Poulton's Club Safeguarding Officer

The Club Safeguarding Officer (CSO) for the 2024 Season is Claire Kilby. Claire is a permanent member of the club committee and can be contact on the dedicated email address

PoultonWelfare@gmail.com

It is a mandatory requirement that every ECB affiliated club and organisation recruits, appoints and trains a Club Safeguarding Officer.  This role is essential as it provides a first point of contact for everyone within the club and the ECB for child safeguarding matters. Another crucial aspect of the role is to ensure that the club is adoptin and implementing the safeguarding activities necessary for us to fulfill the duty of care we have towards children

The role of the Club Safeguarding Offiver meetings the legal definition of regulated activity. This means that the club MUST ensure the individual is properly vetted and that they are not barred from working with children. 

To fulfill the role, the Club Safeguarding Officer must have a valid ECB DBS check with this current and kept so every year via the ECB's annual update service. 

The Core tasks of the Safeguarding Officer are to 

1. Promote good practice in Safeguarding and protecting children in their club, working with the coaching team, club committee and all club members to create a welcoming and child centred environment with a proactive Safeguarding culture. 
2. Encourage and promote an environment where children and parents' views are actively sought and acted upon. 
3. Help safeguard and protect children by assisting in the promotion and implentation of theSafeguarding Children Policy at the club. 
4. Be the first point of contact at the club for all safeguarding issues. 
5. Act as a source of advice on current best practice and provide support to the Club Committee and members of the club on Safeguarding issues and procedures. 
6. Attend Club Committee meetings as a member of the committee
7. Ensure safeguarding is a mandatory standing item on the committee agenda and that safeguarding is considered the primary driver in junior cricket decisions. 
8. To advise the committee on which roles in the club require the post holder to undertake the ECB vetting processes and ensure such vetting applications are completed. 
9. To work closely with the Youth Administrator (Will Bathurst),to ensure that vetting checks and training are completed with the details of these uploaded to the club's Safe Hands Management Portal. 
10. Ensure matters of a possible child Safeguarding nature are reported or referred appropriately to the County Safeguarding Officer, the ECB and/or statutory agencies in a timely fashion and in accordance with ECB procedures. 

The ECB requires that all Club Safeguarding Officers to attain and attend the following certification and/or training to support and equip them for the role. 

1. A valid and in date ECB DBS check
2. Refereshed every three years either in person on a course or online, a Safeguarding and & Protecting Children Certificate or if a coach a Safeguarding and Protecting Young Cricketers Certificate. 
3. Attendance of a Safe Hands Workshop every three years. This course is delivered by ECB tutors and County Safeguarding Officers. 

The Safe Hands Workshop enables the Club Safeguarding Officer to

• Explain the role and responsibility of their position and how this relates to other key roles in cricket
• Review club processes regarding good safeguarding practice and duty of care. 
• Deal confidently with any issues as they arise. 
• Create an ongoing action plan to support the implementation of "Safe Hands" policies in the club
• Understand what support is available and how to access this. 
• Be able to persuade, influence and instruct on safeguarding matters as necessary
• Understand the importance of listening to children and help the club develop the processes an systems to do so.