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Welfare Officers - join us for our next Connected Conversations

Welfare Officer with children

During May, Welfare Officers from 89 clubs came together across the nine regions to connect in a positive, engaging one-hour online session. In August, we'll be holding more important sessions to help those in the role.

The focus of the May sessions was safe and positive online communications. Whilst a social media presence and use of online communication apps are excellent tools for supporting club activity, there can be risks associated with these which can lead to negative experiences for members and pressure put on volunteers to manage a dispute or incident.

Equally, for clubs who have members under 18, it is vital to ensure that their online access is safe with appropriate content and risks managed relating to personal data, exposure to adverts and ensuring there is no one-to-one communication.

Previous session summary

The session reflected on key points from articles that were shared in the last Welfare Officer newsletter on this topic, before clubs shared benefits, best practice and challenges of using social media and apps to communicate with members and the wider public.

One point of discussion was the benefit of completing a review of the online communication tools that the club used so that there was a clear purpose for each one.

Constructive discussions were held on getting the balance right between using a variety of communication methods to be inclusive whilst being realistic and efficient with volunteers' time in managing these various communication methods.

Tips were also shared across clubs on reducing the risk of online communications becoming a negative space and harmful for members. NSPCC have launched a digital app risk assessment tool which can help you to assess your clubs communication methods.

Find out more about the new tool

Don't miss out - join us in August for the next Connected Conversations

The focus of our next session will be another important topic - looking after your volunteers. You can sign up for a session here:

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Children and Young People