Sport Welfare Officer

2 x Sport Welfare Officer

Job Title: Sport Welfare Officer

Department: Strategy

Reports to: Strategic Lead for Workforce and Partnerships

Salary Banding: £31,500 - £33,500 (1.0FTE)

Location: Winsford, Cheshire

Duration: 1.5year Fixed-term contract to Nov ’27 (in line with Sport England Funding award)

We are recruiting for 2 roles. One 1.0FTE and one 0.4FTE roles are available. Please indicate which role you would like to be considered for in your application. Applications submitted with a covering letter will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and you may be contacted prior to or after the closing deadline.

About Active Cheshire Active Cheshire is a value-led organisation who lives and breathes our core values of: Inclusivity, Collaboration, Integrity, Passion, Innovation

Our vision is to unite, inspire and empower partners to tackle inequalities in physical activity and sport, across Cheshire and Warrington. We will connect sport, physical activity, and movement opportunities across Cheshire & Warrington to provide fairer and greater access for all, whilst tackling health inequalities. As a funded Sport England System Partner, we will lead the physical activity system across Cheshire & Warrington.

Nature & Scope

To support local sports clubs and community organisations to provide safer environments which lead to inclusive, improved experiences for children and adults. By sharing best practice, clubs will develop an effective welfare culture and help narrow inequalities to help achieve our Active Cheshire vision of ‘More People More Active More Often’.

The Sport Welfare Officer (SWO) will work with NGBs and their local clubs to promote good practice and safe sport on a local level. The SWO will collate data and insight from emerging safeguarding and welfare themes, and share these with partners across the sport and physical activity system. NGBs who are system partners of Sport England will be offered support to begin with, and NGBs who aren’t Sport England system partners and sports without a recognised NGB will be considered during delivery.

The SWO will provide support for the welfare and safeguarding of children and young people and adults. The SWO will be successful when Club Welfare Officers feel supported and provide a consistent, best practice welfare experience for participants.

You will champion national safeguarding campaigns with local clubs, for example Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport week (inside sport) and Safeguarding Adults Week (outside sport). You will also hold relationships with statutory services e.g. Local Authority Designated Officers and Safeguarding Partnerships (outside sport). You will raise awareness of safeguarding with parents/carers and participants either inside or outside sport.

Accountabilities (not exhaustive)

• Promote both children and young people’s and adults’ welfare.

• Train (or organising training for) club welfare officers (prioritising new Club Welfare Officers).

• Communicate with Club Welfare Officers using forums.

• Promote best practice to Club Welfare Officers.

• Prioritised club visits (to support Club Welfare Officers).

• Prioritised event visits (to raise welfare awareness with parents/carers and participants).

• Connect people working on welfare within and across sports (national, sub-regional and local).

• Connect welfare inside to outside sport (e.g. statutory services local safeguarding boards).

• Share best practice and work with other officers and AP National Team.

Relationships

Strong, meaningful and collaborative relationships will be the key to the successful delivery of this role. Key internal relationships include those with the CEO and Leadership Team, the staff team, and the Board of Trustees.

Externally, you will build upon the development of the physical activity system partner relationships to grow the network around welfare and safeguarding in sport and physical activity and influence the approach locally.

Additionally, you will develop excellent relationships with SWO Network across the Active Partnerships in England, and with Sport England.

Impact

Providing national governing bodies of sport, and sports clubs within Cheshire and Warrington with appropriate support, advice, and guidance to ensure that good welfare practices and safer club environments are in place for all participants.

Person Specification

The skills and attributes outlined in this description are not exhaustive and we welcome candidates who can bring different relevant experiences to the role.

Skills & Knowledge Skills

• Relationship building (at a local and sub-regional level).

• Excellent communication (both verbal and written).

• Welfare-related leadership (leading the specialist, welfare work area).

• Group leadership (leading a group for cultural change in welfare).

• Networking (supporting a network of welfare volunteers).

• Training (supporting volunteers to have the right welfare knowledge).

• Dispute resolution, negotiation and mediation (if appropriate, to support resolution of lower-level concerns).

• Prioritisation (prioritising NGBs and local clubs for welfare support).

• Digital technology (enabling the sharing of welfare resources).

• Ability to travel and work evenings and/or weekends (engaging with welfare volunteers).

Knowledge

• Professional welfare experience (children and young people and adults).

• Welfare issues, priorities and policies (outside sport).

• Sport issues, priorities and policies (inside sport).

• Welfare infra-structure inside and outside sport.

• Welfare procedures (including those followed in response to safeguarding concerns).

• Workforce (development and deployment).

• Awareness of the issues affecting the voluntary workforce and their development and deployment.

What can we offer to you

• Competitive salary in line with market expectations, regularly reviewed and benchmarked

• 28 days annual leave and a hybrid working policy

• Up to 7% matched contribution to Company Pension Scheme, and an extensive BUPA Employee Assistance Program (EAP) providing 24/7 immediate support

• 4x Life cover for death in service

• Personalised development programmes for all members of staff

• Active Allowance providing up to £100 to help you stay active (following a qualifying period)

How to Apply Active Cheshire is a ‘Disability Confident’ and ‘Mindful Employer’ and as such we commit to offering an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job. Our recruitment processes comply with the Equalities Act 2010, and people who have or are experiencing mental ill health will not be discriminated against. Should you wish to have a confidential conversation with us about this vacancy prior to applying, please contact James Self, Strategic Lead for Partnerships and Workforce at ***email_hidden***.

To apply for this role, please include a covering letter detailing how your skills and experience make you an appropriate candidate for this role.

Please also complete the recruitment diversity monitoring form - RECRUITMENT DIVERSITY MONITORING FORM.

The closing deadlines for applications is Friday 12th June at 12noon. Interviews for the roles will take place in person, on Friday 19th June at our Winsford Office, CW7 1AH. There will not be an option for interviews to place virtually.