The Role

A new, national network of Sport Welfare Officers is being created across England to support National Governing Bodies (NGB) and their local clubs to promote good practice and safe sport for children, young people and adults on a local level.

This role of Senior Sport Welfare Officer, will oversee 4 Sport Welfare Officers and be responsible for management and co-ordination of the project.

Working closely with other Sport Welfare Officers, National Governing Bodies and wider organisations; to connect people working on welfare and safeguarding, both inside and outside sport. The officer will also bring an understanding of diversity of London’s population and how clubs should seek to reflect this.

Sport England’s policy response to The Whyte Review, published with UK Sport in January 2023, included the proposal to fund this professional network of Sport Welfare Officers using National Lottery grants.

You are an enthusiastic and confident person who will be a key part of our Community Sport team.  Working closely with colleagues across the team under the leadership of the Strategic Lead for Community Sport, you will deliver support and services to London Sport colleagues in these three key areas. 

Central to this will be building relationships with the London Sport teams working directly to help more people to become physically active.

This role will require some evening and weekend work for which employees will be able to take time off in lieu.

What you’ll do: 

• Act as a Welfare Lead at London Sport and contribute to London Sport’s overall work on Community Sport.

• Line management of four Sport Welfare Officers.

• Co-ordinate the project delivery in conjunction with the Strategic Lead.

• Engage with National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGB’s), local County Associations and London Sport (LS) colleagues to identify clubs which need support

• Promote the welfare of children, young people and adults through provision of training for Club Welfare Officers, promoting best practice.

• Provide guidance around embedding and promoting welfare across the whole organisation.

• Facilitate and support reporting and referral of safeguarding cases from local to national, and if appropriate, support resolution of lower-level concerns.

• Create connections between those working on welfare within and across sports at a local, subregional and national level.

• Regularly review, evaluate and report on progress, and share learning with Welfare Officers in other Active Partnerships and NGB’s and the Active Partnership National Team.

• Support colleagues when engaging with clubs regarding workforce development, equalities and club development including local place-based work.

Who you are:  

• You have a lived experience of day to day life in London.

• A professional or vocational qualification in safeguarding or related subject

• Worked in a safeguarding or welfare role in relation to children and young people or adults.

• Experience of communicating with the voluntary sector, clubs and organisations through a variety of mediums

• Experience of providing advice and guidance to clubs and organisations regarding effective welfare practices.

• Ability to build successful relationships at a local and subregional level.

• Able to manage dispute resolution, negotiations and mediations to support resolution of lower-level concerns.

• Ability to prioritise areas of work to those needing the most support when demand for support exceeds expectation.

• Ability and willingness to travel across the county to visit sports clubs to provide training at various locations and to attend evening and weekend meetings as required.

• You can demonstrate a practical commitment to the Behaviours of London Sport. 

• You can demonstrate an understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion in relation to London. 

• You have a commitment to personal development. 

• You are positive, proactive and enjoy working as part of a team.