The role of a Club Welfare Officer is to ensure that members have a trusted person to speak to about a concern either within the club or at times outside of Athletics. A Welfare Officer is the lead person who has the right skills and knowledge to manage any concern raised in an appropriate way that would not hamper any investigation and shares information accordingly. By completing the England Athletics online safeguarding and Time to Listen training, Clubs can be confident that their Welfare Officers have the right level of knowledge for the role that is specific to Athletics. This includes how to raise a concern and who to speak to within the sport.
Typical responsbilities:
A Club Welfare Officer (CWO) with the support of the club committee has the responsibility to:
- implement effective Adult Safeguarding Policy and Adult Safeguarding Procedures and keep them up to date
- promote safeguarding at the club and encourage good practice
- respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns
- report to the club’s organising committee on safeguarding matters
- maintain records of safeguarding training attended by club members
- maintain records of club coaches and officials’ licences and criminal record checks
- make sure that senior club members and volunteers are aware of:
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- how to contact the CWO
- the codes of conduct for working with adults at risk(if appropriate)
- how to respond to safeguarding concerns
- deal effectively with breaches of the codes of conduct, poor practice, or allegations of abuse
- keep up to date with developments in safeguarding
- attend the relevant safeguarding courses for the role of CWO
- maintain confidential records of reported safeguarding concerns and action taken
- liaise with the HCAF Welfare Officer and/or statutory agencies if/when required.
Person specification
It is desirable for a Club Welfare Officer to:
- have an interest in safeguarding and welfare matters.
- be friendly and approachable with the ability to communicate well with adults and children.
- be willing to challenge opinion, where necessary, and to drive the safeguarding agenda.
- have strong listening skills and the ability to deal with sensitive situations with empathy and integrity.
- have an understanding of the importance of confidentiality and when information may need to be shared inorder to protect the best interests of the person at risk.
- have the confidence and ability to manage situations relating to the poor conduct/behaviour of others towardsan adult at risk and know when to ask for support.