Why psychological safety matters for parents
You might be here because…
- Something has happened in training and you're not sure what to do.
- Your child doesn't seem themselves after sessions.
- You're worried that speaking up could affect their place.
- Things that seemed normal in sport have started to feel wrong.
- You want to support them, but you don't know how.
- You want parents to be part of building a safer culture.
- You know athlete wellbeing depends on support at home as well as in training.
- You're already working on psychological safety and want to extend it to parents.
You're in the right place.
- The biggest support system lies with parents.
- No matter what is going in training, parents act as a buffer.
- Parents may fear speaking up in fear of jeopardising their athlete's career.
Understanding what psychological safety looks like for your child and their environment is essential to help ensure their wellbeing and sustained performance.
Psychological safety test
How safe do you and your child feel?
Take the free 3-minute Psychological Safety test.
What the research tells us
Parental support
is crucial
In elite sport environments where there is high pressure, high stress, potentially harmful behaviours and injury, the need for a strong support system, particularly parental support, is crucial.
Support builds
resilience
A strong support system has been linked with better wellbeing, increased resilience when faced with adversity, and better stress management in training, competition and retirement.
You can protect them
when sport feels unsafe
Athletes who reported feeling psychologically unsafe in their sporting environment were better able to manage when parental support was present, whereas when that support was absent, athletes who felt unsafe developed more maladaptive coping mechanisms (disordered eating, self-harm & emotional suppression).
Interest, not results,
keeps them in sport
Parental warmth, unconditional support, and interest in the child's experience (rather than results) are associated with higher intrinsic motivation and longer participation in sport.
References: Backman et al., 2024; Tamminen & Holt, 2010; Tamminen & Holt, 2012
How Creating Space can help
Understanding
Creating Space works with parents to build a genuine understanding of what psychological safety looks like in sport and why it matters for their child's wellbeing and performance. Rather than placing blame or adding pressure, we help parents feel informed and equipped to play a meaningful role in their child's sporting experience.
Recognising and speaking up
We help parents understand the difference between normal challenges in sport and behaviours that fall outside what is appropriate, so that they feel confident to recognise and respond when something doesn't feel right. Knowing what to look for and feeling empowered to speak up is an important part of the parental role, particularly in high-performance environments where harmful behaviours can become normalised.
A safe space at home
Creating Space also supports parents in building a safe and open environment at home, where their child feels comfortable talking about what is happening in training and competition. Encouraging voice, validating feelings, and creating space for honest conversation are some of the most powerful things a parent can do to support their child's psychological safety.
Coping tools
For athletes who may not be receiving the support they need within their club or team environment, we work with parents to develop practical coping tools and strategies that can help their child manage the pressures of sport with greater resilience and confidence.
Ways to work together
Just for you
Personalised resources for you as a parent, shaped around your child, their sport and what is happening for them right now.
Group workshops
For groups of parents, or for clubs, schools and teams who want to extend their workshops to include parents, so that athletes are supported in the same way at home and in training.
What parents leave with
- A clear understanding of what psychological safety means in sport and what it looks like for their child
- Confidence in recognising the difference between normal sporting challenges and behaviours that aren't appropriate
- The ability to speak up and advocate for their child when something doesn't feel right
- Practical skills for creating a safe, open environment at home where their child feels heard and supported
- Tools to encourage voice and build their child's confidence in speaking up in their sporting environment
- Coping mechanisms and strategies to help their child manage pressure and adversity, particularly when club support is limited