The Club Affiliation process was introduced in 2020 by Swim England (it was known as Stronger Affiliation) so new and existing members know clubs are well run and their personnel have the necessary safeguarding checks in place to ensure members’ safety.
If your club is already SwimMark accredited, you just need to maintain your accreditation and do not need to complete Club Affiliation.
For any club without SwimMark (or should their SwimMark lapse), the following six pieces of evidence need to be provided and approved annually
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan
- Club Constitution – ensure club constitution has been checked by the region and is from Swim England Model Constitution
- Welfare Officer statement of compliance – signed statement of compliance by the Welfare officer stating the club is being run in accordance with WavePower guidelines.
- Club Chair statement of compliance – signed statement of compliance that the club is following Swim England Code of Ethics and has role descriptions within the club.
- Risk Assessments – provide Risk Assessments relevant to the activities of your club.
- Club Personnel Record – Use Club Personnel Report (i.e. information must be downloaded from OMS, the Online Membership System) for all club personnel including coaches/teachers.
Failure to meet this new minimum standard of compliance will result in a club being suspended temporarily or permanently .
If you require any assistance with your Club Affiliation submission please email [email protected]
Funding opportunities for accredited clubs
By making sure your club runs in accordance with Good Governance, you are more likely to be successful when applying for funding opportunities. Take a look at the funding page for more information.
Uploading of safeguarding certificates
To ensure OMS is kept up to date going forward, safeguarding certificates need to be uploaded by the individual every time they attend a workshop.
Club documents
A useful document for clubs is the Guide to the SwimMark portal. This will give you access to the portal where you will find templates and further guidance for the evidence that is required.
If you require access to the SwimMark Portal for your Club Affiliation submission please email [email protected]
