Volunteering at OC’s

If you are considering joining our squad of Sunday Saint’s who already enjoy the feel good factor of being involved on and off the pitch, then we are very grateful and happy to welcome you on board!

Volunteers at Old Colfeians are so important and hugely appreciated as they are the backbone of our clubs existence by leading, supporting & developing Rugby within our club and our wider community.

• ALL Volunteers – Report to the Clubs Safeguarding Team for DBS checks and guidance.
• Volunteer Coaches – Report to the clubs Coaching Co-ordinator for CPD training and guidance
• Volunteer First Aiders – Report to the clubs First Aid Co-ordinator for FA training and guidance
  
  See our clubs Contact page for current names, numbers and emails.

What do I do next ?

The SAFEGUARDING Team are your first port of call.

BEFORE you can begin volunteering you MUST first completed 2 eLearning courses and then complete an enhanced DBS check.

This ensures that as a club we fulfil our duty of care not only to the players, but also to yourself as a volunteer, ensuring that we are complying with our child welfare responsibilities in line with RFU and Constituant body (KENT RFC) policies and guidance for players involved in Age Grade rugby.

Please follow the 4 steps below in order.

1. Ensure you have an RFU ID and are associated to our club

Before we can proceed with your volunteer application, you are required to have an RFU ID number and be associated with our club via the RFU’s Game Management System (GMS). If you are the registered parent of a player this will already be done. If not, then please Register with our club and the RFU or ask the adult linked to your child’s GMS account to Add you as a new family member

2.  Training and Courses

The following 2 eLearning courses MUST be done BEFORE we can start your DBS application. (Specific CPD Courses relating to coaching/First Aid certs etc can be done afterwards)

– Head over to https://gms.rfu.com/GMS/coursefinder
– Log in to your GMS Account then add the FREE courses to your basket.
– Once purchased you will a link to complete the course via email.
– Once complete the qualifications should show up in the GMS Qualifications area in a few days time.
– NB: If you have difficulty in re-accessing the eLearning course after booking it,  please email safeguarding@rfu.com and we will seek to resolve this for you.

3. Complete our Volunteer application form and read the volunteer section of our club handbook.

4.  Complete your DBS application 

Once you have completed steps 1-3 then please contact the Safeguarding Team to start your DBS application.

The following will then happen:

• An automated email will be sent to you from the RFU’s DBS platform
• Please follow the link and choose 3 forms of ID.
  (TIP – Answer YES or NO to all the ID options to reveal further choices until you have selected 3 appropriate documents.)
• Present your 3 forms of ID in person to the safeguarding officer for your Rugby section to witness.
  (ID MUST BE ORIGINALS – No screenshots allowed). The process should take no more than 10 minutes. 
• Upon Completion, your Certificate should arrive within approx 2 weeks – Please let us know when it has arrived so we can mark you as complete on our records.

NB:  The DBS Certificate is your property to keep safe should you be requested to present it at any time in the future. We do NOT need to see a copy as all the information we require can be accessed on the RFU system should we need it.

Additional Courses

Courses overview

Once the compulsory eLearning courses have been completed to get your DBS certificate, you can then go on to take any other courses that are relevant to your volunteering role.

An overview of everything that is compulsory is outlined below.

Additional Courses

• The World Rugby online version of the Rugby Ready course is useful to complete while you await attending a face to face course:  http://rugbyready.worldrugby.org/
  
• The First Aid course is booked and paid for centrally by the clubs First Aid Co-ordinator who will liaise with you directly. This course is hosted at the club. Contact firstaid@ocrfc.co.uk
  
• You can also find many other courses such as the Kids First series of courses to further your coaching skills and many other CPD courses to upskill yourself.

The Minimum required courses are FREE. Some other courses do have a small costs but can be reimbursed by the club should you wish by sending your receipts to: Richard Williams (Minis treasure) richd_uk00@yahoo.com or Ann Muldowney (Junior & Club Treasurer)  tony.muldowney@btinternet.com

************************************************************************

Can I start volunteering before my application is complete?

Coaches – Yes you can, BUT only as part of our Coaching Buddy System set up to support new coaches.  This means that until ALL the above requirements have been met, you are very welcome to begin your role as an assistant coach but supervision is required at all times.  Once your DBS Certificate arrives, you feel confident and when your Manager and Head Coach are happy, you can then begin to lead sessions as a fully fledged Team Coach!  You should also make every effort to attend the relevant courses within approx. 2 months of beginning the role.

Team Managers – Yes you can.  However you should be working under the guidance of a DBS cleared individual until your own DBS had been completed.  You should also make every effort to attend the relevant courses within approx. 2 months of beginning the role.

First Aiders – Sadly not… You MUST attend and pass the RFU First Aid course before you can begin your role.  Your DBS must also be complete before practicing as a First Aider.
Any First Aid questions please contact our First Aid Co-ordinator:  firstaid@ocrfc.co.uk