Interim Safeguarding Measures

The purpose of this message is to communicate some important information in relation to interim safeguarding practices during this time of isolation and social distancing.

One thing that will be hugely important for Cricket is for the game to still be a safe and well governed place when we emerge from the current restrictions and suspensions that are in place. This means ensuring that Club Welfare Officer qualifications remain valid. A reminder that Club Welfare Officers must possess:

A valid ECB DBS check (from within last three years)
ECB Safe Hands qualification (from within last three years)
Sportscoach UK Safeguarding and Protecting Children Workshop (from within last three years)

ECB Safe Hands Qualification:

As all Club Welfare Officers will be aware, it is a requirement for CWOs to hold a valid ECB Safe Hands qualification from within the last three years. Clearly it is not currently possible to attend a face to face course and therefore the ECB are planning to release an interim training package. We are yet to see the details of this training package but if you are a Welfare Officer in need of attending this course during this time please contact either Iestyn Lewis (Wiltshire County Welfare Officer), [email protected] or [email protected] and we will find the information for you on how to access this interim training package.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Checks:

As you will be aware, it is a requirement for DBS ID verifications to be conducted in person. However, due to current restrictions this is not possible and as such the Government has put in place temporary changes that can be read here; https://www.gov.uk/government/news/covid-19-changes-to-dbs-id-checking-guidelines. The ECB will be following this guidance and can be summarised as follows:

Anyone with a DBS Certificate issued with content will now be asked to email their certificate to [email protected] instead of posting
Anyone requested to submit an overseas certificate of good conduct will be asked to email their certificate to [email protected] instead of posting
Access has been restricted for ID verification to the top levels of access: ECB Staff / Regional Users / Primary County-Wide Users / Secondary County-Wide Users
ID Verifications will now be supported via video conferencing instead of Face to Face meetings

All of these are temporary changes in process and as soon as is viable, standard business practices will be re-introduced.

In terms of DBS ID verifications, Pete Sykes is a Primary county-wide user which means that he is able to conduct DBS verifications using a form of video conference. Therefore, during this interim period please direct any DBS applicants from your club to [email protected] who will then be able to arrange to conduct a DBS verification via a suitable online method.

Sportscoach UK Safeguarding and Protecting Children Workshop:

We are pleased to announce that our partners at Wiltshire and Swindon County Sports Partnership (WASP) have organised two Safeguarding and Protecting Children (SPC) workshops that will take place online and can provide CWOs with the qualification they need. The dates of these workshops are as follows: