Safeguarding - Club Wellbeing and Protection Officers (WPO’s)

Every club must have a Wellbeing Protection Officer (WPO) in place. This includes adult only clubs. The WPO role is essential in providing a first point of contact for members who have a wellbeing or protection concern. With the support of the club committee, the WPO should ensure the club is following and implementing all safeguarding policies and procedures, which are necessary to demonstrate its duty of care to its members.

The importance of appointing the correct person into the WPO role cannot be underestimated. The appointed individual may be involved in the most private aspects of members’ lives. The WPO may have to participate in meetings and discussions with the Police and Social Services. Consequently, the appointed individual must show they are able to manage matters of wellbeing and protection in an appropriate and confidential manner.

When the club identifies an individual who is willing and able to fulfil the commitments and requirements of the role, the information on the clubs JustGo membership must be updated to reflect this. The appointed individual is then required to undertake the Child Wellbeing and Protection in Sport (CWPS) training run through sportscotland as well as the Child Wellbeing and Protection Officer (CWPO) training. Both training courses require a renewal every 3-years. For clubs who have adult teams as well as adult only clubs, the WPO is expected to attend the new Adult Wellbeing and Protection in Sport (AWPS) training. It is essential the WPO holds an active PVG with basketballscotland prior to commencing their position.

 

The WPO must be someone who:

  • Is able to act independently and in the best interest of the child/adult
  • Is an adult who is not an active coach at the club
  • Is an adult who is not related in any way, to an active coach or committee member at the club
  • Is able to attend the club regularly and be available for club members to approach
  • Has the time to fulfil the role and is prepared to complete all aspects of the role
  • Can satisfy the requirements, core skills and knowledge areas needed for the role
  • Is prepared to undertake the required training and PVG checks.

 

The above requirements are best practice to avoid any difficulties which could arise should someone wish to raise a concern to the WPO but feels they are unable to do so, due to a conflict of interest. Where a small club cannot appoint a non-coaching, non-related WPO, a deputy WPO must be appointed, with an escalation route agreed with basketballscotland’s Safeguarding Lead to manage any conflicts of interest. Should a conflict of interest arise, the WPO/deputy WPO must contact basketballscotland’s Safeguarding Lead to discuss the situation and seek advice.

The club’s website should clearly include the name and contact details of the WPO, to ensure these are readily available for all members. This ensures that should anyone at the club have a concern, they are clear on who they can contact. Best practice is for the contact details of the WPO not to be personal and should be formatted in a way that references both the role of the WPO and the name of the club, for example wellbeingandprotection@abcbasketball.com (please note, this is not a real email address or club but provided as an example only). 

 

Roles & Responsibilities of the WPO: 

  • Raise awareness of and assist the club in implementing basketballscotland’s safeguarding policies, procedures and processes
  • Assist the club in putting plans in place for safeguarding and advise the club committee on matters of policy relating to child and adult wellbeing, safeguarding and protection 
  • Act independently and in the best interests of any child or adult at risk at the club 
  • Ensure all persons working either paid or unpaid at the club are fully aware of what is required of them within the guidelines of their club, the wellbeing and protection policies and codes of conduct 
  • Ensure the club has codes of conduct in place for staff, volunteers, coaches and athletes which should be renewed annually, or sooner if appropriate 
  • Ensure the safer recruitment policy and processes are being implemented, and relevant club members, volunteers and staff have a PVG check if appropriate. All PVGs must be renewed every five years  
  • Conduct the administrative work associated with processing of information on volunteers/staff PVG scheme applications and self-declarations in line with the Safer Recruitment Policy  
  • Liaise closely with club volunteers/staff ensuring that agreed procedures for the prevention of risk are being followed  
  • Carry out the case management process from investigation through to conclusion for all wellbeing concerns raised to the club, with the support of basketballscotland as required 
  • Be aware of and have a note of contact details of Police (101 non-emergency or 999 emergency), Local Authority Social Work team and the basketballscotland Safeguarding Lead 
  • Ensure all incidents are correctly recorded, referred and reported in accordance with basketballscotland policies and procedures and processes
  • Ensure confidentiality is maintained and information is only shared on a ‘need-to-know’ basis within the club committee 
  • Introduce themselves to members and ensure they know who to contact and how to access the safeguarding arrangements at the club 
  • Act as the first point of contact for coaches, helpers, club volunteers and participants on any issues concerning member wellbeing within the club, (poor practice or alleged abuse) as well as matters relating to safeguarding or child and adult protection at the club 
  • Work with the Safeguarding Lead at basketballscotland on education, training and case management for the club 
  • Drive change to develop a positive safeguarding culture across the club to ensure members feel comfortable raising concerns and instil confidence that concerns will be taken seriously 
  • Ensure that the voice of the athlete is championed throughout the club and that athletes of all ages have opportunities to feedback on their experience as well as being involved in the decision-making processes within the club.  

Support for the appointed WPO is available from basketballscotland’s Safeguarding Lead. Please also note there is a specific WPO Spond page which WPO’s are invited to join. The aim of the page is to provide ongoing support to club WPO’s and create a community where good practice can be shared, questions can be asked, and support will be provided. Child and adult wellbeing and protection can be harrowing at times but please be rest assured, you are not alone. 

 

Thank you to all WPO’s for your ongoing support and dedication to the important and necessary role to promote the inclusion, health and safety of all individuals involved in our sport.

Please see the following link for dates/time for all CWPS and CWPO training sessions: Child Wellbeing and Protection in Sport Course listings - sportscotland the national agency for sport in Scotland