“Inspired by All Stars, Dynamos and The Hundred, increasing numbers of children are playing and enjoying cricket across Warwickshire. Making sure all those children are safe and happy is a primary concern of the Warwickshire Cricket Board.”
Inspired by All Stars, Dynamos and The Hundred, increasing numbers of children are playing and enjoying cricket across Warwickshire. Making sure all those children are safe and happy is a primary concern of the Warwickshire Cricket Board. Safeguarding has also been high on the agenda for Warwickshire’s cricket clubs recently in the run up to the deadline for compliance on the new ECB Safe Hands portal at the end of July. In this article, we take a broader look at the safeguarding of children, and any adults at risk, across WCB’s activities. In this Q&A session with Amanda Felton, WCB’s County Safeguarding Officer, she highlights some of the wider aspects of her role.
What does your role as County Safeguarding Officer involve?
On a day to day basis, it’s not crisis management (although I am always available to support clubs and other organisations with any child or adult protection issues that may arise). Most days, my work as part of the WCB team will involve working with clubs and schools to support their Safeguarding systems and the creation of safe environments for playing cricket, for example:
- Ensuring the coaches we send into schools have the necessary qualifications;
- Supporting clubs when they raise a Safeguarding issue or come forward for help to ensure their systems are robust;
- Helping clubs and other cricket environments to recognise Safeguarding is an important issue in a much broader sense than most people realise, creating places where children, and adults at risk, feel safe and happy;
- Supporting ECB initiatives such as the roll-out of the Safe Hands portal.
What is your approach to working with clubs?
During the seven years I have been in this role, I have found that teamwork is the key. A lot of the time, it’s a question of Safeguarding Officers or other officials at clubs coming to me and saying, “Can I just run this past you?”. There is no matter too small to ask me about. Some questions are as simple as whether a younger child can play up in a certain age group. With these and other questions, I always say “it’s best to check”. I want to have an open dialogue with clubs, with the aim of creating a great environment, inclusive for children and those adults at risk.
Obviously, there are occasions where particular concerns are raised and we have to be decisive and act quickly, but for the most part the relationship with clubs is collaborative and about getting the environment right. A great example of this recently has been working with the Safeguarding team at Warwick CC. In order to encourage children to feedback about how happy and safe they felt at the club, the Warwick CC team created a competition where children gave feedback and had an opportunity to give a name to the new roller.
How has Safeguarding in cricket changed recently?
The ECB has invested heavily recently in formalising and standardising Safeguarding practices. The new Safe Hands portal is a good example and its roll-out has been superbly coordinated by my WCB colleague Richard Evans. As clubs gain compliance on this system, parents and clubs have the comfort that everyone involved in junior cricket at the club has the correct Safeguarding checks and qualifications, and that those checks and qualifications are kept up to date.
Even our terminology has changed. As of last year, what were previously club and county Welfare Officers are now called Safeguarding Officers. The intention is to make Safeguarding more prominent in clubs. I am impressed with the approach the majority of clubs take towards Safeguarding and creating great environments for children (and adults at risk) to play cricket in. When we all work together, we can make a real difference.
What skills are important in your role?
In addition to technical Safeguarding knowledge, listening is a very important skill. I have met so many wonderful people in my seven years as County Safeguarding Officer. It is always good to listen and learn about them, their clubs and their Safeguarding environment and experiences. The majority of people involved in cricket clubs are volunteers, giving up their own time and doing a great job. They are not getting paid and are giving back to clubs because their cricket club means something important to them. It is a hugely rewarding part of my role to support them in their roles and enable them to deliver environments where children are safe and happy.
It is important for clubs, parents and carers to know that Safeguarding is taken seriously at their cricket club. It is also important for everyone to know WCB’s County Safeguarding Officer is there to support them at all times.
“Amanda Felton is an important member of the WCB team,” says WCB General Manager, Ed McCabe. “Amanda has excellent relationships with clubs and other organisations across the County. We all value her contribution to making our clubs safe and happy places for children, and also for adults at risk.”
Amanda Felton can be contacted by email at [email protected] with any questions or for further information about Safeguarding.
