London Region Welfare

Introduction and General Overview

Welfare has been an area of considerable development over the past few decades as our constantly developing society adapts to changing trends. The BSAC London Region takes the welfare of its members and potential members alike very seriously. Particular attention has been given to youth initiatives, disability, disadvantaged persons or any other individuals requiring our expertise.

Most of us take sport, health and our wellbeing for granted, but there are people in our community for whom such things may not be quite so straightforward. Such people may require an enhanced level of support if planning to take up Sport Diving, attending a “Try-Dive” session or if already following a diver training programme. Perhaps such participants are disabled, autistic, have Asperser’s or Down’s Syndrome, may be partially sighted or deaf. They may also be children or young teenagers who may lack the physical ability to cope or have difficulty in absorbing the knowledge they will require.

Initially, it might seem a safer option for a branch to turn such people away from their activities, yet the BSAC already has such members getting as much joy out of our sport as those of us who are more fortunate. If such people have not already experienced the aqua-lung then they should be encouraged to be able to enjoy a Try-Dive and perhaps if unable to join the very next diving course could be included at a later date.

To ensure the safety of such attendees it is important that members are aware of an individual’s specific needs. A branch’s Diving Officer, Training Officer and Instructors are key members when assessing this area. The skills and qualities of such individual staff, to manage the various situations they may find themselves in, can be gained by attending some of the many Welfare courses and workshops available to us today. Interpersonal abilities and skills such as awareness, vigilance, and communication skills between staff and participants are all important areas to develop and manage, and it can be a very rewarding experience indeed to develop and communicate such skills.

Good Practice and Protection

Another important area covered by London Welfare is dealing with allegations of poor practice or abuse. BSAC HQ has online incident reports available as well as qualified people who can answer questions of a serious nature. The BSAC will not tolerate these situations; members working in a position of trust and/or where an enhanced level of care and attention may be required can attend Welfare workshops and other care related courses.

For example, if running a Try-Dive session for young teenagers or children, why not have a couple of adults snorkelling on the surface as additional safety and backup? This simple and effective practice helps to ensure an enjoyable session for the prospective attendee and as well as ensure the welfare of the instructor or leader from any potential misunderstandings. As with any sport these can sometimes occur during contact which is inevitable in diver training at some point, particularly with lively youngsters where additional control may be needed.

London Region Developments

To cater for developments, BSAC London region put a Welfare Officer into place in 2005. Our current Welfare Officer is Vinodini (Dini) Patel, pictured left. Dini has excellent skills having gained many years of experience in Media Management.

Should you require help or advice please do not hesitate to contact her via e-mail at london.welfare@bsac.com or by phone on 07956 308920 or 020 8470 2157. Welfare communications are treated in the strictest confidence.

Our Welfare services exist to provide support to you, your branch, its members, potential members and others involved within our membership and sport. Should we be unable to answer all your questions or assist you straight away, we do have an excellent Welfare infrastructure in place from which to seek further advice or get the right support for your specific needs.

Since Welfare covers such a wide area in our daily lives, we are concentrating on specific sports/welfare related courses which educate us in these fields. In the last couple of years the BSAC London Region has run the following welfare related workshops:

Running Sport Workshop

A Club for All (Clubmark accreditation)

Sports Coach UK Workshops

Safeguarding and Protecting Children (Clubmark accreditation)
Equity in your coaching (Clubmark accreditation)
How to Coach Disabled People in Sport

All of the above were well received and followed an encouraging write-up in the BSAC publication “Talk”, July 2007 edition. The courses and workshops are realistically priced at around £20-30 each and tend to last for about two hours (a break is usually taken midway for refreshments). All courses and workshops are led by a professional instructor.

Official certification is issued shortly after the course. Branches which meet Clubmark criteria by running a well-managed club, having trained staff, and being accredited, can seek a full registration by contacting BSAC Head Quarters. Each participant's attention is drawn to a wide range of topics and realistic scenarios in which we may find ourselves. This insight then allows us to appreciate the difficulties some individuals may encounter. We are then in a better position to make decisions and provide a safer environment and better service to all who come our way.

Clubmark Workshops

Clubmark is the Sport England cross-sport quality accreditation for clubs with junior sections. BSAC has been awarded its Clubmark Licence by Sport England, becoming the 27th Governing Body to be accredited by the scheme. National Governing Bodies accredit clubs that comply with minimum operating standards in four areas:

The playing or participation programme
Duty of care and child protection
Sports equity and ethics
Club management

The workshops are:

A Club for All
Equity in Your Coaching
Safeguarding and Protecting your Children

Obtaining the Clubmark Licence underpins BSAC's ongoing commitment to its junior members and to provide a high quality club experience for all. Clubmark is an excellent way of showing people that the branches that have attained this award will support excellent, high quality standards and adhere to welfare and equity policies, as well as being welcoming to young members.

Best Buddy – Youth Initiative

This year, Dini led a youth initiative project with volunteer NQI divers, giving youngsters from difficult backgrounds an opportunity to experience Scuba/Snorkelling. The event ran in collaboration with the Waltham Forest London Fire Brigade, Connexions, the Local Authority and divers from various branches of BSAC, as well as from other agencies. CRB checks were taken, and there were clear briefings on dos and don’ts.

The two full days of hard work paid off with a lot smiles and a pat on the back for the Instructors. If you are a qualified Diving/Snorkelling Instructor and wish to volunteer for future events then please contact me on the details above. There should also be listings of future events on our London Region website's SDCPOE page once dates are confirmed.

Summary

Regular activity through sport is one the healthiest pursuits we can become involved in. Encouraging others to enjoy our diving is one of the finest rewards, no matter what their situation. In addition to the usual physical benefits it can open up awareness to us in other ways such as through being pro-active with others, education and the whole learning process.

We should all be able to take part regardless of our religious, ethnic, cultural background or mental or physical abilities. Although an individual may be limited in how far they can pursue an interest, it should be possible for them to gain some experience from most sports. As a departure from many areas we find in life today, Sport Diving is non-competitive. As we all have different learning and skills abilities, this fact makes for a very relaxing, rewarding and enjoyable experience.

There are other courses available to cater for this very broad area and the following links will provide you with additional insight from which you, your branch and community can all benefit.

Sports related information

To assist you we have included links of the more popular specialist bodies and related individuals with whom you may want to check on any issues. If you would like to attend any of the above workshops or require more information then please contact our Welfare Officer, Dini at london.welfare@bsac.com, by phone on 07956 308920 or 020 8470 2157, or visit our website's SDCPOE page to book any courses.

Popular Links

Clubmark accreditation: www.clubmark.org.uk

Sports Coach UK publications: www.1st4sport.com

British Council of Disabled People: www.bcodp.org.uk

Sport England: www.sportengland.org

Disability Sport England: www.disabilitysport.org.uk

Sports Coach UK: www.sportscoachuk.org

Disability Living Foundation: www.dlf.org.uk

Commission for Racial Equality (CRE): www.cre.gov.uk

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: www.culture.gov.uk

National Federation of Women’s Institutes: www.womens-institute.co.uk

Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC): www.eoc.org.uk