Keeping our sport safe: New Safeguarding Framework to launch soon
Listen to Tom Solesbury’s update on steps we’re taking to secure rowing’s future, including our new Director of Culture and Integrity and a Complaints Procedure for club matters
Credit: British Rowing
We wanted to share an update with our community on the work we’ve been doing to renew our Safeguarding Framework.
A new Framework will be launched on 1 June 2026, covering concerns, disputes and reporting. Today, we are releasing our Raising a Concern procedure, ensuring that our community knows how concerns raised with British Rowing will be handled.
Hear from our CEO, Tom Solesbury, below, or read on for more information!
Safeguarding is an area we have to get right – if we cannot keep the children, young people, and vulnerable adults in our sports safe, then the rest of the work we do is meaningless.
Since he stepped into post two months ago, Tom has been visiting clubs up and down the country, listening to our community and learning about the different strains that clubs and volunteers face today.
Under our new framework, launching on 1 June, British Rowing will take responsibility for all safeguarding cases – meaning cases where there’s harm or risk of harm to children or adults at risk in our sport.
British Rowing will also take responsibility for all cases of abuse, harassment, and bullying. All of these cases should be reported to British Rowing for an initial triage process.
We will also provide clubs and regions with a simple Club and Region Dispute Procedure through which they can deal with club matters.
This will include:
- Selection decisions
- Disputes over membership fees
- Training arrangements
- Squad organisation
- Allocation of equipment
- Disagreement between committee members
- Minor interpersonal conflicts
We will also launch a new Complaints Policy for any occasions that you may not be satisfied with the support you receive from British Rowing.
This new framework is just the start of our work in safeguarding. We’re delighted to announce that Danny Williams will be joining British Rowing as Director of Culture and Integrity. Danny will provide strategic leadership for safeguarding, integrity, welfare and culture, sitting on our Executive Team and working alongside our CEO Tom Solesbury to develop and deliver the frameworks that keep our sport safe.
Together, we will ensure that our response to safeguarding and conduct issues in rowing is proportionate, caring, and supportive.
If you have any concerns about anything in our sport, please report them to British Rowing at [email protected].
Stay up to date by following the British Rowing website and social media channels
