Claudia Villa-Hughes
Claudia is an International Safeguarding Specialist & Consultant with experiences working in humanitarian and sport safeguarding, including International Sport Federations, National Governing Bodies, Sport Governance and Management as well as Major Event Hosting.
Current Work
As the Centre's Head of Safeguarding, Claudia leads and coordinates safeguarding initiatives within the organisation and the broader sports community. She is responsible for establishing and implementing robust safeguarding policies and procedures, ensuring alignment with organisational governance frameworks and strategic objectives. In addition, Claudia is part of the Council of Europe pool of international experts on safe sport and International Safeguards for Children in Sport working group.
Previous Experiences
Claudia was the inaugural lead for the Commonwealth Sport Safeguarding agenda and designed, developed and implemented safeguarding policies and procedures from the beginning, including the safeguarding frameworks for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and Trinbago 2023 Commonwealth Youth, using a multi-agency approach that sees local and international organisations embedded in the response mechanisms.
Claudia's safeguarding approach has been shaped by over a decade of leading services to support children who were trafficked and suffered abuse and exploitation. Working closely with Local Governments, Law Enforcement Agencies, and Education, Claudia covered strategic advisory roles for Safeguarding Children Partnerships where she influenced and supported the development of local governments’ policies and procedures on child sexual abuse and exploitation, including criminal exploitation.
Claudia is also a recognised humanitarian sector expert; leading and developing support services for refugees and asylum seekers at both the UN Migration Agency (IOM) and British Red Cross where she still volunteers as a member of the Psychosocial Support Team to support people in crisis. Her passion and dedication in this field has been recognised with the Queen’s Award.
