Qualified and appropriate professional support
Formal care is qualified, correctly described and clinically independent.
The Standard · 25 working indicators
Five pillars, explained from the athlete outward.
Each pillar connects an organisational system to a simple athlete question: what should I be able to see, use and trust here?
P01 / 05
Athlete Support Systems
Checks whether qualified, confidential help exists and whether athletes can actually reach it.
What good feels like
“You should know where to go, what will happen next, and how to ask for help without your selection being put at risk.”
Evidence may include
- Professional contracts or referral agreements
- Athlete-facing support information
- Referral and confidentiality procedures
Approved working indicators
Timely, equitable and practical access
People can realistically reach support and receive a safe alternative when the preferred route cannot help.
Clear communication and support navigation
People understand what support exists, what it does, what is private and how to use it.
Voluntary check-ins, referral and continuity
Check-ins respect choice, referrals lead somewhere and support survives delays or transitions.
Confidentiality, autonomy and protection from performance disadvantage
Help-seeking is protected from unnecessary performance access, hidden data reuse and retaliation.
How maturity increases
Bronze asks whether a responsibility or policy exists. Silver asks whether it operates. Gold asks whether it is systematic and monitored. Diamond asks whether practice is embedded, independently verifiable and corroborated by athletes.
Complete requirement model
Pillar 1 separates practical access from communication, referral and confidentiality.
The five-indicator structure and twenty requirements are approved for working framework v1.2. Detailed content remains subject to expert and pilot validation.
Inspect all Pillar 1 requirementsP02 / 05
Staff Training & Awareness
Checks whether the people around athletes can notice concern, respond safely and refer within their role.
What good feels like
“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.”
Evidence may include
- Role-based training records
- Refresher schedule and attendance
- Scenario exercises and referral guidance
Approved working indicators
Role-based competence framework and coverage
Every relevant role has proportionate competence expectations and coverage.
Recognition and safe first response
People notice concern, listen respectfully and activate the right next step without diagnosing.
Role boundaries, referral and escalation competence
Personnel understand what they may do, what they must not do and how to hand over safely.
Learning quality, practice and competence assurance
Learning is current, relevant, practised and tested in use—not reduced to attendance.
Competence leadership, supervision and workforce support
People carrying difficult responsibilities can obtain competent advice, supervision, backup and support.
How maturity increases
Bronze asks whether a responsibility or policy exists. Silver asks whether it operates. Gold asks whether it is systematic and monitored. Diamond asks whether practice is embedded, independently verifiable and corroborated by athletes.
Complete requirement model
The Pillar 2 draft tests competence—not course attendance.
The approved working model contains five indicators and twenty stage requirements across role coverage, safe response, boundaries, learning quality and workforce support.
Inspect all Pillar 2 requirementsP03 / 05
Policy, Governance & Accountability
Checks whether wellbeing has ownership, resources, athlete voice and board-level accountability behind it.
What good feels like
“Support should not depend on one kind person. It should survive staff changes, budget pressure and a difficult season.”
Evidence may include
- Current policy and review record
- Named board or executive owner
- Budget and athlete-voice records
Approved working indicators
Written wellbeing policy
A current, accessible policy defines commitments and boundaries.
Leadership accountability
A governing or executive owner is answerable for delivery.
Adequate resources and delivery capacity
Financial, human and operational capacity make the commitments deliverable.
Athlete voice and policy review
Athletes shape provision and leadership closes the feedback loop.
Oversight, risk, corrective action and transparency
Leadership identifies weakness, acts on evidence and reports progress and limitations without exposing people.
How maturity increases
Bronze asks whether a responsibility or policy exists. Silver asks whether it operates. Gold asks whether it is systematic and monitored. Diamond asks whether practice is embedded, independently verifiable and corroborated by athletes.
Complete requirement model
Pillar 3 includes distinct oversight, risk and corrective-action governance.
P3.5 is approved for working use and receives evidence from every pillar. P5.5 remains responsible for climate measurement and cultural improvement.
Inspect all Pillar 3 requirementsP04 / 05
Crisis Response & Safeguarding
Checks whether serious concerns trigger a rehearsed, country-correct response with clear safeguarding accountability.
What good feels like
“On the worst day, nobody should improvise. You should know how to raise a concern and the organisation should know how to act.”
Evidence may include
- Crisis protocol and rehearsal record
- Safeguarding appointment and escalation map
- Current emergency and external-service contacts
Approved working indicators
Crisis response protocol
A documented, rehearsed protocol covers foreseeable crises.
Safeguarding officer and incident process
A trained officer owns a visible, non-retaliatory reporting process.
External crisis partnerships
Relationships with qualified external services are established.
Frontline and athlete readiness
Athletes know how to report; frontline staff know what to do.
Post-incident support, system learning and prevention
People receive protected follow-up, while incidents lead to corrective action, learning and recurrence prevention.
How maturity increases
Bronze asks whether a responsibility or policy exists. Silver asks whether it operates. Gold asks whether it is systematic and monitored. Diamond asks whether practice is embedded, independently verifiable and corroborated by athletes.
Architecture decision recorded
P4.5 is carried forward in working framework v1.2.
Post-incident support, system learning and prevention form the fifth Pillar 4 indicator. Published v1.0 remains preserved and immutable.
Inspect all Pillar 4 controls and requirementsP05 / 05
Culture & Environment
Checks the daily climate: openness, transition support, workload decisions and whether the organisation measures what athletes experience.
What good feels like
“Speaking up should be normal, not brave. Your wellbeing should matter before performance breaks down, not only afterwards.”
Evidence may include
- Culture or climate assessments
- Transition and workload processes
- Actions taken after athlete feedback
Approved working indicators
Psychological safety, openness and non-retaliation
Help-seeking, disagreement and protected feedback are safe from humiliation or unjustified disadvantage.
Dignity, inclusion and protection from harmful practices
Daily conduct prevents degrading, coercive, discriminatory and abusive practice before harm is normalised.
Workload, recovery and whole-person balance
Combined sporting and organisational demands are coordinated and overload can change decisions.
Transitions, injury and continuity of belonging
Entry, injury, relocation, deselection and retirement retain humane communication, continuity and support.
Climate assessment, feedback and continuous improvement
Protected and representative cultural evidence leads to visible system action without exposing individuals.
How maturity increases
Bronze asks whether a responsibility or policy exists. Silver asks whether it operates. Gold asks whether it is systematic and monitored. Diamond asks whether practice is embedded, independently verifiable and corroborated by athletes.
Complete culture and prevention model
Pillar 5 now separates daily prevention, sustainable demands, transitions and climate evidence.
Its five indicators and twenty requirements resolve the previous P5.4 collision: transitions are P5.4 and climate assessment is P5.5.
Inspect all Pillar 5 requirementsOne important limit
A policy is evidence of intent—not proof of practice.
Practice-level requirements need implementation records, communication, monitoring, observation or interviews. At higher levels, athlete experience can hold or lower an organisation’s self-reported result; it can never be used as marketing decoration.