More info on CSPs
What are CSPs?
County Sports Partnerships are local networks of Local Authorties, NGBs, Clubs, Schools and School Sport Partnerships, Primary Care Trusts and other local agencies comitted to working together to increase participation in sport and physical activity. They are led by a central team of people whose job it is to provide leadership and co-ordination of the network.
A CSP has the following characteristics:
It is underpinned by a commitment to equity
It seeks to ensure that sports development is driven through NGB plans
Action is based on local need - influencing the understanding, interpretation and deployment of national, regional and local policy
It is focused on investing in, and valuing people
It is committed to achieving quality standards through continuous improvement and excellence in order to demonstrate impact
It is fundamentally independent so that the core partnership team is impartial in order to broker progress
What is CSPN?
The County Sports Partnership Network (CSPN) is the nation-wide network of 49 CSP's comitted to working together to provide a cohesive offer to regional and national agencies. CSPN speaks on behalf of the network with national agencies and supports the development of CSPs through peer support, communication and collaboration. Lee Mason and Richard Saunders are CSP Directors who also work on behalf of CSPN (see contact CSPN for details).
The sporting landscape is highly complex. CSPN provides NGBs and other national organisations a single point of access to sport; through the County Sports Partnerships and, through their unique knowledge and established relationships with local key policy and decision-makers, speedy and effective access to their local networks.
1 access point to:
49 County Sports Partnerships
354 Local Authorities
449 School Sport Partnerships
What do CSP's do?
All County Sports Partnerships work across the sporting landscape actively supporting partners to increase participation in sport and physical activity, with a particular focus on two national indicators:
* NI57 More young people participating in 5 hours of sport per week (the '5 hour offer')
* NI8 Adult Participation in Sport.
CSPs are contracted by Sport England to provide a set of core services to underpin the local delivery of National Governing Body (NGB) Whole Sport Plans and support the acievement of NGB and Sport England targets, including the aim to get 1million more people participating in sport by 2012. These services will include:
• Strategic Leadership and Partnership Development
• Connecting NGBs to the local area and local partners
• Club, coach and volunteer development,
• Children and young people
• Attracting external investment
• Development of facilities
• Networking, knowledge management and communication.
"Sport England sees CSPs as a important national network and will contract them to provide a consistent service to NGBs" Jennie Price, Chief Executive, Sport England.
CSPs have also recently been contracted by the Department of Health to support the achievement of the other half of the Governments' ambition to get a total of 2 million more people active by 2012. This includes other recreational activity such as walking, cycling and dance and will involve CSP's ensuring a joined up approach to sport and physical activity at the local level, connecting sport with Primary Care Trusts (PCT's) and other health agencies, and helping demonstrate the value of investing in physical activity to health outcomes.
“CSPs have already proven their worth in co-ordinating local delivery and investment in physical activity, most notably by supporting the adoption of National Indicator NI8 concerning Sport and Active Recreation”. Will Cavendish, Director of Health and Well-being, the Department for Health.
CSP's also lead key elements of the Governments 'PE & Sport Strategy for Young People' on behalf of the Department for Children, Families and Schools (DCFS) and the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS). This includes leading the implementation of the 'Sport Unlimited' Programme and supporting the 'Step into sport' initiative for Sport England, and providing support for the Youth Sport Trust and School Sport Partnerships mostly in the area of workforce training, education and networking.
"CSP's play an important role in the develiopment and delivery of community sport, and are critical partners for SSP's as they work together to deliver 5 hours of PE and sport for young people" Steve Grainger MBE, Chief Executive, Youth Sport Trust.
CSPN believes in the importance of coaching to sporting participation and performance outcomes and have a long standing comittment to supporting the development of coaches and coaching, including the implementation of the Community Sports Coach Scheme. Discussions are currently being held with Sport England and Sports Coach UK to agree the role of CSP's in supporting NGBs and SCUK with the implementation of the UK Coaching Framework moving forwards.
"CSP's have an important role in supporting Governing Bodies in the development of a world leading coaching system at community level in England" Pat Duffy, Chief Executive, Sports Coach UK.
CSP's also remain comitted to raising standards in Safeguarding in sport, to improving access and equity in sport, and highlighting the contribution sport can make to a range of wider social ouitcomes.
CSPN believes the CSP Network is a powerful delivery mechanism that has the potential to be used to deliver a wide range of sporting, economic and social outcomes and will collaborate with other national agencies to achieve this.