Job Title: Sport Welfare Officer
Department: Strategy
Reports to: Strategic Lead for Partnerships and Workforce
Salary Banding: £31,500 - £33,500
Location: Flexible working with a dedicated office space in Winsford, Cheshire
Duration: Fixed-term contract until November 2027 (in line with Sp. Eng. Funding award)
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 see more people, more active, more often living longer, happier, healthier lives. 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.
The SWO will provide support for the welfare and safeguarding of children and young people and adults, ensuring Club Welfare Officers feel supported and provide a consistent, best practice welfare experience for participants.
You will champion national safeguarding campaigns with local clubs and hold relationships with statutory services e.g. Local Authority Designated Officers and Safeguarding Partnerships. You will raise awareness of safeguarding with parents/carers and participants.
Accountabilities (not exhaustive)
* Lead on the promotion of children and young people's and adults’ welfare within the sports and physical activity sector.
* Lead the provision of training for club welfare officers, ensuring a learning culture is embedded in sports clubs and physical activity providers across Cheshire and Warrington.
* Ensure the role of sport welfare is aligned with statutory agencies across Cheshire and Warrington.
* Provide regular high-quality communications to club welfare officers, promoting best practices.
* Provide professional and regular one-to-one support to welfare officers through club visits.
* Attend events to raise awareness of welfare and safeguarding issues.
* Lead the development and facilitation of opportunities for welfare officers to network and share information.
* Lead on the collection and analysis of data to assess the impact of the role.
* Support the preparation and completion of Sport England and other internal Management Reports.
Relationships
Strong, meaningful, and collaborative relationships will be 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.
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. We welcome candidates who can bring different relevant experiences to the role.
Skills & Knowledge
Skills
* Relationship building.
* Excellent communication (both verbal and written).
* Welfare-related leadership.
* Group leadership.
* Networking.
* Training.
* Dispute resolution, negotiation, and mediation.
* Prioritisation.
* Digital technology.
* Ability to travel and work evenings and/or weekends.
Knowledge
* Professional welfare experience.
* Welfare issues, priorities, and policies.
* Sport issues, priorities, and policies.
* Welfare infrastructure.
* Welfare procedures.
* Workforce development and deployment.
* Awareness of issues affecting the voluntary workforce.
What can we offer to you
* Competitive salary.
* 25 days annual leave and a hybrid working policy.
* 5% contribution to Company Pension Scheme.
* HealthShield Employee Assistance Program.
* 4x Life cover for death in service.
* Personalised development programmes.
* Active Allowance providing up to £100.
How to Apply
Active Cheshire is a ‘Disability Confident’ and ‘Mindful Employer’. Our recruitment processes comply with the Equalities Act 2010.
To apply for this role, please send a CV and covering letter detailing your skills and experience to recruitment@activecheshire.org and enter SWO-AC25 in the subject line. You may also submit your covering letter in a video format, no longer than 5 minutes, in MP4 format.
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