At SDRR, we want everyone to have a safe and positive experience whilst participating in our activities. As part of our commitment to this, we have two club welfare officers: Donna Reid (Lead Welfare Officer) and Katie Darnley (alongside her role as Ladies Captain).
The role of the Club Welfare Officers (CWO) is to ensure members have a point of contact within the club that they can reach out to if they have a safeguarding, discipline, or conduct concern. CWO’s can also help to manage any lower-level club issues/disputes or jump in with early intervention measures to prevent situations worsening. We are also here to provide guidance, support and signposting on a range of topics, from mental health to general advice around running. We are both on the committee and therefore part of the team implementing safeguarding governance here at SDRR.
With the exciting new addition of our juniors section led by Matt Clemson, we also now have the primary responsibility for managing and reporting concerns about children, and ensuring that appropriate procedures are in place to safeguard children within our club. Matt will be available every week at the sessions, and can pass on any concerns to Donna and Katie if needed. One of Donna or Katie will attend the junior sessions once a month, but are happy to come down additional times as and when needed.
We have both completed England Athletics adult and child welfare officer training, and will continue to maintain contact with the wider England Athletics Welfare team.
If you have any worries or concerns at all, never hesitate to reach out. Often, the earlier an issue is raised, the quicker and easier it can be resolved. We are both actively involved with training on adult club nights, and often available to chat before/after a session, and we can also can be contacted via email on sddrwelfareofficer@gmail.com.
Welfare isn’t just our responsibility though- it is every one of our members. Here at SDRR we all look out for each other. If ever you are worried about a fellow walker, runner, coach, or volunteer, please reach out and let us know. Sometimes when we are feeling low, we withdraw from things we love most. Remember, you have friends, and your SDRR family are here if you need a chat!
Useful links:
Please find our code of conduct on this website, where all our current polices and procedures are listed. https://sdrr.co.uk/?page_id=2314
If you have a concern about anyone under 18, or any adult at risk, please report as soon as possible to:
Safeguarding@UKA.org
England Athletics Welfare Team:
welfare@englandathletics.org
The EA welfare team are all super helpful and we work closely with them throughout the year.
Ann Craft Trust:
Useful adult safeguarding materials can be found on this website, along with links to organisations that can offer further help and advice. Topics such as eating disorders, mental health and loneliness are covered.
Samaritans:
Samaritans is a registered charity aimed at providing emotional support to anyone in emotional distress, struggling to cope or at risk of suicide throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, often through its telephone helpline.
Phone: 116123
Childline:
Phone: 08001111
Website: https://www.childline.org.uk
Childline is a free, private and confidential service where you can talk about anything. The Childline website provides information and advice on a wide range of topics that children and young people may be worried about. It also has wellbeing resources like the calm zone, art box, mood journal, games and a mental health first aid kit that children can use to work through their feelings and experiences.
NSPCC:
NSPCC Helpline 0808 800 5000
What’s up with everyone
https://whatsupwitheveryone.com
This is a useful campaign put together by the Foundation and several universities to help young people in their understanding of mental health. The campaign aims to increase mental health literacy by understanding and managing life’s challenges before they affect mental health.
Mind:
Mind aims to ‘empower people to understand their mental health and the choices available to them through: Our Infoline, which offers confidential help for the price of a local call. Our Legal Line, which offers information on mental health law’. They have numerous resources on their website:
Your Welfare Team:
Donna Reid
I’ve been a member of SDRR for two years and absolutely love everything about the club. It’s inclusivity, encouragement, and support is something I’ve not experienced in any other club. I have four children, and finding time to run can be tricky, but it is so important for my own mental health. I’ve loved meeting new friends within the club and love to encourage and support others. For those of you who don’t now me very well, I love to chat! So the role of CWO fits me quite well! I am currently at home with the kids, but in a previous life, I worked as a Clinical Psychologist, with post doctorate specialism in Neuropsychology.
I worked both within the NHS as well as the private sector. I saw clients across the lifespan, from infants through to centurions, in both inpatient and community settings. The emphasis of sport (and indeed life in general) is often on the benefits on our physical health, with mental health often neglected. I am a huge mental health ambassador and I’m always happy to chat about things in that regard. On a club night, I’m usually at Chris Mason’s session at Conkers and I’m always happy to meet up before/after this for a chat. I’m also a regular attendee at Conkers parkrun, and happy to chat in the cafe there afterwards. My eldest daughter, Effie will attend the juniors sessions on a Tuesday night during the holidays, so I will also be physically present there on those nights. Alternatively, email me and I’m happy to talk over the telephone or sort out another time that is mutually convenient.