Welfare Officers Workshop (WOW/1084)

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 Course Information:

• Minimum Age: 18
• Course Duration: 3 hours 
• Course Prerequisites: The Safeguarding Children course is essential for Welfare Officers to complete prior to attending this workshop. Welfare Officers must also have an FA CRB check prior to being appointed in their role. For further information on this click here.
• Who is it for: This course is exclusively for grassroots League and Club Welfare Officers.
• Course aims and objectives: The course is designed to explore the role of the welfare officer and to identify the support networks for designated persons in football. It will assist welfare officers to recognise the best practice that is already in place to safeguard youth leagues and youth teams and identify any areas that need to be addressed to provide fun, safe, positive football environments. The course will support welfare officers to take ownership and develop confidence in dealing with poor practice issues, provide information on key child protection legislation and the statutory agencies and provide clarity on reporting concerns about child abuse. The course supports The FA's strategic goals to raise standards across the game and demonstrates our capacity to be trusted to lead.

Course Content:

This is a workshop designed to answer questions such as:

• What responsibilities do welfare officers have to safeguard children?
• What responsibilities do clubs and leagues have to safeguard children?
• How does a Welfare Officer ensure the club is following best practice?
• What should a Welfare Officer do when concerns are reported about poor practice, bullying and or abuse within or outside a football setting?
• What is CRB and who should not have a check done?

The workshop is interactive and informal; tutors draw on participant's experiences and knowledge as well as developing learning through presentation and small group activities.

Practical Involvement: There is no practical (i.e. on-field) aspect to the workshop.

Assessment: There is no formal assessment; the progress of learners is monitored through the group activities and discussions.

Re-assessment: Having completed the Safeguarding Children and Welfare Officer Workshops, Welfare Officers can then access the online Safeguarding Children re-certification module. This provides additional support and is usually completed approximately three years after attending the awareness training workshop. See refresher information for other opportunities for Welfare Officers.

Refresher: Ongoing information and best practice guidance is available via www.TheFA.com/FootballSafe and www.TheFA.com/Respect. Further support and development opportunities are also available through local County FA events and forums, facilitated by the County FA Welfare Officer.

Suggested additional learning opportunities:

• Age Appropriate Coaching - Introductory Module (useful for football coaches)
• FAL Online Coaching Children module (useful for football coaches)
• FAL Online Psychology for Soccer Level 1 (useful for football coaches)
• FAL Online Respect module (available January 2009)

Equality: FA Learning will ensure that it treats people fairly and with respect and that it will provide access and opportunities for all members of the community to take part in, and enjoy, it's activities in an atmosphere free from harassment, bullying, discrimination or abuse. FA Learning will seek to provide a service which is appropriate to the needs of an individual and to make reasonable adjustments or provide support, where appropriate, to cater for those needs.