Workforce Competencies And Skills For Practitioners Delivering ‘SportPlus’ Sport-Based Interventions

Sport is increasingly playing a valuable role in preventing and reducing young people’s involvement in serious youth violence. The role of the practitioner and their relationship with the young person is central to the success of any youth intervention programme and particularly key for those working with young people to prevent and reduce their involvement in offending and serious youth violence.

This literature review summary produced by Loughborough University in partnership with StreetGames provides academic insight about the workforce competencies and skills needed for the effective development and delivery of a secondary level Sport-Based Intervention (SBI) (also known as a SportPlus intervention). It draws on insight from the criminal and youth justice, family and youthwork as well as community sport sectors. This is an essential resource for Locally Trusted Organisations (LTOs) and their staff who are working with vulnerable young people to prevent and reduce involvement in serious youth violence. This resource includes the following areas:

• A description of a SportPlus intervention programme
• The role of the SportPlus workforce
• Different models for the workforce including the role of the youth worker
• The competencies of the SportPlus coach
• Strategies for assessing workforce competencies
• Understanding the motivations of the SportPlus coach
• The challenges faced by the SportPlus workforce and the support that is required to retain the workforce