Welfare Officer Description

About the role

The person within a sports club with primary responsibility for managing and reporting concerns about children and for putting into place procedures to safeguard children in the club.

Duties and responsibilities

To work with others in the club to ensure a positive child-centred environment

To assist the organisation to fulfil its responsibilities to safeguard children at club level

To assist the organisation to implement its safeguarding children plan at club level

To act as the first point of contact for staff, volunteers, parents, children and young people where concerns about children’s welfare, poor practice or abuse are identified

To act as the first point of contact with the lead Safeguarding Officer

To implement the organisation’s reporting and recording procedures

To maintain contact details for the local children’s social care department, the police and Local Safeguarding Children Board

To promote the organisation’s best-practice guidance and/or code of conduct within the club

To sit on the club’s management committee

To ensure adherence to the organisation’s safeguarding children training

To ensure appropriate confidentiality is maintained

To promote anti-discriminatory practice

Skills and abilities

Required:

• Child-focused approach
• Basic administration and computer skills
• Basic advice and support-provision skills
• Communication skills, including use of social media
• Ability to maintain records
• Ability to provide information about local resources
• Ability to promote organisation’s policy, procedures and resources

Knowledge Required:

• Own organisation’s role and responsibilities to safeguard the welfare of children and young people
• Boundaries of the role of club welfare officer
• Basic knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of statutory agencies (children’s social care, the police and the NSPCC) and Local Safeguarding Children Board
• Local arrangements for managing safeguarding children and reporting procedures
• Poor practice and abuse – behaviour that is harmful to children