Does your club have a qualified Welfare Officer?

All clubs should have a qualified Club Welfare Officer as an essential part of their safeguarding structure.

The welfare of young people involved in cricket in the county is of paramount importance and we are committed to ensuring that cricket provides a safe, friendly and enjoyable experience for all children.

As a result we want to ensure that every club playing cricket in the county at any level has a Club Welfare Officer. Welfare Officers are vital members of the club and key to making an environment safe, welcoming, and friendly for all to enjoy the game of cricket.

Why do clubs need a Club Welfare Officer?

Whilst everyone is responsible for safeguarding, the Club Welfare Officer will make sure the policies and procedures are in place, and that everyone who should be vetted to work with children, is vetted by the ECB.

They are the person that others come to if they have concerns, and having attended specific training, will know what to do in order to assist, or who to ask for further help.

If your club does not have an appointed Club Welfare Officer it should appoint one as soon as possible.

Training for Club Welfare officers

Club Welfare Officers need to attend two sets of initial training:

  • The Safeguarding and Protecting Children course run by Sportscoach UK. In Somerset these courses are run by SASP (South) and Wesport (North) can be found by clicking here (SASP) or here (WESPORT).
  • The ‘Safe Hands Workshop’ is an ECB course in partnership with the NSPCC.  To book onto one of the Safe Hands Workshops in Somerset, please click onto the course below:

19/11/2017     Centre of Excellence, Taunton    9.30am-12.30pm

30/01/2018     Bath CC  6.00pm-9.00pm

  • An ECB DBS Vetting check is also required. ECB DBS can now be done online which is a far quicker process than the old paper system. To create an online ECB DBS form the following information is required and should be emailed to :
  1. Full Name
  2. Date of Birth
  3. Preferred Email Address

Every three years, the three requirements above must be updated.

Any existing Club Welfare Officer renewing qualifications can complete an Online E learning Safeguarding and Protecting Children course & the ECB Safe Hands Refresher course rather than the full course. Below are the dates and booking details of the courses in Somerset this winter.

Online E learning Safeguarding and Protecting Children course (SPC)

To book onto the online SPC course with SportsCoach UK, please click here.

ECB Safe Hands Refresher course

County Welfare Officers

We have an appointed Welfare Officer – Ray Hancock – in order to provide advice and assistance on Safeguarding Children for clubs, leagues and other affiliated organisations within our county.

We also have a Deputy County Welfare Officer in Amanda Counsell.

Should you have an issue that you would like advice on or if you require to report a safeguarding issue, please contact Ray or Amanda using the details below:

  •  T:
  •  T:

If you have any safeguarding queries or require further information, you can contact the ECB Safeguarding team on:

  • Tel:
  • Email: