It may not be excting, but adhering to health and safety regulations is vital.

Clubs have a legal obligation towards the health and safety of volunteers; to avoid carelessly causing injury to people. A club can show its commitment to protecting against the risk of harm or injury to its members by producing a simple Health and Safety Policy.

Each club's policy will differ depending on (for example):

• the sport/activity;
• the club premises and whether the club owns or hires its facilities;
• the number (if any) of paid employees;
• participants with special needs etc.

To ensure the policy is put into practice the club will need buy in from as many people in the club as possible. It's important to discuss the policy with the club committee and club members to get their input.

You should also keep an Incident/Accident report to record any incidents that have affected club members/visitors, whether on or off the premises.

The duty of care is a general legal duty on all individuals, sports/physical activity clubs and National Governing Bodies to avoid carelessly causing injury to people.

Examples of where duty of care should be applied are:

• loaning equipment to others;
• fund-raising walks, events and sponsored runs;
• hosting tournaments and competitions;
• organising day trips;
• selling food at events.

Clubs with volunteers do not normally have to register their activities with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) unless they are classed as 'dangerous activities'. The HSE often works with the National Governing Bodies of sport to develop guidance on the approach to risks, however self-regulation also plays an important role in the majority of sports.

Clubs that own or are responsible for premises or buildings must register with the local Fire Authority and clubs that prepare, store, supply or sell food on five or more days in any five week period must register with the local Environment Health Department.

Ideally, a qualified first aider should be available at all club training sessions and events.

There should be at least one first aid kit at every training session/event.

Clubs should encourage members, coaches and/or volunteers to attend a first aid training course.

First aid training courses typically cost around £30 and there are a number available.

Contact your National Governing Body in the first instance; other training providers include the British Red Cross and St John Ambulance.

An essential part of any club is to provide a safe and friendly environment for everyone.

It is every club's duty to consider the way in which it carries out its activities and to take all reasonable steps to make sure that participants, visitors and volunteers can enjoy the sport/activity provided by the club in a safe environment.   This is particularly true when considering young people and vulnerable groups.

It is vital the club has the correct procedures in place to protect the junior and vulnerable members and also to protect the coaches and volunteers. The club needs to make sure that the policies and procedures which are in place are current, valid and specific to the type of sport/activity and to the club.

The safe recruitment of any volunteer at a club is crucial, not only to protect children and vulnerable adults, but also to protect the coach/volunteer. For more information on safe recruitment visit the CPSU webpage

Many National Governing Bodies have their own guidelines for clubs on Welfare and where these exist they should be followed.  As a first step, contact your NGB  to see what policy documents and procedures they have in place.

Another area to access information is The Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU). This unit has been set up throughout the UK by partnerships between the sports councils (e.g. Sport Wales) and the NSPCC.  The Child Protection in Sport Unit have their own website, resources and training events that you can access to make sure your club has everything in place.

It is recommended that all clubs appoint a Welfare Officer who is responsible for making sure that the right procedures are followed as well as being the first point of contact for the club.

It is important that everyone in the club is aware that it is a collective responsibility to implement the procedures regardless of their status or role.

A template job description for a Welfare Officer is available. The name and contact details of the Welfare Officer should be displayed prominently throughout the club environment, and given to parents and members - existing and new. This person then becomes the point of contact for other members of staff, for parents and children, and for other organisations such as the Police, Local Authority or Social Services.

Any officer, volunteer, coach or other responsible adult with concerns should report these concerns to the Welfare Officer along with all the details written down and signed using a standard incident recording form.  If the Welfare Officer thinks that there is a possibility that the abuse could have taken place they will report it to the Social Work Department, the Police and the NGB.

For more information on the role of a Welfare Officer please visit the CPSU website

Training is available for Welfare Officers. A workshop 'Safeguarding and Protecting Children', formerly Good Practice and Child Protection is available from the provider SportsCoach UK. This is a 3 hour workshop for coaches and volunteers in sport and focuses on the essential good practices to protect the child and coach. These workshops run throughout Wales. Click here to see details of courses running in your area.

Some NGB's offer sport specific training in this area - contact your NGB for more information here.

'Vulnerable adult' refers to adults (over 18) who have a physical disability, mental illness, learning disability or who, through illness or injury may be in need of assistance, or may be unable to protect themselves against significant harm or serious exploitation which may be occasioned by the actions or inactions of other people.

Through the implementation of your club equal opportunities policy it is likely that your club may attract, if not already have, staff and members who are 'vulnerable adults'. It is therefore important that you develop a vulnerable adult policy so that you are able to involve those staff and members in a safe and inclusive way. Your National Governing Body may already have a policy in place which your club could adopt. As a first step you should contact them to see what policies and documents they may have. If there is nothing in place you could develop your own using a template.

Some National Governing Bodies have a Welfare policy which usually covers both Child Protection and Adult Protection as well as other issues relating to equality. In these cases your club could adopt the welfare policy.