Robust safeguarding systems are an overriding priority at every level of cricket. Over the past few months, the WCB team have been overseeing the migration of Warwickshire cricket clubs onto the ECB’s new online Safe Hands platform. They are working towards a deadline of 31st July for all clubs in the county to be fully compliant on the system, which manages all aspects of safeguarding (including DBS checks and safeguarding training records for all club officials, coaches and age group managers).
“The advantage of the new Safe Hands platform for clubs is that club administrators will now have easy access to all the club’s information on safeguarding in one place. Once on the system, cricket clubs will be able to manage safeguarding much more effectively, as they will be able to see immediately when DBS checks and safeguarding training need renewing and updating.”
WCB and ECB staff will be able to make checks quickly and easily too, so this in turn should make reporting and monitoring much easier for clubs and county boards. Amanda Felton, WCB Safeguarding Officer, believes the portal will both provide extra support to clubs and promote good practice. It will give everyone comfort that the correct safeguarding measures are in place - and raise flags immediately if they are not.
“This isn’t just about running a safe club and getting safeguarding right; this also has wider implications for clubs in a cricketing context. Compliance with the new Safe Hands system is a requirement for clubs to retain their Clubmark status, and Clubmark in turn is essential for participation in both the Birmingham Premier League and Warwickshire Premier League. There are considerable implications to non-compliance.”
With the compliance deadline of 31st July not far away, some Warwickshire clubs are further advanced than others. First over the line was Leamington CC, where Club Safeguarding Officer Clare Davison welcomes the new Safe Hands portal as an important tool in club management. “Having a single smart system to link all DBS and Safeguarding training will save us a lot of time in future,” says Clare. “The system will do the work for you and clubs can see immediately where the gaps are in terms of DBS checks and safeguarding training. The system is user-friendly and it’s great everything is joined up. Moving forward, clubs will find it much easier to have all this information in one place.”
“From a parent’s perspective,” Clare continues, “the Safe Hands portal will ensure consistency across clubs so parents will have comfort that all clubs have safeguarding in place and are operating to the same standards.”
Across Warwickshire over 1,200 roles have been added to the new system, from 46 cricket clubs.
For those clubs with some distance still to go towards compliance, Richard Evans has the following advice.
“This isn’t really something clubs can afford to ignore. Any clubs finding themselves struggling to implement the Safe Hands system by the deadline, do please get in touch and we can work out a plan to get their club compliant as soon as possible.”
