If you wish to apply for this role, when asked to upload your CV please upload one file with both your CV and cover letter.

The Role 

We want every person and community to experience the enjoyment and benefits that being active can bring and believe their needs, expectations and safety should come first in the design and delivery of activity.  That’s why we're working to support organisations and associations, including National Governing Bodies of Sport, to safeguard children and adults. 

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. In London, we are creating five new roles as part of the national programme. The officers will help support clubs move from welfare compliance to develop effective welfare and inclusive cultures. One of the five officers will also be responsible for management and co-ordination of the project. 

We are looking for someone with experience of working in a safeguarding or welfare role; with building relationships, particularly with volunteers in clubs; and engaging with stakeholders to raise awareness, advocate for safe sport, and provide training to upskill the workforce.

The new roles will add capacity and expertise to the existing safeguarding work of NGBs and London Sport. They will help further understand safeguarding in local clubs e.g. how policies and procedures are cascaded and help share good practice, bringing those from different sports together. They will work 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.  

 What you’ll do: 

• Engage with National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGB’s), local County Associations and London Sport (LS) colleagues to identify the clubs which need support to develop appropriate policies and procedures and to deliver an effective welfare practice for all children, young people and adults.

• Promote the welfare of children, young people and adults through provision of training for Club Welfare Officers, promoting best practice, engaging with local Club forums and attending events to raise welfare awareness with parents, carers and participants. 

• Prioritise visits to clubs where their Welfare Officers need support and provide guidance around embedding and promoting welfare across the whole organisation including the parents and carers of club members. 

• 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. 

• Facilitate the link between welfare within sport to external organisations such as statutory services and local safeguarding boards. 

• 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. 

 CRITERIA 

Please show how you meet these criteria in your CV and cover letter.

QUALIFICATIONS 

• A professional or vocational qualification in safeguarding or related subject. 

EXPERIENCE 

• 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 mechanisms and promotional material, including written, digital and verbal.  

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

• Coordinating and delivering training on welfare related issues to representatives from clubs and organisations. 

SKILLS & ABILITIES 

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

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

• Networking and connecting people, such as a network of welfare volunteers, and organisations, for example, a welfare officer forum. 

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

• Ability to use digital technology, (Microsoft 365 applications, such as Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook and forms) to effectively communicate, maintain records and share resources.  

• 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. 

KNOWLEDGE 

• A comprehensive understanding of current safeguarding legislation and guidance within England in respect of both children and adults. 

• Knowledge of welfare issues, priorities and policies inside and outside sport. 

• Understand the welfare infrastructure inside and outside sport including welfare procedures such as responses to safeguarding concerns and case management thresholds. 

• Knowledge of Sport England’s Strategy ‘Uniting the Movement’ and of the role of National Governing Bodies within the sports sector. 

 Key Details:

• There are 3 vacancies for this role

• Full-time (35hours pw) fixed-term contract (until 31 March 2027) preferably but flexible to part-time requests.

• Salary: Sport Welfare Officer - £29,000-£34,000 (plus £6,000 London allowance)

• Offering 28 days’ holiday + 8 public holidays + 5 volunteer days + Christmas Closure

• Competitive Pension scheme 

• Life Assurance and Health Cash Plan

• Flexible working: we use a model of 2 plus days in our central London office at House of Sport and working from home, with travel required throughout London

• By applying for the role, you are stating that you are eligible to work in the UK. London Sport is unable to apply for a Certificate of Sponsorship for this role.

  IMPORTANT: When you apply for this role, the About You section will ask you to upload a CV.  When you select ‘Upload a file’ please make sure you upload ONE file with BOTH your covering letter AND CV, otherwise we’ll be unable to accept your application.  Please use your CV and covering letter to show how your qualifications, skills and experience match the criteria above.