Pathway · Step up
Club Welfare Officer to Safeguarding Officer
How to move from Club Welfare Officer to Safeguarding Officer: what to learn, what to prove and what formal steps, if any, are needed.
Qualification check for Safeguarding Officer
Required
This move needs the right qualification, licence or registration for the new role. Specialist safeguarding training and background checks are required, and teaching, social work or policing backgrounds are common.
4 to 7 yearstypical timeline
2new skills to build
1qualifications to consider
+2833%mid-point UK pay change, illustrative
The move at a glance
Club Welfare Officer
A volunteer who looks after safeguarding and welfare at a grassroots club.
Safeguarding Officer
Leads child and adult safeguarding at a club or body.
Skills and knowledge to build
Experience and routes that help
Qualifications to consider
Tools to learn
What the new role asks of you
- Run safeguarding policies and training
- Handle concerns and referrals
- Work with police and local authorities
Practical steps
- Ask for a small piece of the new role's work before you apply, for example one of the tasks above.
- Close the top gap first: Data Protection & Privacy.
- Keep a record of two results that show you working at the next level.
- Talk to three people who do the job. Ask how they got in, and who they would recommend you speak to.