Safeguarding and welfare workshops

Basic Awareness (or introductory training) is usually designed for staff and volunteers who have infrequent contact with children and young people and it will therefore usually cover the following:

• Safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility;
• Categories, signs and symptoms of abuse;
• What to do if there are concerns about a child and how to respond;
• How to make a safe environment for young people, and
• Signposting for further information and support.

The Basic Awareness training can be delivered in a number of ways i.e. via a short face to face session/workshop, using e-learning or other methods such as websites, leaflets,

Within a Swim England Club individuals who are not in regular contact with children and young people (and are not required by Swim England to have attended child safeguarding training for their role within the club) may access this type of training, if they choose to do so. There are many organisations that offer such training; however the Swim England would advise NSPCC or Local Safeguarding Children’s Board (LSCB) training as this has the advantage of being quality assured.

Child Safeguarding Training for those with regular responsibility for children and young people will cover:

• All the areas of a Basic Awareness/Introductory child safeguarding course;
• The practical implications of the issues highlighted within a sports context;
• Provide the legislative context of child safeguarding;
• Skill development around identifying, responding and reporting child safeguarding concerns, and
• Signposting to further information.

The above advanced training should initially be delivered in a face to face format and is typically circa 3 hours in duration. Face to face training ensures opportunities for full discussion around this sensitive topic and enables questions to be asked in a safe environment, facilitated by a qualified Child Safeguarding tutor.  Following the face to face training, refresher training can be taken online if the training provider has this available and only if the online training has been designed as a refresher option for the initial face-to-face training i.e. not if designed as a replacement for initial classroom training.

To ensure that courses attended are in line with Swim England requirements, Swim England follows the recommendations made by the NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU).  The preferred recommended training is Swim England / UK Coaching’s Safeguarding and Protecting Children Workshop (sometimes referred to as S & PC1) – the Swim England course uses swimming specific examples and refers to Wavepower throughout.  Further details on the seminar and information on courses running in your area can be obtained from Institute of Swimming.

UK Coaching also run a generic Safeguarding and Protecting Children Workshop, which is usually delivered as part of County Sport Partnership’s education programme.

UK Coaching also offer an online refresher course, which is suitable for individuals who have already completed the Safeguarding and Protecting Children (S & PC 1) face to face training.  Swim England accepts this training if someone has previously completed face to face training within a three year window.

Swim England also accepts Child Safeguarding training, which has been delivered (or accredited) by the following:

• A Local Safeguarding Children’s Boards (LSCB) with the exception of LSCB Basic Awareness and Foundation courses.
• National Health Service training.
• SAFE (Safer Activities For Everyone) CIC standard safeguarding training, which has to be completed every two years.
• Child Safeguarding training delivered by the Football Association (FA) or England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)

Following the guidance in the government document Working together to safeguard children (2015), child safeguarding training should be refreshed every three years, unless that particular LSCB or NHS training provider offers online training or unless stated otherwise.

In addition to the Basic Awareness Training Swim England also accepts face-to-face and online Safeguarding training from professionals working in frontline roles with children and young people i.e. Teachers, Social Workers and the Emergency Services.

In these instances we would ask individuals to make sure they are familiar with Wavepower and the reporting procedures and submit proof of their professional training in the form of a certificate and/or a formal letter from, for example, a Head Teacher/School confirming a staff member’s completion of appropriate training. 

• Please note these individuals must be working directly with children and young people on a day to day basis i.e. their Safeguarding training is therefore a crucial part of their role rather than individuals who may be working in those sectors in roles such as Administrators, Receptionists and Caretakers/Cleaners.

This workshop is designed for people that regularly work with children and young people within a club environment.

It will provide the learner with the skills to identify tell-tale signs of abuse and provide the tools and confidence to deal with the issue effectively and sensitively.