Can I find the support route without asking my coach?
Act · the Standard in athlete language
What good support should look and feel like.
A policy on a website is not the test. The test is whether you can find help, trust the route, speak safely and see the organisation learn.
Will someone explain what stays confidential and what cannot?
Can I raise a concern without risking selection or retaliation?
Does the organisation check whether its support works in practice?
P01 / 05
Athlete Support Systems
“You should know where to go, what will happen next, and how to ask for help without your selection being put at risk.”
In practice, you should be able to see
P1.1
Qualified and appropriate professional support
Formal care is qualified, correctly described and clinically independent.
P1.2
Timely, equitable and practical access
People can realistically reach support and receive a safe alternative when the preferred route cannot help.
P1.3
Clear communication and support navigation
People understand what support exists, what it does, what is private and how to use it.
P1.4
Voluntary check-ins, referral and continuity
Check-ins respect choice, referrals lead somewhere and support survives delays or transitions.
P1.5
Confidentiality, autonomy and protection from performance disadvantage
Help-seeking is protected from unnecessary performance access, hidden data reuse and retaliation.
P02 / 05
Staff Training & Awareness
“A coach does not need to be your therapist, but they should know how to listen, what not to promise, and where to refer you.”
In practice, you should be able to see
P2.1
Role-based competence framework and coverage
Every relevant role has proportionate competence expectations and coverage.
P2.2
Recognition and safe first response
People notice concern, listen respectfully and activate the right next step without diagnosing.
P2.3
Role boundaries, referral and escalation competence
Personnel understand what they may do, what they must not do and how to hand over safely.
P2.4
Learning quality, practice and competence assurance
Learning is current, relevant, practised and tested in use—not reduced to attendance.
P2.5
Competence leadership, supervision and workforce support
People carrying difficult responsibilities can obtain competent advice, supervision, backup and support.
P03 / 05
Policy, Governance & Accountability
“Support should not depend on one kind person. It should survive staff changes, budget pressure and a difficult season.”
In practice, you should be able to see
P3.1
Written wellbeing policy
A current, accessible policy defines commitments and boundaries.
P3.2
Leadership accountability
A governing or executive owner is answerable for delivery.
P3.3
Adequate resources and delivery capacity
Financial, human and operational capacity make the commitments deliverable.
P3.4
Athlete voice and policy review
Athletes shape provision and leadership closes the feedback loop.
P3.5
Oversight, risk, corrective action and transparency
Leadership identifies weakness, acts on evidence and reports progress and limitations without exposing people.
P04 / 05
Crisis Response & Safeguarding
“On the worst day, nobody should improvise. You should know how to raise a concern and the organisation should know how to act.”
In practice, you should be able to see
P4.1
Crisis response protocol
A documented, rehearsed protocol covers foreseeable crises.
P4.2
Safeguarding officer and incident process
A trained officer owns a visible, non-retaliatory reporting process.
P4.3
External crisis partnerships
Relationships with qualified external services are established.
P4.4
Frontline and athlete readiness
Athletes know how to report; frontline staff know what to do.
P4.5
Post-incident support, system learning and prevention
People receive protected follow-up, while incidents lead to corrective action, learning and recurrence prevention.
P05 / 05
Culture & Environment
“Speaking up should be normal, not brave. Your wellbeing should matter before performance breaks down, not only afterwards.”
In practice, you should be able to see
P5.1
Psychological safety, openness and non-retaliation
Help-seeking, disagreement and protected feedback are safe from humiliation or unjustified disadvantage.
P5.2
Dignity, inclusion and protection from harmful practices
Daily conduct prevents degrading, coercive, discriminatory and abusive practice before harm is normalised.
P5.3
Workload, recovery and whole-person balance
Combined sporting and organisational demands are coordinated and overload can change decisions.
P5.4
Transitions, injury and continuity of belonging
Entry, injury, relocation, deselection and retirement retain humane communication, continuity and support.
P5.5
Climate assessment, feedback and continuous improvement
Protected and representative cultural evidence leads to visible system action without exposing individuals.
What the badge can—and cannot—tell you.
A current award means organisational systems were checked within a published scope. It does not promise that every athlete is well or that harm can never occur. Always check scope, exclusions, dates and status.
Check an organisationSomething does not match?
If there is immediate danger, use emergency or crisis support. For a safeguarding concern, use the dedicated safeguarding information. The formal public-complaints route remains an R2 release gate and will replace generic contact for certification concerns.