Active Dorset are committed to promoting good practice and safe sport for children, young people and adults at a local level.

Across England, sports clubs and organisations are being supported by a new network of Sport Welfare Officers. They have been recruited by Active Partnerships and funded by Sport England through an investment of National Lottery money.

The Sport Welfare Officers are working with National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and key partners, such as the NSPCC's Child Protection in Sport Unit and Ann Craft Trust, to develop a new local approach to assisting and supporting club welfare officers, to create safer club environments and improved experiences for young people and adults. 

The aim of the network is to increase welfare capacity and expertise at a local and national level and share best practice to help prevent concerns, making sport safe for everyone.

The programme will see 63 Sport Welfare Officers employed across the network of 43 Active Partnerships. This network will be supported by the Active Partnerships National Organisation. The programme contributes towards the Uniting the Movement strategy and is one of Sport England's commitments in the policy response to the Whyte Review, published by Sport England and UK Sport.

The Whyte Review questioned the level of responsibility and support given to volunteers at grassroots level. The network, in place until March 2027, will complement a sport's existing NGB safeguarding services and provide additional local capacity to help support safeguarding compliance to become embedded in the culture.

For the avoidance of doubt, it is not the Sport Welfare Officer's role to;

Advise on or manage concerns – all concerns must be referred without delay in accordance with Local Authority / National Governing Body / Club Safeguarding Policy.