Last night Middlesex Cricket held the second of two dedicated Safeguarding training sessions – allowing the Club to offer support, guidance, and assistance to Safeguarding Officers working in recreational clubs across the county.
The sessions, held as online events, will continue to run throughout 2023 and have proved hugely popular with clubs across the county - with over 60 representatives from across the Middlesex club network booking into the first two clinics of this year.
Led by Middlesex’s Safeguarding Team, the sessions are being run as drop-in clinics with the aim of allowing Safeguarding Officers the opportunity to meet Middlesex’s staff, build closer relationships across the club network, share updates, discuss best practice and offer a safe venue for Safeguarding leads to openly talk though their experiences with their peers – all to ultimately ensure that the importance of Safeguarding across Middlesex remains an utmost priority for all involved in the game.
Furthermore, Middlesex’s Safeguarding Team will also be hosting two three-hour Safe Hands workshop sessions this month to help recreational Club Safeguarding Officers achieve the required qualification they need for their Club’s to secure ECB Clubmark accreditation.
Sharon Eyers, Middlesex Cricket’s Participation Manager with responsibility for running the Safeguarding Clinics, commented:
“Safeguarding Officers are often the unsung heroes in the game who work tirelessly to keep all environments safe for young people and adults at risk to be able to play cricket free from any form of abuse.
“The work Safeguarding Officers do is critically important, as ensuring that we are able to provide a safe environment for anyone involved in the game in Middlesex is vital. The issues they deal with can often be extremely challenging and we want to be able to provide a support network for all involved in the role across Middlesex.
“These sessions, where Safeguarding Officers can meet their colleagues to talk through the challenges they have to deal with, get advice and guidance from us, and leave with the confidence they need to fulfil their roles, have proved incredibly useful to those attending. We will continue to host the sessions moving forwards for the good of safeguarding best practice across the county.”
Having attended Middlesex’s Safeguarding drop-in clinic held this week, Denise Broom, Eastcote Cricket Club’s Safeguarding Officer commented:
“I have been CSO for Eastcote Cricket Club for many years, I hope these mini clinics continue throughout the years as they are extremely useful for keeping us up to date with new legislation and general information that is relevant to our role. They also give you the opportunity to ask questions and receive replies from other CSOs. The clinics also help to build a rapport and remind you that you are not alone.”
