Protecting and safeguarding children is of the utmost importance to the Wyre Forest Swimming Club who are committed to ensuring that any child or young person attending one of our classes, activities or events will be safeguarded from harm.
Reflecting the importance of Safeguarding within the Club we have an appointed Welfare Officer. If you have a concern about the welfare of any child you should, without delay, contact:
Emma Higgs – emma.higgs@wfsc.org.uk
In the unlikely event that the club Welfare Officer cannot be quickly contacted, alternative contacts are: Club Chair, Richard Collie at richard.collie@wfsc.org.uk or Theresa Bisengo, the Worcestershire County Welfare Officer at welfareworcestercounty@gmail.com.
Other options include the West Midlands Region Designated Safeguarding Lead, Elaine Gale at safeguarding@westmidlandswimming.org or by contacting the Swim England Safeguarding Team on 01509 640700 (Option 1 for Swim England and then Option 3 for Safeguarding) where all calls are free of charge.
As a parent or guardian of a member of the Wyre Forest Swimming Club you can be assured that:
- Your child is safeguarded during their time with us
- Any concerns about your child’s welfare will be listened to and responded to
- All people with responsibility for your child will:
- Be suitably qualified and trained
- Have been safely recruited and checked by the club
With all the precautions and procedures we put in place, there is still a possibility for issues to arise and we would urge you if you have any concerns to contact our Welfare Officer at any time, either when at the pool, or via their email details above.
The Wyre Forest Swimming Club is an affiliated member of Swim England and has adopted and adheres to Wavepower which is Swim England’s safeguarding policy and procedures document. To find out more and to look in more detail at the Wavepower policy and procedures document please click here
Swim England also has details of a number of other welfare and safeguarding organisations that can advise against a wide range of issues. Details of these organisations can be found by clicking here
Please note: Our Welfare Officer does not become involved in concerns about any child’s training or progression. However, if you are unhappy with the training, development, squad selection decisions, squad progression or you simply have questions you would like to put to your child’s coach, then you should arrange to meet them at a mutually convenient time to discuss further. Following your meeting, if you are still not happy with the response, the club will advise you of next steps, which could be referral to the club committee.