What is Safe Hands Management System (SHMS)?

The Safe Hands Management System, also known as SHMS, is an online Club Management Tool introduced in 2021 to support clubs in proactively managing safeguarding. It allows clubs to keep an accurate online record of all the individuals and volunteers in regulated roles at their club, and it directly links with ECB systems so accurately reflects DBS, SYC and CSO qualifications. It will be expanded to show coaching and first aid qualifications.

Currently all Clubmark clubs, and all clubs delivering National Programmes or youth cricket, have access to the system. All other affiliated clubs will receive their invite to use the system shortly.

Watch the introductory video: What is the Safe Hands Management System?
introductory video: What is the Safe Hands Management System?

Safeguarding

Somerset Cricket Foundation (SCF) is committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment in which children, young people and adults from all backgrounds can enjoy and achieve in cricket either as a participant, volunteer or staff member.

Club Safeguarding Requirements

  • All clubs with junior sections and any club playing under 18’s in open age cricket must meet safeguarding standards;
  • The club must adhere to the ECB Safe Hands Policy and Procedures;
  • Each club must have a trained and vetted Club Safeguarding Officer;
  • All adults who work with children at the club have must have a current ECB DBS check in place; and
  • All adults who work with children in cricket must have undertaken the appropriate ECB training.

BENEFITS OF USING SHMS

  • It offers a secure platform for storing and managing information about club volunteers, no need to keep paper copies of the skills and qualification spreadsheet;
  • It’s integrated to ECB systems, meaning all information, and dates of qualifications and expiries is continually up to date;
  • It allows clubs to proactively manage their safeguarding responsibilities;
  • There’s a dedicated Support Team dealing with any queries;
  • It demonstrates that your club is committed to making cricket a safe sport for all;
  • It’s a requirement for access to ECB funding; and
  • Your club is entitled to free Public Liability insurance through Howdens on completion of an Insurance Risk Assessment accessed through SHMS.

What the clubs say…

Historically in order to keep up with the amount of volunteer roles especially with the likes of the Dynamos and All Stars programmes, we had to keep our own spreadsheet of our club helpers details, when they qualified, when things were up for renewal including DBS. What SHMS has done is centralise all that volunteer information and it calculates for you if you are compliant as a club (based on number of teams/participants). It is far easier as it does the legwork for the Safeguarding Officer in my case, by sending out an invitation email to the club volunteers asking them to join, once they have completed their simple details SHMS does the rest.

Another big plus is the online risk assessment which in turn gives the club very good insurance via the ECB and their appointed brokers ‘Howden’, the risk assessment is detailed but can be completed fully online in one go especially if you use the statistics you have already created on SHMS (Teams, break down in participant numbers etc).  The insurance covers various liabilities (i.e. public, employers) and also covers directors/officers liabilities.

Ant Hardwell, Knowle CC

We took advantage of the free Public Liability insurance, and when our club insurance was up for renewal, we were able to save around £2,000 by removing coverage that was doubled up by having separate policies.

Jon Mayo, Weston-super-Mare CC

SMHS Information and process

Contacts