SafeSwim
About SafeSwim
SafeSwim – A Safe Kid is a Happy Kid! is an international project dedicated to one simple but vital goal: making sport safer for children and young athletes.
Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Sport programme of the European Union, SafeSwim brings together four organisations from Croatia, Slovenia, and Turkey to strengthen child safeguarding practices in swimming and sport more broadly — ensuring that every child can train, compete, and grow in an environment that protects them physically, mentally, and emotionally.
The challenge we address
Sport has the power to build confidence, discipline, and lifelong friendships. But it also places adults in positions of trust and close contact with children — which is exactly why clear safeguarding standards matter. Across Europe, there is a growing need for structured child-protection systems in sport and for trained professionals who know how to prevent, recognise, and respond to risks.
Too often, safeguarding depends on good intentions rather than real knowledge and clear procedures. SafeSwim exists to change that.
Our mission
SafeSwim builds the capacity of coaches, trainers, and sports professionals to keep children safe. We turn awareness into competence — equipping the people who work directly with young athletes to create safe, supportive, and inclusive environments every day.
A Safe Kid is a Happy Kid.
What we do
Over its 12-month duration, the project delivers a focused set of actions:
Training & certification — coaches and sports professionals are trained and complete the internationally recognised Safeguarding Children Level 1 certification, delivered via the CPD-certified VitalSkills / HSQE platform.
Three international workshops — hands-on safeguarding training in Croatia, Turkey, and Slovenia, building a transnational network of certified professionals.
Cooperation with National Olympic Committees — aligning safeguarding practice with recognised national and European standards.
Awareness & dissemination — sharing knowledge, tools, and results across the European sports community to drive long-term change.
A trusted certification
SafeSwim doesn't rely on informal training alone. Every participant earns the Safeguarding Children Level 1 certificate — CPD-certified and quality-assured by respected bodies including RoSPA, with a formal online assessment. It's a credential that proves a real, recognised standard of safeguarding knowledge has been met.
The partnership
🇭🇷 PK Zagreb (Plivački klub Zagreb) — Coordinator
🇭🇷 DSR SuperKid — Partner
🇸🇮 ŠD Partizan Sevnica — Partner
🇹🇷 LIDOSK — Partner & Dissemination Lead
Together, across borders and disciplines, we share one belief: that every child deserves a safe and positive experience in sport.
📋 Key facts (box / sidebar):
ProgrammeErasmus+ Sport — Small-Scale PartnershipsReferenceERASMUS-SPORT-2025-SSCPDuration12 months (Dec 2025 – Nov 2026)CoordinatorPK Zagreb (Croatia)PartnersDSR SuperKid (HR), ŠD Partizan Sevnica (SI), LIDOSK (TR)FocusChild safeguarding in sport
This project is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
Swimming environments require unique safeguards due to physical contact and pool isolation. We address these challenges to ensure aquatic sports remain a safe space for every young athlete to grow.
Safety Needs
We collaborate with National Olympic Committees to integrate safety standards, conduct regional workshops, and ensure over 90 participants earn RoSPA certification to become qualified Child Safeguarding Officers.
Project Goals
