Information and Advice for Club Welfare Officers

There are so many aspects to running a cricket club and welfare has to be considered in all of these from the logistics of facilities and transport to ensuring that players are not put at risk on the field. Here are a few key things to remember.

Refer to your Safe Hands folder
This includes ECB guidance covering all aspects of Child Welfare in cricket clubs including code of conducts, player profile system changing rooms, photography, transport and anti bullying.

There are also guidelines on Safeguarding in the game including guidelines on supervising children at cricket sessions, wearing of cricket helmets, fielding regulations, fast bowling directives and selecting younger players for adult matches.

Registration records need to be kept up to date

Incident reports should be made for any accident, allegation or incident.

For minor incidents, make sure the details are recorded in case it escalates into something which you may need to report later.

Should you need to report to the ECB, please use the ECB incident reporting form; a copy of which is in your Safe Hands folder.

Advertisement of club policies and documents e.g. Club constitution, code of conduct, names of Club Welfare Officer(s), club changing room policies etc is paramount. You may also choose to include these in a welcome or registration pack. If you share a club house and do not have much wall space, try to put all posters and policies on a portable pin board or lay them out on a table for each training session / match.

Advice
Don’t be afraid to ask for advice. Your County Welfare Officer is there to listen, support and advise.

Photography / video
Ask for parental permission
Ask for the child’s permission
Avoid publishing names of children with their photographs
Only use images of children in their kit

Transport
While the child is at the club/ground their welfare is the responsibility of the coaches and club staff. It is not the responsibility of the coaches and club staff to transport or arrange transport to and from the club or a match.

Parents should be advised of away fixtures as early in the season as possible and a pick up and drop off policy should be established including protocol for late collection of children.

Coaching in schools
The school can decide whether you need a separate CRB or whether you can start work while your CRB is being processed. According to the Criminal Records Bureau: ‘the Department for Education and Skill allows applicants, who have applied for a CRB check, to start work in a school under supervision if they are not on List 99- a list a people barred from working in schools. A List 99 check is available to schools and can be obtained from their Local Education Authority.’

On the field
Children under 18 must wear a helmet and faceguard when batting and when standing up to the stumps when keeping wicket.

It is the responsibility of the captain and umpires to adhere to and enforce fielding regulations.

It is the responsibility of the coaches to adhere to and enforce fast bowling directives including overbowling and physical preparation such as warming up and stretching.

Children Playing in Adult Matches
A player under 13 years old must have written consent from a parent or guardian before participating in adult matches

The League or Cup Management must give prior approval before a club enters a child in the Under 11 age group into an adult team. It is recommended that advice is sought from the county age group coach or an ECB Level 3 coach before approval is given.

Responsibility for Child Welfare
Responsibility for child welfare does not just lie with the Club Welfare Officer. Umpires, club captains, coaches and all adults at the club have a responsibility to safeguard children from harm and report any incident or concern to the welfare officer.

General rules for action required:

Minor incidents - Refer the parties to your Code of Conduct and/or Constitution. Carry out your clubs disciplinary procedure where necessary.

Serious incidents – report as necessary. Do not investigate as this could affect any investigation by police, social services or the NSPCC.

Any incident – speak to your County Welfare Officer.

Confidentiality is key with any information you are given regarding a child’s situation. For private allegations it is unwise to discuss the details with the committee.