Frequently Asked Questions

There are lots of coaching opportunities in the Hampshire & IOW, and registering on Coaching Hampshire & IOW will give you more access to these opportunities. Coaching Hampshire & IOW can also help you: -

• To raise your awareness of best practice in coaching
• To develop your coaching qualifications
• Equip you to become a better coach
• To organise coaching employment and volunteering

We are a market leading organisation. Our services are integrated into the existing delivery system for sport, and are endorsed and funded by partners such as Sport England, Sports Coach UK, Local Authority Sports Development and Hampshire County Council.

Aside from advertising coaching hours we provide opportunities to: -

• attend accredited training courses
• to attend continuous professional development (CPD) workshops/courses
• access our Coach, Volunteer and Officials Scholarship Scheme
• receive help and advice through our E-news service and news articles, keeping our users abreast of the latest developments in coaching and sports development.

Coaching Hampshire & IOW may from time to time offer occasional coaching opportunities. However, for the most part we invite external hosting organisations (voluntary, public and private) to advertise coaching opportunities. We do not vet these opportunities as that is not our role. We simply aim to facilitate the matching of coaches to coaching opportunities.

It is the responsibility of coaches to ensure the opportunities are suitable for themselves and for the placement/employment organisations to ensure that the coaches they utilise are fit for purpose.

The types of employment/placement opportunities available include: -

None paid (voluntary) assistant coach: Suitable for someone just starting out on a their coaching career with only limited experience and either no qualifications or a level 1 in their chosen sport/s. This person would be assigned to a senior coach mentor to gain experience and would have a number of training needs to satisfy (e.g. a level 2 award) before being able to operate as a coach without supervision. Minimum age: 16 years.

Paid assistant coach: Suitable for someone who has some previous experience operating as an assistant coach, but will otherwise have a similar background to the voluntary coach described in above.

None paid (voluntary) coach: Suitable for a qualified level 2 coach who wishes to offer their services in a voluntary capacity. Most voluntary coaches will be providing their services to a voluntary sports club. Minimum Age 18 years.

Paid coach: Suitable for a qualified level 2 coach who wants paid work, which will be appropriate to their skills and experience. For example, if the coach has the experience and ability to work in a school environment then they can be considered for this type of paid role. This assessment will be made during the screening process and by a process of continuous assessment. Minimum Age 18 years.

None paid (voluntary) senior coach mentor: Suitable for an experienced level 2 coach or above whom has undergone a mentor training programme. This coach will be able to mentor assistant coaches in a supervisory capacity during coaching sessions. As a none paid mentor this coach will most likely providing their services to a voluntary club. Minimum age 18 years

Paid senior coach mentor: Suitable for an experienced level 2 coach or above whom has undergone a mentor training programme. This coach will be able to mentor assistant coaches in a supervisory capacity during coaching sessions. Minimum Age 18 years.

Will I be coaching in a group or coaching by myself?
Either or both! Coaches will have the opportunity to work with a supervisory coach, as a stand alone coach, working in a team of coaches and working supervising/managing other coaches. This is dependant on your qualifications, experiences and in what field of coaching you wish to work in.

The agreement outlines your responsibilities for safe and professional practice whilst making yourself available to work in the county. It also outlines our pledge to advertise appropriate placements and training opportunities and support you in your coaching.

We hope that this agreement will help drive up the level of support for coaches and the standards of coaching sessions delivered thus helping to make coaching a recognised, valued and quality profession.

Yes! The vast majority of governing bodies do not allow those under the age of 16 to undertake coaching qualifications (though, there are some exceptions). Therefore we are only inviting people over 16 to apply and join. There is no upper age limit for joining and we welcome people from a wide range of sports, ages and backgrounds to access our service.

At all times Coaching Hampshire & IOW recognises that the safety and well being of participants (in particular children and vulnerable adults, being those most at risk) is of paramount importance.

We therefore encourage all employing/placement organisations to undertake Enhance Criminal Records Bureau check before employing/placing a coach. If you have committed a criminal offence this is likely to show up on your CRB check. Depending on the particular circumstances of your case, the employing/placement organisation will determine whether the nature of your offence is likely to put your participants at risk.

Please note that at present you are not required to complete a CRB with Coach Hampshire & IOW to register. The provision of a CRB is the responsibility of the employing/deploying organisation with whom you do your work. However, before being eligible for our placement database you will have to fulfil a number of minimum operating standards, which are outlined during the registration process.

If the above explanations do not answer your queries in full, then please contact Coaching Hampshire & IOW by either emailing your query to info@coachinghampshireiow.co.uk or by phoning 01962 847523

The potential benefits for a placement provider joining the project include:

• Access to a pool sports coaches
• You will have the opportunity of viewing profiles and CVs from a number of coaches (where this is a supply available) before making a final selection
• You will be able to provide feedback about the coach on-line
• Guidelines to best practice in the employment, development and management of coaches
• Guidance on rewards and payments for coaches

If you're a regular employer of coaches then having access to a bank of coaches can save considerable time and effort in advertising and reduce some of the administration involved in the recruitment process. As the project grows we envisage the site being populated with enough coaches so that you'll also be able to fill an absence even at the last minute. The system will not only show you who is looking for work, but when they are available too.

By accessing the services provided by Coaching Hampshire & IOW, you are accessing the only service being supported by Sport England, Sports Coach UK, Sport Hampshire & IOW and Hampshire County Council.

One of the main roles of the Coaching Hampshire & IOW and Sport Hampshire & IOW's Coach Development strand is to highlight the industry standards for coaches and support those coaches who want to become the best they can be. We cannot, however, guarantee the quality of coaches who register on the site. We do promote a list of minimum operating standards that all coaches should aspire to achieve. These are: -

• Hold a NGB level 2 qualification (level 1 working as an apprentice coach with a more senior coach)
• Operating standards workshops/training e.g. Safeguarding & Protecting Children workshop, Working with People with a disability, Introduction to Long Term Athlete Development etc.
• Minimum age: 18 years (16 for an apprentice)
• Satisfactory interview and induction with the employment/placement
• Sign up to the professional code of practice
• Insurance
• References

We do not however ask for the following items in order for our coaches to register on the CMT: -

• Emergency first aid qualification
• Enhanced CRB check

Meeting these standards is still no substitute for observable competence, the right personality and experience. All employers are encouraged to create screening procedures to ensure they are recruiting a coach who is fit for purpose.

At present the project simply stores profiles (in addition to supporting a range of other services). Unlike some of our sister organisations we do not employ a pool of coaches which we later deploy/subcontract as and when they are required. At this stage our service simply helps to match employing/placement organisations to an active community of coaches who are seeking coaching opportunities.

Once you (the employer/placement organisation) have found a coach it is your responsibility to ensure that the coach is 'fit for purpose'. This should involve a robust screening process which may include (but not limited to): -

1. An interview
2. Sight of qualifications and certificates of attendance
3. Obtaining/validating an enhanced CRB
4. An observation of the coach
5. Checking references from previous coaching/leadership activities

For a coach to be able to perform a supervisory role for your organisation, they should ideally have completed all of the above together with satisfactory completion of supervisory monitoring and evaluation.

Supervisory monitoring & evaluation could include: -

• Training Needs Analysis/Ongoing requirements of the coach
• Personal Development Plans outlining ongoing training and CPD
• Satisfactory placement provider evaluations
• Annually updated CRB
• Satisfy CPD requirements of the sport
• Periodically observed in sessions

Remember the contract you establish between yourselves and the coach is just that. We cannot be held responsibility for the terms and conditions of service established between you and the coach . It is up to the placement organisation to ensure you have clear systems and procedures to cover all eventualities.

The key contact from the placement provider will have the contact details of someone at Coaching Hampshire & IOW, and will be able to contact us in the instance of a coach not turning up to deliver a session they are contracted to do.

Accurate feedback about the proficiency and conduct of coaches will help us to ensure that the coaches on the system maintain high standards of service and contribute positively to the coaching profession across the county.

If a coach is found to be unreliable or unprofessional, they will be given appropriate feedback and offered training if it is deemed that this course of action will result in a change in behaviour. Ultimately Coaching Hampshire & IOW/Sport Hampshire & IOW reserve the right to withdraw our services from any coach or placement provider who we deem to be unsuitable.

We can provide newsletters to keep your organisation's knowledge up to speed with all the latest developments in the Coaching and Sports Development fields. We can signpost your organisation and your coaches to training opportunities.

When a placement organisation/recruiter requests a coach, a search is conducted of the applicant information, and the system brings up a list of coaches with suitable qualifications, experiences and personalities to suit recruitment at your organisation, ensuring we help find the right people for the right coaching opportunities.

NOTHING!! In the pilot phase of this service, registering on the Coaching Hampshire & IOW site will be free. All we ask is that you register all coaches who work for/with you and encourage them to provide evaluations on their coaching activities and experiences with your organisation.

We'll happily share any data with you that complies with our data protection guidelines.

This will be dependant on the sport , the participants in the session that the coach is leading and the environment in which the coaching is taking place. Normally they will require someone to meet them when they arrive for the session, a list of those participating in the session, and the necessary equipment (that the coach doesn't have themselves) to deliver the session.

Our main aim is to ensure we build a clear picture of coaching activity within the county. Therefore our biggest commodity is information. The more information we obtain around coaching the better we are in a position to lobby for resources, distribute resources effectively and develop services and systems that meet local priorities and needs.
Coaching Hampshire & IOW is capable of collecting vast amounts of data on coaches, coaching activity and coaching support. Once collected this data can be analysed to measure the strengths and weaknesses of the coaching system in Hampshire & IOW and suggest where we need to focus our energies and resources.