How Bottisham Swimming Club Handles Safeguarding and Competitions

Updated

Bottisham Swimming Club (BSC) states that its safeguarding work is carried out "in accordance to WavePower" — Swim England's welfare guidance — and it publishes named welfare contacts alongside its competition pages. For competitions, the site provides a Competitions page, a Competitions Guide, and a Swim England Entry Guide, with a Club Calendar and Latest News carrying gala and event times. This applies to members and prospective members of BSC, a club of about 120 swimmers aged 8–19 training north and east of Cambridge.

Safeguarding at BSC

The club's safeguarding commitment is framed around WavePower, the Swim England welfare framework. The site lists the following routes for welfare matters:

  • Club Welfare Officer — contactable at [email protected]
  • Swim England Welfare Contacts — linked via Swim England's child safeguarding contacts page (swimming.org)
  • Swimline — the Swim England/NSPCC Child Protection Helpline on 0808 100 4001

The presence of a Club Welfare Officer, plus the Swimline number, means a concern can be raised inside the club or independently through the national helpline. The site does not detail internal reporting timelines or case procedures, so anyone needing those specifics should ask the Club Welfare Officer directly.

Competitions: how entry is explained

Rather than leaving entry rules implicit, BSC points members to three resources:

Resource What it covers
Competitions page The club's competition activity
Competitions Guide How the club approaches entering competitions
Swim England Entry Guide Swim England's own guidance on entering

Together these cover the path from a club gala to a Swim England entry. The site also notes that A squad swimmers are "fully committed and compete regularly," which sets the expectation that competition is part of the programme at the top level rather than optional.

Finding dates and event times

Two areas carry scheduling information:

  • Club Calendar — club-wide dates
  • Latest News — for example, the "BSC WEEKLY NEWS" entry described as covering "weekly news, training times, pool updates, Gala's events times"

If you are looking for a specific gala time, the weekly news items are the more likely place to find it, with the calendar giving the broader picture.

Who this applies to

Safeguarding applies to everyone in the club, including the parent volunteers who run it through the Committee. Competition guidance is most relevant to swimmers in the higher squads, though the Competitions page is open to all members. Prospective members should note that trials run three times a year for swimmers aged 8 and above, requested via the trial request form — so competition questions are usually best raised after a trial place is offered.

Practical next steps

  • Welfare concern: contact the Club Welfare Officer at [email protected], or use Swimline on 0808 100 4001.
  • Competition question: start with the Competitions Guide, then the Swim England Entry Guide for entry mechanics.
  • Dates and times: check Latest News for weekly gala and training updates, and the Club Calendar for the wider schedule.
  • Not yet a member: submit a trial request form; the Membership Secretary or Head Coach responds when a trial space is available.

One gap worth noting: the site does not publish entry deadlines, fees, or qualification times for specific competitions. Those details would need to come from the club or the relevant event pack.