LBASC Volunteer Handbook 2020

VOLUNTEER IDUCTION
HANDBOOK
Updated November 2020
TEAM
THE
TO
W E L C O M E

Welcome and introduction
Our aim
Our aim is to provide a safe
and healthy environment for
the coaching and
development of swimming
and to provide the
opportunity and the
encouragement which
enables all of our members
to reach their full potential
within the sport of swimming
whether for fitness or for
competition.
Welcome to our Club and
your role as a volunteer. We
hope this pack provides you
with the information you need
to undertake your role and
support the swimmers in our
club. Without your help and
support we could not provide
the level of opportunity we do,
so on behalf of all the
swimming members and their
families - thank you for
agreeing to give up some of
your personal time to support
them.
This pack is designed specifically for
poolside volunteers in the Club and
follows on from the information
provided in the Club's Welcome
Pack.
You will find information about the
Club, our sport, the different
poolside roles and links to helpful
resources. This handbook is also
designed to ensure that we as a
Club make you aware of some vital
information specific to our sport and
your role. At the back of the pack
you will also find a link to an on line
form which we need all volunteers
to sign up to. This enables us to
comply with the requirements of
SwimMark by seeking confirmation
from all volunteers that they have
read and understand the contents of
the handbook.
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Our Partnership to success
To optimise our success the Club needs all its workforce to
work together as a partnership, supporting one another to
achieve the best that we can for the benefit of our athletes.
Whilst some may commit to supporting members on the
poolside, we also have volunteers providing the essential
administrative support. They undertake essential tasks like
booking facilities and transport; managing the Club shop;
managing athlete recruitment; processing memberships and
SwimEngland registrations; sorting out insurances; organising
events, the list goes on but you get the idea, it's all the things
that enable us to get onto the poolside.
We also have others who provide essential support at events
whether it be processing entries and results, marshalling
swimmers or officiating. All volunteering their time to support
our athetes. Then on top of this, of course, we have two paid
roles to provide the technical direction for the athlete pathway.
So together we are all responsible for making it happen.
Our Plan
As a SwimMark Club we are all helping to deliver the objectives
laid out in our SwimMark development plan. Our plan has
five key headings under which we set our objectives each year.
The headings are:
- Governance and Finance
- Athlete Pathway
- Marketing & Communication
- Environment & Welfare
- Workforce
Whilst there is some overlap it is easy to see which objective
our poolside volunteers play a large part in. For more
information you can read our plan here.
ADMIN
PLAN
POOLSIDE
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Our volunteer coaching pathways
The table below sets out the various coaching pathways that exist within the club. It is designed to help you
identify the level of commitment required so you can select the path you feel most comfortable on. The Club
will provide financial support to volunteers who wish to gain qualifications but funding will be based on the
needs of the Club and availability of funding at that point in time. There is, however, nothing stopping
individuals who wish to do so funding and sourcing their own training.
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Swim England Code of Ethics
Swim England's Code of Ethics applies to everyone involved within our sport and should be read in conjunction with
our Club's Codes of Conduct. The Code is laid out below and requires everyone to -
- respect the rights, dignity and worth of every person, be they adult or child, treating everyone equally within the
context of the sport
- respect the spirit of the sport adhering to the rules and laws in and out of the pool, incorporating the concept of
friendship and respect for others
- promote the positive aspects of the sport and never condone the use of inappropriate or abusive language,
inappropriate relationships, bullying, harassment, discrimination or physical violence
- accept responsibility for your own behaviour and encourage and guide all members and parents to accept
responsibility for their own behaviour and conduct
- ensure all concerns of a child safeguarding nature are referred in accordance with Wavepower Safeguarding Policy
and Procedures
- conduct yourself in a manner that takes all reasonable measures to protect your own safety and the safety of
others.
- promote the reputation of the sport and never behave or encourage or condone others to behave in a manner that
is liable to bring the sport into disrepute
Adhere to
- Wavepower the Swim England Child Safeguarding Policy and Procedures
- Swim England Anti-Doping Rules
- Swim England Equity Policy
- Swim England Laws and Regulations
- Our Club's Codes of Conduct
Speaking with Parents
There is a time and place for
everything and you may be
approached by a parent wanting to
have a discussion with you about
their swimmer whilst you are on the
poolside. This should be
discouraged. Anything that distracts
your focus from the swimmers in the
water presents a safety risk. If the
approach is not an emergency,
direct the parent to one of the
Parent Liaison Officers or make
arrangements to speak to them at
the end of the session.
If when you speak to the parent the
issue is something outside your
control, e.g. reasons for group
movements or team selection then
refer them to the Parent Liaison
or Team Manager.
If it is about your treatment of their
child remain calm and listen.
Focus on behaviour and events,
not personalities. Identify those
things you agree on and those you
don't and try to agree a way forward
together.
If their approach feels threatening
or they are not abiding by our sports
Code of Ethics in terms of treating
you with respect then stop the
conversation and either seek a
fellow member to witness the
discussion or refer the parent to the
Chief Coach.
Child Welfare and my role
As a poolside volunteer you have a
duty of care to members and it is
particularly important that you are
aware of the Club's policies relating
to Safeguarding and you should know
how to access the Swim England
Referral Form and when it should be
used.
If you have any concerns about the welfare
of a child, make a detailed note of what you
have seen, heard or been told. Pass on the
information to the Welfare Officer, or if they
are not available find a member of the
Executive Committee.
If a child approaches you with information
do not promise confidentiality.
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It's all about commitment
Coaching responsibilities
in a nutshell
You should
- hold a current DBS certificate
before starting on poolside
- commit to a minimum of 2
sessions per week
- take part in Coaches meetings so
you can keep yourself up-to-date
- agree your coaching pathway with
the Chief Coach and commit to the
training and CPD (as appropriate)
- undertake regular safeguarding
training
- make sure you arrange cover when
you can't make your session
- read and accept SwimEngland's Code
of Ethics and the Club's Coaches
Conduct
- be conversant with the Club's Codes
of Conduct for swimmers and parents
Commitment & Cover
Our commitment to you
In recognition of the commitment
you are making we aim to ensure
that you receive appropriate
induction, training and support to
undertake your role. This pack is
the start of that induction journey.
Training will include guidance about
what your role entails; a clearly
defined pathway which should
enable you to match your
commitment to the needs of the
club; poolside mentoring and
support. Support will include
financial support to attend
accredited & non-accredited courses
that meet the needs of the club;
peer support from the Chief Coach;
encouragement to participate in
coaching workshops, meetings and
on-line tutorials.
If you choose to become a fully
qualified teacher/coach or a
qualified official the Club will provide
you with a Coaches/Officials' polo
shirt so that you can be readily
identified as a qualified volunteer.
The Club will -
- always treat you with respect and
courtesy and aim to resolve any
problems or complaints quickly;
- abide by the policy in respect of
confidentiality.
In order to maintain the volume of
pool hours that we have as a Club
and keep the membership fees to a
minimum we need to balance the
number of professional paid hours
and qualified volunteer hours
carefully. With a training and
competition programme the size of
ours we need volunteers to offer a
minimum of 2 hours per week
on the poolside and to commit to
being available on the cover rota
each month.
Between us we will aim to achieve
the following:
- arrange your teaching
commitments for sessions where
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your family are in attendance
- Only by exception will we
require you to teach a group that
includes a member of your own
family
- where we have insufficient staff
to safely run a session we will ask
you to cover sessions which may
be at a different location or time.
The last thing we want to do is
cancel any session due to
insufficient poolside staff but this
is only possible if all our poolside
staff (paid and volunteer) can be
flexible and on occasion commit to
sessions outside their own family
sessions. We hope you can
understand and support this.
- It is also important to remember
that when you accept your role as
a volunteer you have a collective
responsibility, even when you are
not poolside, to support your
fellow volunteers and ensure the
safety of the swimmers. So, if you
see there is a shortage of staff at
any point please go on the
poolside and offer support. It
could be you needing help and
support one day!
DBS
Any individuals wishing to work with
children or adults at risk are required to
undertake a Barred List check and/or
Enhanced DBS Disclosure. A Barred List
check is a legal requirement for all
individuals applying to work in Regulated
Activity. This check will show whether an
individual is barred from working with
children or adults at risk.
To find out more follow this link.
Your commitment
It is important that you understand
what you are committing to. By
agreeing to become a poolside
volunteer with the Club you are offering
your services to support the Club and
all its members. This involves a
commitment to ensuring you
understand and accept our sport's Code
of Ethics; that you understand the need
for you to secure DBS (Disclosure and
Barring Service) certification and your
responsibilities in terms of Child
Protection and Safeguarding.
It is also important that all poolside
staff understand their role in terms of
the nurturing and developmental role
you have in the overall development of
the young people in your care. We
have to remember our members are
young people and not just swimmers.
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Health & Safety
As a poolside volunteer you must
be aware of the emergency
procedures relating to the facility
you are working in. You must also
be aware of the ability level of
your swimmers and ensure that
you don't ask them to work in an
area of the pool that is unsafe for
them or to utilise equipment or
undertake exercises that are
inappropriate.
Safety
If you undertake to be on poolside on
a specific day at a specific time it is
your responsibility to be there. If you
are unable to be there, it is your
responsibility to arrange for another
coach/teacher/helper to be there in
your place. They must be qualified to
the same standard so that we ensure
the correct level of support on the
poolside
If your session finishes early for any
reason, you must remain with any
swimmers until the proposed end of
session, or delegate a Committee
member to stay with them. If your
own child/ren have finished and are
ready to go this does not excuse you
of your responsibility to the young
people in your charge.
You must be aware of the fire alarm
procedures; the leisure centre First Aid
procedures and the 'panic button'
You must be aware of the whistle
procedure to be used to warn
swimmers -
- 1 blow 'stop and listen'
- 2 blows 'stop, listen and exit the pool
as instructed
If you are teaching and you find that it
is not a safe working environment, the
procedure is for the most senior coach
or teacher present to stop the session.
This would include for any of the
following reasons:
A. Insufficient coaches/teachers
present for the number of children.
This may also apply if a coach/teacher
becomes unwell and unable to teach
part way through a session.
B. There is a fire alarm
C. A swimmer vomits or excretes in
the pool
D. A swimmer injures him/herself or
becomes ill so that the attention of the
coach/teacher is taken away from the
whole group.
C. Other situations which the senior
coach or teacher present thinks make
for an unsafe working environment.
Accidents & Incidents
The Club has an Accident/Incident
Record Log provided by Swim England.
This is kept by the Welfare Officer.
Any accident or incident must be
recorded in this log and you need to
understand your role in this. The
details required are as follows:
- Place
- Date
- Time
- Circumstances
- Comments, including any implied or
actual threat of legal action.
- Details of any injured person (name,
address, age, telephone number) or
details of property damage.
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Coaching Good Practice
You should
- Avoid situations where a coach/teacher
and child are alone. If you find yourself in
such a situation that might lead to this you
need to seek an appropriate adult to
accompany you and tell the child why that
person is with you.
- If it is necessary to do things on a one-toone
basis with children who are young or
disabled make sure you have another adult
accompanying you. Get consent from the
parent/carer. Let the child know what you
are doing and why.
- Use discretion to assess the relative risk of
leaving a child alone against helping a child
on a one-to-one basis. This would include,
for example, taking care of a child should a
parent fail to pick them up for an event.
- Avoid any physical contact
- Don't allow any physically rough or
sexually provocative games, or
inappropriate talking or touching by
anyone, in any group for which you have
responsibility.
- Details of witnesses
Marshalling
Some tips & tricks if you find yourself
marshalling:
- Make sure you are wearing your
poolside pass that identifies you as being
authorised to be on the poolside
- Your main priority when marshalling is
to ensure the safety of the swimmers.
You are critical to the smooth running of
the event so don't let yourself get
distracted - spectating is for those on the
balcony.
- Only a lead coach can allow a swimmer
to leave the poolside to go to the toilet.
So if you get asked make sure you direct
the swimmer to the lead coach.
- Parents should not approach their child
during an event. If your child is involved
in the gala this applies to you too. If
they are not involved make sure they
remain in the spectator area and not on
the poolside with you.
- Remember: when the swimming
finishes your gala hasn't. All poolside
staff need to remain on the poolside until
all swimmers have got out of the water
and all volunteer officials have cleared
the area.
- If you are marshalling at an external
event which includes Club transport,
please ensure that parents sit separately
from the children.
- Make sure you see all swimmers safely
onto the coach and that they are safely
collected on return before you make your
journey home.
Keeping up-to-date
It is important that you keep-up-to-date and the key ways
to do this are:
Attending Coaches meetings: This is a key opportunity
for you to share good practice and ask questions It is also
a key opportunity for the Chief Coach and Chair to seek
your input and to keep you up-to-date.
Accessing resources: There are a range of resources
and links available to coaches and these are available on
the Coaches Slack channel.
Utilising TimeTree: a key resource for coaches which
details all workforce deployment. You will be given access
to Slack & TimeTree by the Chief Coach.
There is also a stock of useful resources on the Swim
Parents section of the Club website and on the Health &
Nutrition section.
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Officiating Pathways
Just as we can't hold training
sessions without sufficient
teachers/coaches, we can't run
galas without sufficient officials.
So on behalf of the swimmers,
"thank you", if you have taken on
one of these roles.
It is important to us as a Club that we
offer our athletes the opportunity to
swim in an environment that not only
exposes them to a well run and
officiated event but also gives them the
opportunity to gain times for other
meets. We can only do this if we
license our events and to licence them
we need to have sufficient qualified
officials.
The Club therefore believe it is a
priority to maintain a bank of relevantly
qualified officials within the Club and
are prepared to fund any volunteers
wishing to undertake qualifications.
Timekeeper: This is an introduction
into the world of officiating. There is a
short theory element followed by a
practical assessment.
Judge Level 1: January 2020 saw
the launch of new online theory
modules for the training of the pool
Judge 1 technical officials. Once the
theory element is complete, candidates
are provided with local contacts to
guide them through their practical
assessments. On successful
completion individuals are issued with
their first licence which is valied for 4
years and enables them to apply to
volunteer at external events up to
National level.
Judge Level 2: This second level of
qualification encompasses the role and
duties in relation to all aspects of
judging and the theoretical role and
duties of Starter. Candidates must be
at least 16 years of age and already
have secured Judge Level 1 status.
Training is made up of formal
instruction, mentored poolside training
with a workbook and a practical
assessment.
Judge Level 2S - Starter: Those
wishing to become a Starter will be
required to hold the Judge Level 2
qualification and have completed a
minimum of 20 hours post qualification
experience in that capacity. Training
consists of a prescribed number of
practical experiences as Starter before
undertaking a formal practical
assessment.
Referee: The minimum age for this
qualification is 19. The course contains
theoretical instruction and specified
practical experiences. It is followed by
a formal examination after which
successful candidates take a fomal
poolside practical assessment.
For more information and access to
resources click here.
The Practicalities
Clothing: Officials are required to
wear 'whites', which means white
trousers/shorts/skirt and a white top.
The Club has white officials' polo shirts
available for qualified officials which
can be obtained through the Club
Shop.
Stopwatches: For timekeepers you
can provide your own stopwatch or the
Club has a bank of watches available
for use at Club events.
Clipboard & Pens: All poolside
officials require a clipboard and pens.
The Club does have a bank of spares
to loan but it's much easier if you have
your own.
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Team Managers
The Team Manager is a vital team
member.
They are the person with responsibility
for the logistics, administration and coordination
of teams to/from and
during an event. The Team Manager
is generally a central point of
information and communication, and
the expectation by all team members
(including athletes, parents and
coaches) is that yuou will be the
person with the knowledge ..... so be
prepared! Team Managers report to
the Chief Coach.
Team Managers need to
- have welfare at the top of their
agenda. You need to know where
your athletes are at all times;
- be familiar with spreadsheets and PB
databases and keep up-to-date with
the season best times of your athletes.
- be well organised and excellent an
communicator. (Communication with
event organisers, parents, club officials
and swimmers all fall on the shoulders
of the Team Manager).
- work with the Club's Press Officer so
they contribute to acknowledging and
celebrating the performances of the
athletes. Helping to keep them
motivated and inspiring others.
- be up-to-date with the technical laws
of the sport
- ensure they speak to every athlete at
each event (and in between); you
need to know where your athletes are
emotionally
- establish the protocols within the
team so our team behaves as we
would want
Team Selection
In a sport where the clock is a critical
element to team selection that isn't
the whole story.
The Team Manager also needs to take
into account the fitness level of the
athlete at a given point but also has to
have an eye to the bigger picture. For
example, using their knowledge of the
opposition and looking at the results of
a previous fixture. Can they identify
where the team lost points and
whether switching the swimmers in
individual events or changing a relay
order could provide the opportunity to
gain an advantage for the team.
Remember, it is a team event so it is
the team performance that is key.
Team Management also involves
having to make quick decisions in the
best interest of individuals and the
team.
Two other key attributes of an
effective team manager are the ability
to remain calm and a good sense of
humour. Keep smiling!
What does it take?
To undertake a Team Manager role
the Club requires individuals to be
a Lead Coach and to have
undertaken the Swim England
Team Manager training. For more
information click here.
DBS: Team Managers are required
to have an up-to-date DBS
certificate and/or Enhanced DBS
check and have completed
approved child Safeguarding
training within a reasonable time of
taking up the position.
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Event Management and all it takes
Organising our internal events isn't
easy. With in excess of 180
swimming members it takes some
planning and co-ordination but we
are actually quite good at it.
Before the Event
Our events are managed by our
Competition Secretary. There's a
host of things to do before the meet,
producing the programme and
making sure there is sufficient pool
time to swim the planned events.
Getting the advance publicity and
registration process sorted;
finalising the entry rules and
information packs; recruitng
poolside marshalls/announcers/
recorders; organising event publicity
and ordering trophies/medals, just
to mention a few things.
If the event is licenced then the
Competition Secretary needs to
make sure the Club meets the
conditions of the licence and make
application in advance. One of the
conditions of licencing is having the
correct number of qualified officials
in place so this is another task to
take in hand. We are fortunate in
having a good bank of officials but
where we can't provide them from
within the membership it means
contacting officials from other clubs
to step in.
On the Day
On the day of the meet things begin
to hot up and the pressure is on.
You may have got all your
equipment there, the pool ready
and officials set to go but despite all
the advance instruction to
swimmers and parents there is
always someone who turns up
unexpected or at the wrong time.
So you have to be prepared to deal
with the unexpected and sometimes
an unhappy swimmers or parent.
During the meet there is little time
for anything other than producing
registration and heat sheets,
processing and posting results,
making sure officials are kept
hydrated and making sure someone
is organising the award ceremonies.
Post Event
Once the final race has finished and
everyone has gone home you
would think that's it. But alas not for
the Competition Secretary. The
event records of swimmers and
times needs to be compiled and
sent to SwimEngland and the
Club's PB database updated.
But, it thanks to an experienced
event management team and willing
officials it all comes together for the
benefit of our members.
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In the background but just as vital
Our Committee
roles
Being up front and poolside
isn't everybodies bag, some
prefer to be behind the
scenes working away.
That's where our Executive
Committee come in.
Behind the scenes but still
providing vital roles.
Making sure the things that
need to be in place for us to
get poolside and to compete
are sorted.
Here's the headlines of the
types of roles and what they
contribute.
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Stop that watch!
Using a Stopwatch
If you're new to poolside
volunteering you may be new to
the stopwatch so here's a bit of
guidance on what to look for.
There are many different types of
swimming stopwatches. Most have
multiple functions and most are
generally easy to operate. It's
important to practice using the key
functions during training, to ensure
competent use during competition.
Although a basic stopwatch is fine
for recording training times and
some splits, they usually only have
a single display line, making it
difficult to record and recall multiple
splits. So a good stopwatch ideally
needs to have a multi-line display.
Things to look for -
Lap Split Function - this records
individual lap times during a swim.
An important measure for reviewing
the overall pacing of a swim.
Cumulative Split Function -
records the total elapsed time from
the beginning of a swim. Some
coaches find this useful for
reviewing the overall pacing of a
swim.
Recall Button: this will display both
the lap and cumulative splits. This
is an important function which
enables the coach to easily record
or quickly feedback the information
to the swimmer.
Large Lap Memory: This is the
amount of split and other
information a swimming stopwatch
can store and retrieve and is down
to the size of its memory.
Generally, the larger the memory
the better quality the stopwatch.
Stroke Rate Calculator Function:
A stroke rate calculator function
measure the number of strokes the
swimmer performs in a minute.
Depending upon your role and
amount of use you can determine
whether you need to invest if
something quite as sophisticated
but at least you know what to look
out for.
If you new to using a stopwatch
here's a link to a useful clip to get
you started with your watch.
Using a stopwatch during
training
Using a stopwatch during training
not only enables the coach to
record a swimmer's progress but
also informs the coach whether the
swimmers are keeping to their
correct training set and repeat times
and whether they are taking the
correct amount of rest between sets
and repeats.
The experienced coach can also
use their stopwatch to test the
effectiveness of starts and turns
and record multiple swimmers in a
lane. For tips on how to do this
follow this link.
Parent Liaison Officers
Who they are, how to
contact them?
CLICK HERE
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Tips, Tricks and Inspiration
SwimEngland
Handbook
All you need to know,
including the laws of
the sport.
SwimEngland CPD
Access to lots of CPD
events
SwimEngland
Teaching
Start your journey
Level 1
Using the blocks -
Track start or Grab
Start?
A guide to the
different types of
starts.
A swimmer's
perspective
Some advice from an
elite swimmer to
coaches of age group
swimmers.
Off the Blocks
Register to get
access to lots of
useful resources.
Swim England
Teaching
Level 2
How to use a Pace
Clock
A useful guide to using
the pace clock.
Top 3 things Good
Coaches do
Be inspired by this
short clip from Wayne
Goldsmith.
SLACK our
communication
channel
Our Coach &
Committee comms
tool explained.
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What we need you to
do now is....
Click this checkbox
to link to our
Volunteer Checklist
This helps us comply with SwimMark. You CLICK, we COLLECT!