As part of Swim England’s commitment to providing a safe environment for all members, a policy has been introduced effective from today, 1st September, to support volunteers and paid staff by giving them a clear understanding of the expectations required. When working with groups of children and young people, it’s vital to ensure there’s enough adults to provide the appropriate level of supervision. Staffing and supervision ratios can be difficult to determine and coaches and team managers have a responsibility to ensure that children are safe and that they can compete in a safe and enjoyable environment.
The new Team Manager, Coach and Chaperone policy builds on feedback from clubs by recognising the increased costs of extra staff and the restrictions clubs may have on numbers at events. The policy reinforces the commitment of Swim England’s new Heart of Aquatics plan for 2023, which looks to ensure that there is a ‘positive culture across its sports and that the highest standards of welfare and safeguarding are in place’.
