC News NI that the school failed in terms of safeguarding, but also in terms of support and care for pupils. One mother said the priority for Lagan College "was managing their public image, not looking after the girls who had been harmed". Another parent said the school showed an "aloofness and detachment" when dealing with the harm done to his daughter. A third parent claimed the school had taken "no responsibility and wishes to pretend this didn't happen". Both Jane and Ann said they recalled a school assembly at the time of the police investigation. They said: "We were all taken into the hall. And Mrs McNamee headed the assembly. She told us that people are innocent until proven guilty. "That, this is a member of staff and we should not be talking about it. "We can't talk to the support staff about it, we can't talk to our friends about it. "We are not allowed to mention it at all in school." They said the reason given for this was "in case they had to be on the stand in the future". Jane said her mum received an email from the school's board of governors. "It was something along the lines of: 'As your daughter is no longer in school anymore, there's nothing, basically, we can do to help.'" She added they would like an acknowledgment of the hurt caused. "An apology would be nice. But they're not going to do that." In a statement, Lagan College told BBC News NI: "The safety and wellbeing of all our pupils has at all times been, remains, and will always be Lagan College's highest priority. "Mr Beckett had worked in a school environment prior to joining Lagan College, and received a clear Enhanced Disclosure Certificate from Access NI, and had appropriate references for his position. "We are unable to comment any further at this stage to ensure that we do not prejudice legal action." You can listen to this story in full on The State Of Us later today. Click here to subscribe and listen to the latest episode on BBC Sounds every Tuesday and Thursday. Ex-school welfare officer jailed for sexual assaults The State of Us
