Safeguarding
No one involved in sport and physical activity, whether they’re a volunteer, participant, spectator, or an elite athlete, should ever have to worry about abuse or harassment.
– Sport England
What is safeguarding?
Safeguarding is the action taken to protect the welfare of children, young people, and adults. It is everyone’s responsibility.
This page provides safeguarding resources for Club Welfare Officers and other people involved in providing sport and physical activity.
This includes links and contact details for further information, support, and reporting concerns.
Safeguarding Lead
Margaret Blount
How to report a concern
Safeguarding concerns must be reported in a timely manner so that action can be taken to address and manage them.
For child safeguarding, it’s important to remember that it’s not up to you to decide whether or not a child has been abused: Your role is to report concerns swiftly through the appropriate channel.
For adult safeguarding, if they are not in immediate danger or injured, wherever possible you should discuss your concerns with the adult themselves and look together at what reporting should happen next.
If the person is in immediate danger or they are injured, call
999
For non-emergencies, call the police on
101
To report an immediate risk to a child call the NSPCC helpline
0808 800 5000
Contact our Safeguarding Lead to discuss other welfare concerns
Margaret.Blount@ActivePartnersTrust.org.uk
Childline is a free, confidential UK-wide service. They can help anyone under 19 with any issue they are going through.
Perhaps you’re worried about how you feel, how you’ve been treated, or something you’ve seen or heard. Or maybe you’re worried about a friend. You can always talk to Childline.
Call Childline for free on 0800 1111
If you’d rather send messages, you can register for an online chat by clicking here.
There are several ways you can report a welfare concern:
- If the concern relates to anyone under 19: Call the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 or email help@nspcc.org
- For a concern about anyone of any age: Contact your city or county council’s social care team
- If your concern is about something happening at a club or group which is affiliated to a national governing body (NGB): The NGB’s website should have a safeguarding or welfare contact listed who you should contact. Click here to see a list of Sport England’s National Governing Bodies and their websites.
- If the activity is being delivered with Active Derbyshire or Active Notts: Email Margaret.Blount@ActivePartnersTrust.org.uk
- If the activity is being delivered by another of Sport England’s Active Partnerships: Their website will tell your who is their designated safeguarding person and how to contact them.
Contact your local authority’s designated safeguarding officer (LADO) to report concerns or allegations about an adult who has previously or currently works or volunteers with children.
- Derbyshire County Council LADO
Call: 01629 533 190
Email: professional.allegations@derbyshire.gov.uk - Derby City LADO
Call: 01332 642 376
Email: cpmduty@derby.gov.uk - Nottinghamshire County Council LADO
Call: 0115 977 392
Email: LADO@nottscc.gov.uk
Click here for online reporting form - Nottingham City Council LADO
Call: 0115 876 4762
Email: LADO@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
Click here for online reporting form
Key contacts for reporting safeguarding concerns
Children’s Social Services Starting Point
Call: 01629 533 190
Online form: Click Here
Derbyshire police
Call: 101
Designated Officer (LADO)
Call: 01629 533 190
Email: professional.allegations@derbyshire.gov.uk
Children’s Social Services’ First Contact Team
Call: 01332 641 172 between 9am and 5pm
Email: ashmail@derby.gcsx.gov.uk
Careline
Call: 01332 786 968 at any time
Derbyshire police
Call: 101
Call: 0845 123 33 33
Designated Officer (LADO)
Call: 01332 642 376 Email: CYPSafeguarding@derby.gcsx.gov.uk
Multi-Agency Social Hub (MASH)
Call: 0300 500 80 90 between 9am and 5pm
Email: mash.safeguarding@secure.nottscc.gov.uk
To report a child welfare concern click here
To report an adult welfare concern click here
Emergency duty team
Call: 0300 456 4546
Nottinghamshire Police
Call: 101
Designated Officer (LADO):
Call: 0115 977 392
Email: LADO@nottscc.gov.uk
Click here for online reporting form
Children’s Social Care
Call: 0115 876 4800 anytime
Email: candf.direct@nottinghamcity.gcsx.gov.uk
Nottinghamshire Police
Call: 101
Designated Officer (LADO)
Call: 0115 876 4762
Email: LADO@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
Click here for online reporting form
Safeguarding lead
Email: margaret.blount@activepartnerstrust.org.uk
Safeguarding children and young people
We work to ensure children and young people have a safe environment to take part in sport and physical activity.
We continue to meet the advanced level NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit’s Safeguarding Standards.
Safeguarding adults
We work to ensure adults with a care and support need have a safe environment to take part in sport and physical activity.
We meet the Ann Craft Trust Safeguarding Adults in Sport Framework.
Meet our sport welfare support team
Our Sport Welfare Leads for Notts and Derbyshire help make local sport and activity safer, more welcoming, and inclusive of everyone.
They work with clubs, volunteers, and organisations to support good safeguarding practice and offer advice, training, and guidance to create places where people feel safe and valued.
A big part of a Sport Welfare Lead’s work is supporting Club Welfare Officers. A Club Welfare Officer is the designated person in a sports, activity, or community club who is primarily responsible for safeguarding. Sport Welfare Leads enable Club Welfare Officers to have the confidence, skills, and tools to ensure everyone can enjoy physical activity safely.
Liz Whittington
Sport Welfare Lead
Active Notts
Franky Boyland
Sport Welfare Lead
Active Derbyshire
What do Sport Welfare Leads actually do?
If you’re looking for training for your club or group, our Sport Welfare Leads can help. They can deliver or recommend safeguarding and inclusion training that’s right for your club, and advise on how it might be tailored to your needs.
Sport Welfare Leads aren’t here to interfere: just support you to achieve your goals. So even if you have policies and procedures in place, you might still have questions about whether there’s anything else you can do to make your club safer or more inclusive. Sport welfare leads are available for an informal chat.
If you want to know what welfare, training, and networking opportunities are available in your local area, Sport Welfare Leads can find out, or potentially arrange for you.
They can also provide you with all the local safeguarding contacts, and are available to meet you in your area or arrange a club visit.
If you’re doing something well and are happy to encourage others to do the same, Sport Welfare Leads can share good practice. Or if you’re unsure what to do next, or hit a roadblock, they are full of creative ideas and examples of what’s worked well elsewhere.
Knowing what policies you need, what they should contain, and how to ensure they are adhered to, can be difficult and time consuming. We have templates you can use and examples of what makes a policy go from ‘good’ to ‘great’.
Sport Welfare Leads can connect you with other club welfare officers for support and advice. They facilitate the East Midlands Sports Welfare Forum on Facebook, which you can apply to join by clicking here.
If you know who you’d like to connect with, such as other sports, people, or clubs, Sport Welfare Leads will try and make an introduction.
Sport Welfare Leads don’t manage safeguarding cases or concerns. All concerns must be reported without delay to referred without delay.
Join the East Midlands Sports Welfare Forum on Facebook
Created to share experiences and be a safe space to ask questions and share your thoughts, this Facebook group is for club welfare officers and club volunteers in the East Midlands.
Joining will give you access to a friendly community of support and updates on welfare topics, events, and training. You can also feed back on your experiences and ask for support.
Joining will give you access to a friendly community of support and updates on welfare topics, events, and training. You can also feed back on your experiences and ask for support.
Video: Sport Welfare in Action
Some of the ways a Sport Welfare Lead can benefit a club are discussed in this short video.
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