Richard Watts
Welfare Officer – Male
malewelfare@sheffieldrunningclub.org.uk
Louise Woffindin
Welfare Officer – Female
femalewelfare@sheffieldrunningclub.org.uk
Hello! My name is Louise Woffindin and I thought it would be a good idea to introduce myself and tell you a bit about the role of the Welfare Officers within Sheffield Running Club.
The role of the Welfare Officers
As Welfare Officers for SRC, our role is an important one when it comes to safeguarding. Essentially, we are here to ensure that our running and running-related activities are delivered in a way that keeps all our runners safe. In addition, we’re here to promote a zero-tolerance approach to any safeguarding concerns and report any safeguarding concerns should they arise.
Our role can be split into three main areas:
- Managing Incidents
This includes reporting serious safeguarding concerns to UK Athletics, criminal issues to the England Athletics Club Compliance Manager and urgent matters to the police as necessary.
- Club Volunteers
As Welfare Officers, we can verify DBS checks for other club members with volunteer roles
- Policies and Procedures
We ensure that the club’s policies align with the guidance from UK Athletics and England Athletics. A part of this is to keep up-to-date with appropriate safeguarding training.
To sum up:
It is everyone’s responsibility to protect the welfare of all SRC members and we must look after each other.
The Welfare Officer role is basically about being there for members should they have any concerns, small or large. You can contact your welfare officers via email, Facebook messenger, or on club nights and at events. All contact will be confidential; however, if deemed appropriate and in the best interests of the club member, the concern might be discussed at a senior level – but this would always be communicated and explained.