Safeguarding is the action we take to promote the welfare of children and adults at risk and to protect them from harm. It is important that sports clubs and organisations provide a safe and positive experience and that means you need to have certain procedures in place.

Policy, Procedures and Practices

Welsh Fencing conform to the policies, procedures and practices of British Fencing.  They provide a comprehensive set of documents defining how this is applied on the BF website: https://www.britishfencing.com/welfare-zone/

It should be noted that, while we conform with the BFA Safeguarding / Child Protection Policy, the legislation and detail is different in Wales, and we therefore conform with the Welsh legislation.  The following link outlines the specifics: Safeguarding Policy Addendum

Education and Training

Everyone involved in coaching, club-management or event management are required to complete the Safeguarding and Protecting Children in Sport qualification.  This training course is provided (free of charge) by Welsh Fencing.  Please contact us if you are interested in attending the next course.

All team management staff for Welsh Fencing managed events (including Team Managers, Coaches, Development Coaches, Welfare Officers, and any other appointed roles) are required (as a minimum) to have complete the Safeguarding and Protecting Children in Sport qualification, and hold as advanced DBS certificate.

Implementing and Monitoring

If you have concerns about a child or vulnerable adult, you should follow the processes defined here: http://britishfencing.com/uploads/files/11_procedures_for_responding_to_concerns.pdf

You should contact the Welfare Officer, Tania Craig (tania.craig@welshfencing.org). In emergencies, she can be contacted on 07711 923924.  If the Welfare Officer is not available and your concerns are urgent then you should speak to the Chairman or contact British Fencing’s Safeguarding Hotline on 07526 003030 (email equality@britishfencing.com)

Welfare Officers

All Clubs should have a Welfare Officer in place who is not connected to any coach within the club. All Welfare Officers should be DBS cleared, and preferably be members of Welsh Fencing at an appropriate level, eg Support, if not actively fencing.  For details on how to gain DBS clearance, please follow this link: https://www.britishfencing.com/welfare-zone/criminal-records-check/

Please remember to ensure your Club Welfare Officer is updated on the Club’s profile on the BFA Sport80 database. This document below gives guidance on how to do this:

In case of difficulty, please contact the WF Welfare Officer.

Reporting Concerns

Clear step-by-step guidance (flowchart) is in place for reporting concerns about a child’s safety and wider welfare issues: Safeguarding Reporting Procedure

To report a Welfare Incident/Concern, follow the link to the BF Form: Report a Welfare Incident Form

Safeguarding Documents