Why Your Club Needs a Safeguarding Lead (And How to Support Them Properly)

Let's be honest: in many grassroots clubs, safeguarding feels like a compliance exercise. Someone reluctantly does the course, gets the certificate, and it's filed away until the next renewal. The safeguarding officer role exists because it has to, not because the club has thought deeply about what it means.

But safeguarding isn't bureaucracy. It's about protecting the children and vulnerable adults in your care. It's about creating an environment where young people can enjoy sport safely, where inappropriate behaviour is challenged, and where concerns are taken seriously.

Every club needs a properly supported safeguarding lead—not just because it's legally required, but because it's morally essential. Here's why it matters more than you might think, and how to do it right rather than just ticking a box.

What a Safeguarding Lead Actually Does (It's More Than You Think)

Most people assume the safeguarding lead only deals with serious incidents—abuse allegations, major concerns, crises. That's part of it, but it's far from the whole picture.

A safeguarding lead creates and maintains a culture where safeguarding is embedded in everything the club does. They're not just a firefighter for emergencies; they're building the systems that prevent problems from arising in the first place.

Day-to-day, this means ensuring all coaches and volunteers have up-to-date DBS checks. It means safer recruitment—making sure the right people are working with children and that proper references and checks are completed. It means keeping policies updated and ensuring everyone knows they exist.

They're the point of contact for any concerns, however minor. A parent worried about something they've seen. A coach is unsure if a situation needs reporting. A volunteer with questions about appropriate behaviour.

These queries need answering, and they need answering properly.

Training is a huge part of the role. Making sure coaches understand appropriate boundaries, how to spot concerning behaviour, and what to do if a child discloses something. This isn't one-off training; it's ongoing education and awareness-raising.

Record-keeping matters too. Documenting concerns, actions taken, and outcomes. Liaising with external agencies when needed—local authority safeguarding teams, the police, governing body welfare officers.

This is a significant, ongoing responsibility. It requires time, attention, and emotional resilience. It's not a token role you give someone because "we need a safeguarding officer on paper."

Why This Can't Be an Afterthought

The immediate reason clubs need safeguarding leads is legal: governing bodies and facility providers require it. You can't operate without a designated safeguarding officer. That's the baseline.

But beyond compliance, there's profound moral responsibility. Parents trust you with their children. That trust isn't something to take lightly. You're responsible for those young people's welfare when they're in your care.

Cases where poor safeguarding has led to serious harm are not hypothetical. They're real, they're documented, and they've devastated individuals, families, and clubs. Every single one started with safeguarding being treated as an afterthought.

Strong safeguarding doesn't just protect children—it protects everyone. Coaches and volunteers are protected from false allegations when proper procedures are followed. The club is protected legally and reputationally. Everyone benefits from clear boundaries and proper processes.

When safeguarding is treated as box-ticking, you create vulnerability. When it's taken seriously as a core responsibility, you build something that actually protects people.

The question isn't "do we need to bother with safeguarding?" It's "are we taking our duty of care seriously enough?"

The Reality: Most Safeguarding Leads Feel Isolated

Here's the uncomfortable truth: in most grassroots clubs, the safeguarding lead feels isolated, unsupported, and uncertain.

Often, they were given the role because "someone has to do it" rather than because they were particularly suited or willing. They did the basic course—maybe a day or an online module—and that's the extent of their training.

Ongoing support from the committee or fellow volunteers? Minimal. They're expected to just "handle safeguarding" whilst everyone else focuses on the football, rugby, or hockey. When issues arise, they're often dealing with sensitive, stressful situations alone.

Many safeguarding leads are unclear about when to escalate concerns externally versus handling them within the club. They worry about overreacting or underreacting. They're making judgment calls on serious matters without support or supervision.

Dealing with safeguarding concerns is emotionally demanding. Hearing about a child's difficult home situation, managing allegations against a coach, navigating conflicts with parents—this stuff is hard. Doing it alone is harder still.

This isolation leads to poor outcomes. Concerns were not reported because the safeguarding lead wasn't confident about thresholds. Situations are escalating because proper support wasn't available. Welfare officers are burning out and stepping down, leaving the role vacant.

Your safeguarding lead should not feel like they're on an island. If they do, your club is failing them—and potentially failing the children you're meant to protect.

How to Support Your Safeguarding Lead Properly

So what does proper support actually look like? It's not complicated, but it does require intentionality.

Make your safeguarding lead a core committee member with a voice in club decisions. They shouldn't be isolated or tangential—they need to be central to how the club operates. Their perspective should inform policies, events, and practices.

Regular check-ins matter. Don't wait for them to raise concerns. Schedule quarterly meetings where they can update the committee, discuss any issues, and ask for support. Make it clear they're not alone in this responsibility.

Budget for ongoing training and development. The initial course is the beginning, not the end. Advanced training, refresher sessions, and workshops on specific topics—these all help your safeguarding lead stay current and confident.

Establish clear escalation pathways and maintain updated external support contacts. Your safeguarding lead needs to know exactly who to contact at your governing body, local authority, or police when situations require external involvement.

Provide committee backing when difficult decisions need to be made. If your safeguarding lead says someone can't coach because of a DBS issue or concerning behaviour, the committee must support that decision. Undermining them destroys their authority and creates risk.

Recognise that this role carries emotional weight. Dealing with safeguarding concerns affects people. Provide access to supervision, peer support networks, or counselling if needed. This isn't weakness; it's responsible practice.

Your safeguarding lead's wellbeing matters. If they burn out or quit because they felt unsupported, you're back to square one—and the children in your care are less protected.

Building a Safeguarding Culture (Not Just a Policy)

Having a policy document is necessary but insufficient. You need a safeguarding culture—an environment where protection of children and vulnerable adults is embedded in everything you do.

Culture means everyone understands basic safeguarding principles, not just the designated lead. All volunteers should know appropriate boundaries, how to spot concerning behaviour, and how to report worries. This shouldn't be mysterious knowledge—it should be standard.

Regular reminders and refreshers keep safeguarding visible. Brief updates at coach meetings, reminders in club communications, and visible posters about reporting procedures. Safeguarding should be routine, not hidden away until there's a crisis.

Clear codes of conduct that are actually enforced send powerful messages. It's not enough to have rules—people need to see that breaches have consequences. When inappropriate behaviour is challenged and addressed, everyone learns what's acceptable.

Make it easy to raise concerns without fear. Anonymous reporting mechanisms, clear processes, and reassurance that concerns will be taken seriously all encourage people to speak up. Barriers to reporting create danger.

Celebrate good safeguarding practice, not just responding to problems. When coaches maintain appropriate boundaries, when parents respect codes of conduct, when concerns are reported and handled well, recognise these. Positive reinforcement builds culture.

When safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, your designated lead shouldn't be shouldering everything alone. They're supported by a club-wide commitment to doing things properly.

Practical Steps Your Club Can Take

Let's get specific about actions your club can take tomorrow to improve safeguarding support.

Appoint a deputy safeguarding officer. This provides support, spreads the load, and ensures continuity when your lead is unavailable. Nobody should be a single point of failure for something this important.

Schedule quarterly safeguarding reviews with your committee. Standing agenda item, not just "any other business." What's happened? What's upcoming? What support is needed? Make it routine.

Maintain up-to-date records and accessible policies. Your safeguarding lead shouldn't be scrambling to find documents when they're needed. Everything should be organised, current, and easily accessible—ideally in a secure digital system.

Ensure all coaches and volunteers know who the safeguarding lead is and how to contact them. This sounds obvious, but many club members genuinely don't know. Make it visible on your website, in communications, and at the clubhouse.

Create simple reporting mechanisms. Forms, email addresses, phone numbers—multiple ways people can raise concerns. The easier you make it, the more likely issues are to be reported early.

Use club management platforms to keep safeguarding information visible and organised. DBS expiry dates, training renewal deadlines, policy reviews—these shouldn't rely on one person's memory. Systems and reminders protect everyone.

Conduct regular audits. Are all DBS checks current? Have policies been reviewed in the last year? Are all volunteers aware of procedures? Quarterly or annual audits catch gaps before they become problems.

Safeguarding Is Central, Not Peripheral

Safeguarding isn't a box-ticking exercise to keep governing bodies happy. It's not bureaucracy for bureaucracy's sake. It's central to running a responsible grassroots sports club.

Your safeguarding lead carries significant responsibility for the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. They deserve proper support, training, and committee backing—not isolation and uncertainty.

Building a strong safeguarding culture protects everyone involved in your club. It demonstrates that you take your duty of care seriously. It creates an environment where children can enjoy sport safely and parents can trust you with their families.

This isn't optional. It's not something you do if time permits or budget allows. It's fundamental to everything grassroots sport should be: safe, welcoming, and focused on young people's wellbeing.

Take an honest look at your club's safeguarding. Is your lead properly supported? Do they have the resources, training, and backing they need? Is safeguarding embedded in your culture or just a document in a drawer?

Because the children in your care deserve better than box-ticking. They deserve genuine protection, delivered by supported, confident safeguarding leads backed by clubs that prioritise welfare above everything else.

Want to ensure your club has proper systems supporting safeguarding responsibilities? Discover how Pitchero helps clubs manage safeguarding records, DBS tracking, and communication securely.