Health & Safety Forum Chair

Our Purpose and Vision

As the recognised national governing body for swimming, artistic swimming, diving and water polo in England, Swim England helps people learn how to swim, enjoy the water safely, and compete in all our sports.

Our Vision is to champion a healthy and successful nation through swimming and aquatic activity. The ability to swim is a life-skill that is essential to keep us safe in, on and around water. It is one of the nation’s most popular recreational activities enjoyed by millions of people in England.

Swim England, through aquatics, is uniquely placed to tackle inequalities and support health and wellbeing given the activities’ accessibility to people of all ages and abilities. On top of this, aquatics is made up of four amazing Olympic and Paralympic sports with our network of clubs and talent pathways supporting people to realise their full potential in the water.

In March of this year, we published in full the findings of an independent listening research report commissioned as part of our pledge to create a better future for everyone involved in aquatic sports. We are committed to only recruiting individuals who are as passionate as we are about being on this journey.

To find out more about what we do to work towards achieving our vision, download the full candidate pack from the job description button.

Volunteers form the backbone and heart of our Swim England family. They support our clubs, events and programmes across the country and they help ensure our aquatic sports grow and thrive. Our volunteers are our biggest asset and their contribution is invaluable. To find out more about volunteering for Swim England, please visit our volunteering page.

We are seeking a Chair from the Swim England Membership for our Health & Safety Forum for a four-year term.  The Forum is part of our formal governance structure, reporting into the Sport Operations Committee which reports directly to the Swim England Board.

The overall purpose of the Health & Safety Forum is;

“To support and promote a preventative Health and Safety culture across all of Swim England”

The Terms of Reference for the Health & Safety Forum can be found within the recruitment pack however the main areas of responsibility include;

• Prepare, or to approve the content of, all Swim England’s published materials on safety.
• Consider information and trends from incident and accident reports (National, Regional and County) produced by the Swim England insurers to underpin learning, guidance and policy for the sport.
• Provide information and advice on health and safety issues, including information and examples on best practice.
• Review identified health and safety risks and advise the risk owner of any recommendations.
• Monitor emerging accident and incident issues/trends from clubs and (where possible) other affiliated organisations, not identified through the insurance report, making recommendations accordingly.

The Chair role is a voluntary position, with expenses reimbursed in line with Swim England’s policies.

The minimum time commitment is around one day per quarter including attendance at meetings which take place at least twice per annum.

If you feel you have the suitable skills and attributes for this position, then we would like to hear from you.

To find out more about the role, download the full recruitment information pack which includes further information about the role, the opportunity and contains the terms of reference for the Health &Safety Forum.

We are looking to engage volunteers who have:

• Experience of working within health and safety at a senior level. Knowledge and skills from other sectors to share best practice and continuously improve SE Health and Safety relevance.
• Experience of chairing and running meetings effectively.
• A commitment to Swim England’s mission and values. Able to work in a way that demonstrates this commitment and to communicate this enthusiasm to others.
• A good communicator with excellent leadership and interpersonal skills, objective and independent and able to challenge supportively.
• Able and willing to devote the necessary time to the role.
• An interest in sport and a willingness to learn about the context in which Swim England and subsidiary businesses operate.

So if you feel you have the suitable skills and attributes for this position then we would like to hear from you.

For an informal discussion about the role, please make contact via [email protected] and we will put you in contact with the relevant Hiring Manager.

Please be aware that we use parsing software to extract key information from your CV, which you are able to review and edit within the application form. It is advisable to provide a simple text CV (i.e. no tables, images of text etc.) to aid the transfer of information. Please review the information in your application form prior to submitting.

Potential interview dates: 3^rd / 4^th October 2024

No Agencies Please

Please note;

Swim England is committed to inclusion and embracing the spirit of all equalities legislation. As a Disability Confident Employer, we actively encourage applications from disabled people. We recognise that the diversity of our workforce is not reflective of today’s society and we are currently operating a pilot scheme whereby applicants from ethnically diverse backgrounds can opt into our guaranteed interview scheme. Candidates that have opted into the scheme will be guaranteed an interview provided that they have demonstrated, within their application, that they meet the essential criteria for the role. When completing the application, applicants from ethnically diverse backgrounds are encouraged to ‘Opt In’ to the scheme, by ticking the box.

Where possible, Swim England will always make reasonable adjustments for accessibility to anyone who requires it. If you would like any of the documentation in a different format or would like to apply in a different way please get in touch via [email protected]. All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process, in line with the Equality Act 2010. However, the organisation may employ positive action where candidates from underrepresented groups can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well.

Swim England is also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.