What is Safeguarding & Here to Listen at Swim Ireland?

Updated

Safeguarding & Here to Listen is Swim Ireland's set of policies and reporting channels for protecting children and vulnerable adults in swimming, and for raising concerns about their welfare. It applies to everyone in the sport — clubs, members, coaches, volunteers and parents — and the "Here to Listen" element is the route for reporting a concern or seeking support. If you are looking for the official policy documents, the reporting contact, or the code of behaviour your club must follow, this is the section of swimireland.ie to use.

What Safeguarding covers

Safeguarding is the framework Swim Ireland uses to keep participants safe across clubs, programmes and events. In practice it covers:

  • Children and vulnerable adults — the groups the policy is designed to protect.
  • Behaviour standards — the code of conduct that clubs, coaches, volunteers and members are expected to follow.
  • Reporting procedures — how a concern is raised and what happens next.
  • Club obligations — clubs and their members are required to meet these protection standards, not treat them as optional.

Because the site lists Safeguarding & Here to Listen as a main navigation heading alongside Clubs, Performance and Athlete Hub, it is a standing part of how Swim Ireland operates rather than a one-off page.

What "Here to Listen" is for

Here to Listen is the support and reporting channel. Use it if you:

  • Have a concern about a child's or vulnerable adult's welfare in a swimming setting.
  • Want to report behaviour that may breach Swim Ireland's code of conduct.
  • Need guidance on how to handle a situation before deciding whether to make a formal report.
  • Are looking for the correct contact to speak to about a safeguarding matter.

The distinction matters: Safeguarding is the policy and standards; Here to Listen is where you take a concern once you have one.

How to use it

  1. Go to swimireland.ie and open the Safeguarding & Here to Listen section from the main navigation.
  2. Read the policy and code of behaviour material there so you understand what counts as a concern and what standards apply.
  3. Use the reporting contact or channel provided in that section to raise your concern or ask for support.
  4. If your concern relates to a specific club, note that clubs are bound by the same standards — you can raise it through the Swim Ireland channel rather than only with the club.

The expected result is that your concern reaches the designated safeguarding contact and is handled under Swim Ireland's procedures, rather than being left with an individual club or coach.

Common sticking points

  • Going to the club only. Clubs must follow the standards, but the Here to Listen channel exists so concerns can also be raised directly with Swim Ireland.
  • Assuming it is only about children. The policy also covers vulnerable adults.
  • Waiting until you are certain. If you are unsure whether something is a reportable concern, the channel is also there to ask.
  • Looking for it under Clubs. Safeguarding & Here to Listen is its own top-level section, not a sub-page of the club directory.

Where it sits alongside the rest of the site

Swim Ireland's main sections are Clubs (including Find a Club), Athlete Hub, Performance, and Safeguarding & Here to Listen. Safeguarding is the protective layer that applies across all of them — the same standards that govern a club session also apply to performance and athlete programmes. If you arrived looking for a club, use Find a Club; if your question is about welfare, conduct or protection, use Safeguarding & Here to Listen.