Welfare Officer

Volunteer Administration Charity Entry Level Health & Safety Medical Player Care/Liaison Officer Safeguarding

Job Description

We are Wanderers Football Club. We are The World’s Club. We have a remarkable story that began over 150 years ago and which you can considerably influence, through your leadership, effort, and vision.

This is no ordinary role. This is an extraordinary opportunity to add your name to the annals of footballing history by shaping our future.

Formed in 1859, Wanderers were the preeminent force in English football and the first London club to be open to members from all walks of life. The team lifted the first FA Cup in 1872, retained it in 1873, and were the first team to win it three years in a row between 1876 and 1877. In the face of a sporting revolution, the club folded in 1887 but were resurrected in 2009 to raise money for charity. Subsequently, we restaged the first FA Cup Final at The Oval in 2012; travelled to eight different countries to play against 17 different clubs; had over 60 different nationalities represent the club (leading to the adoption of the identity “The World’s Club”.

Wanderers has been successfully running for 15 years and currently comprises a weekly 7-a-side drop-in game, two weekly training sessions, a Men’s Saturday XI, and a Men’s Sunday XI. Previously, the club have run up to three Men’s Saturday XIs and a Women’s XI. In that time, over 1,000 players have worn the club’s iconic colours and over 800 matches have been contested. The team secured several promotions from level 17 to level 13, just two steps below the English national league system.

We are a football club, but we want to be at the heart of something much bigger. The club was reformed with a clear goal to change the world by doing what we love – since that reformation, more than £5,000 has been contributed to good causes and we continue to encourage members to help their local community and promote charities whose objectives match our own. Together, we can achieve greater things. And to achieve greater things we need a great team, and this is where you come in. With the right post-holder, those numbers can be eclipsed.

 

Job Title: Welfare Officer

Job Purpose: The Welfare Officer’s core purpose is to assist with the safeguarding and protecting of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

Club Ethos: The Club has established an ethos which it expects all members and volunteers to work towards:

WINNER - To prepare every team & every player to perform to their best.
IDEALIST - To promote an idealistic vision of how football should be enjoyed.
GUARDIAN - To be guardians of the heritage of the Wanderers Club.
ALTRUIST - To raise funds which benefit causes chosen by club members.

Responsibilities: The tasks of the Welfare Officer are as follows;

  • Assist the club in fulfilling its responsibilities to safeguard children and young people,
  • To be the first point of contact for staff, volunteers, parents, and children / young people where concerns about children’s welfare, poor practice or child abuse are identified,
  • Be the first point of contact with the Child Welfare Officer or similar officers at the league, County FA, or other external bodies,
  • Implement any new reporting and recording procedures, as determined by our County FA,
  • Maintain contact details for local social services, police and the Area Child Protection Committee,
  • Promote best practice guidance, the club’s code of ethics, anti-discriminatory practices and promote good behaviour within the club,
  • Ensure confidentiality is maintained, where necessary,
  • Attend all relevant Club Committee meetings and AGMs,
  • Act always with utmost good faith to Wanderers Football Club,
  • Other duties as reasonably required to support the club’s success.

Key Relationships: The Welfare Officer will work closely with the Club Committee, which is comprised of the volunteers within Wanderers Football Club, according to the Constitution. The Club Secretary and team managers may be most important for the day-to-day operation of the club.

Appointment & Tenure: The Welfare Officer will hold the post for a rolling period of 12 months. This appointment is automatically extended for a further 12 months, unless one of the following occurs;

The Welfare Officer may choose to step down from the role at any time, but should do so in writing to the President, or other senior club official, with a minimum of 3 full calendar months’ notice. The Club Committee may hold a vote of no confidence at an Extraordinary General Meeting to remove the Welfare Officer, in line with the Wanderers Football Club Constitution.

Time Commitment: The role requires the post-holder to be an active participant in Wanderers Football Club. On average, the Welfare Officer may need to set aside 1-2 hours per week in which to complete the essential duties of the role.

Qualifications and Experience: We require any candidate to have one or more of the following qualifications and experience;

  • Previous experience within a sports club or league,
  • Any experience working within administration / operations,
  • Any experience working within health / welfare / care,
  • Some experience with IT and a range of software, including but not limited to, all Microsoft Office programmes and email.

Knowledge and Skills: The Welfare Officer should ideally have the following organisational and personal skills;

  • High level of attention to detail, including good organisation and planning skills,
  • Good numerical and organisational skills,
  • Effective communication and organisational skills,
  • Trustworthy and adherence to codes of conduct and ethics.

Safeguarding: Wanderers Football Club is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and Volunteers to endorse this commitment.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: Wanderers Football Club’s commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion is to confront and eliminate discrimination whether by reason of age, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, marital status or civil partnership race, nationality, ethnicity (race), religion or belief, ability or disability, pregnancy or maternity and to encourage equal opportunities (Protected Characteristics, Equality Act 2010).

Officers of Wanderers Football Club must ensure a positive commitment towards equality, diversity and inclusion by treating others fairly and not committing any form of direct or indirect discrimination, victimisation or harassment of any description and to promote positive working relationships between all internal and external stakeholders.

Contract Terms: The Welfare Officer position is a voluntary role, but the post-holder can claim for the following expenses;

  • Travel to and from meetings, matches, and training,
  • Wanderers FC branded clothing for use within the scope of the role (including playing in matches and participating in training) up to a value of £50 per annum,
  • Annual Membership, training fees, and match subs waived (uncapped)