The course, funded by the WRU and delivered in partnership with Sport Wales and the NSPCC, is primarily aimed at developing the skills of Club Safeguarding Officers, and is a mix of problem solving and group work scenarios that are intended to provide the volunteers with a basic understanding of safeguarding measures and principles.
The training is very interactive and is focussed on identifying signs of abuse or poor coaching practice and also supporting victims of abuse in the early stage of disclosure.
There are over 300 Club Safeguarding Officers registered with rugby clubs in Wales and over 135 have already signed up for this first phase of the training.
Courses have taken place at Abercynon, Whitehead Steelers and Skewen and Oakdale rugby clubs and there is a session at Pontarddulais tommorrow. A course will be held at the Millennium Stadium on Monday (14 April), with further sessions at Nant Conwy and Ruthin at the end of the month and Whitland on May 8.
Jeremy Rogers, WRU Safeguarding Advisor said, “Our aim is to ensure clubs provide a safe, positive and enjoyable environment for young rugby players.
“We are very pleased with the take up of places on these courses so far and the feedback from the sessions that have already taken place is very positive.”
Anne Tiivas, Director of the NSPCC’s Child Protection in Sport Unit said: “The NSPCC is delighted to endorse this new initiative for safeguarding children by the WRU. Coaches, welfare officers and other adults working in rugby clubs are the eyes and ears of the sport and they need to have the skills and knowledge to identify children who are in difficulties either in the rugby environment or outside of it. Staff and volunteers need to have to confidence both to identify indicators of concern and how to respond to them. This training provides a sound foundation and it will help contribute to all rugby clubs providing a consistent, enjoyable and safe environment for all children participating in rugby”
In addition to this accredited course, the WRU runs induction sessions for new Club Safeguarding Officers, and there is also safeguarding training available to provide awareness for other volunteers involved in Under 18 rugby including parents, coaches, helpers, referees, team managers and first aiders.
For more information on safeguarding training, or to book a place on the remaining Safeguarding and Protecting Children courses, contact Jeremy Rogers at the WRU Club Operations Team tel 02920 822442 or email jrogers@wru.co.uk
