Why was the Sport Welfare Officer Network created?
The Sport Welfare Officer Network was created to support National Governing Bodies and their clubs to promote good practice and safer sports for all. The Network is funded by Sport England through an investment of National Lottery money. The Network contributes to the Uniting the Movement strategy and is one of Sport England’s commitments in the policy response to the Whyte review of abuse in gymnastics.
Our 4 Aims
Connect
We connect Club Welfare Officers (CWOs) and volunteers with other organisations to share learning within and across sports, creating safer environments and helping leaders feel supported and informed.
Support
We support Club Welfare Officers and volunteers by teaching best practice, delivering training, and providing expertise in writing safeguarding policies and codes of conduct.
Raise Awareness
We raise awareness of sport welfare issues and the importance of safeguarding both children and adults by bringing national campaigns to local organisations.
Enable
We enable Club Welfare Officers and volunteers to create safe, inclusive sporting environments by providing guidance to clubs and leaders.
Our priorities
- Shaping our work to meet the needs of Londoners.
- Working with sports that are affiliated with a national governing body, as well as unaffiliated sports and community physical activity groups.
- Supporting CWOs directly, as well as coaches, parents, and participants.
- Upskilling CWOs based on their needs.
- Promoting and developing inclusivity in sports clubs/organisations.
- Encouraging all governing bodies to inform CWOs about proper referral procedures. Cases should be referred to internal safeguarding officers and LADOs.
- We educate everyone about the importance of safeguarding adults and children.
WHAT TRAINING DO WE OFFER
We offer a variety of training courses internally and externally, for CWOs, safeguarding leads, coaches, and parents.
Some of our training topics include:
- Understanding signs of abuse and self-harm
- Safeguarding and protecting children and adults
- The difference between safeguarding and poor practice
- Safeguarding policy and case report writing
- Managing cases
- Dealing with traumatic cases
- Responding to wellbeing concerns
- Wellbeing, self-care, and preventing burnout in a safeguarding role
- Online safety
- Social media policy
- Mental health first aid
- Working with parents in sport
- Selected UK Coaching safeguarding courses
We also offer bespoke training sessions tailored to the specific needs of the community. Please email us to find out more about these training sessions and to book a session.
Free Upcoming Events
October 2026
November 2026
December 2026
Drop-in session – How can the Sport Welfare Team support your club?
MORE INFORMATION AND CONTACT DETAILS:
For general queries, please email us at: [email protected]
For specific queries based on your borough/location, please contact the relevant representative listed below.
Our Spond group for Club Welfare Officers is now also live. This is a Pan-London group, and open to Club Welfare Officers in all sports. The group is used to share updates, resources, information and support as well as upcoming events and training opportunities. It is also an opportunity for CWOs to connect with other CWOs across Sports. Club welfare officers can use the below link to sign up to the group, here.
Newsletter Signup
Do you volunteer or work in sport? Are you a coach, sport leader, exercise professional, Club Welfare Officer, safeguarding lead, parent, or participant in sport or physical activity? If yes, then sign up now to our monthly newsletter to be the first to hear about our free events, trainings, and CPD opportunities!
