Literature review summary: workforce competencies and skills for practitioners delivering 'SportPlus' sport-based interventions

Welcome to the fifth literature review in the series produced by Loughborough University on behalf of StreetGames. As the role of the practitioner and their relationship with the young person is central to the success of any youth intervention programme (Weaver, 2011), insight into the workforce skills and competencies is a key element for the effective development and delivery of a secondary level Sport- Based Intervention (SBI) (also known as SportPlus). Although there is academic insight into the role, qualities and competencies of sports practitioners including sports coaches, it mainly exists in different settings such as schools, sports clubs, elite sport or community sport programmes rather than in the context of secondary level SBIs. This literature review will, therefore, also make use of academic insight from criminal and youth justice work and family and youth work. Moreover, it will also draw on insight from research and evaluation programmes carried out by Loughborough University in relation to the workforce competencies and skills needed, in particular, for
SportPlus SBIs that work with young people to prevent and reduce their involvement in offending and serious youth violence.