Creating an environment where children and adults feel safe to participate in goalball and have the confidence to speak out against abuse or bullying is integral to ensuring safeguarding and protecting children and adults is embedded and adhered to throughout goalball in the UK.

Don’t have a club welfare officer?

It is essential that any goalball club that is providing goalball to anyone under the age of 18 years and adults at risk appoints a Club Welfare Officer. The Club Welfare officer should be accessible to and approachable for children and young people, but should ideally not be the coach or volunteer with direct responsibility for coordinating or delivering the junior programmes at the club.

The type of person that would make a good Club Welfare officer is someone who:

– Always puts children’s welfare first
– Is a good communicator
– Has a common sense approach
– Is willing to learn and seek advice
– Is over the age of 18

To download a Club Welfare Officer role description, Click Here.

Where to start…

– Make it known amongst your club’s members including parents/carers that you need to appoint a Welfare Officer onto the committee.
– Provide all members including parents / carers with the relevant information about this role (Attached is a Club Welfare Officer Role Description with further details about the position).
– Find out if anyone involved with the club or who is known by someone in the club has any professional child protection expertise, you may have someone with a family member who is or was a police officer, teacher or social worker that might be willing to take on the role.
– Ensure you have a fair and open recruitment process in line with your club constitution, you may wish to advertise the role on your club website, through quarterly/monthly communications you already have in place.
– Before appointing your Welfare Officer ensure that they are appropriate for this role.

Training for Club Welfare Officers

All Club Welfare Officers need to attend a Safeguarding training course. This needs to be completed and refreshed every 3 years. Goalball UK is recommending all CWO attend the Sports Coach UK Safeguarding and Protecting Children Workshop. For information on this course and to find one near you follow this link: http://www.sportscoachuk.org/site-tools/workshops/about-our-workshops/safeguarding-and-protecting-children

For further information please contact Goalball UK Lead Safeguarding Officer via email: becky@goalballuk.com or tel. 0330 202 0281