Statement to all members re BR IP Report 23-01-2022
As already informed to members that attended on Tuesday evening and again on Sunday Morning.
A small number of adult club members raised complaints to British Rowing about the club’s governance.
British Rowing decided that to resolve the issues they would appoint an independent panel to investigate the club’s governance.
The recommendations of the Independent Panel’s investigation are listed below.
The Independent Panel’s Recommendations:
The IP thus recommends that CLSARC should be disaffiliated from BR, but such disaffiliation should be suspended until 30 April 2022 in order to allow the club time to consider both the contents and recommendations of this report and to take action to remedy the deficiencies in its governance and administration identified here. Such suspension is conditional on:
- (a) The club appointing a welfare officer with appropriate skills and experience sufficient to implement the CMG recommendations of November 2018.
- (b) Such club welfare officer should attend a safeguarding course (such as that organised by NSPCC) if the welfare officer has not previously attended such a course or does not have relevant skills and experience.
- (c) The club should publish on its website a welfare and safeguarding policy in accordance with the model used by British Rowing.
- (d) The club to appoint committee members for day to day running of the club who are not also trustees.
- (e) The club to publish on its website the minutes of trustee meetings within 7 days of such meeting taking place.
- (f) The club to publish on its website the minutes of committee meetings within 7 days of such meeting taking place.
- (g) British Rowing should monitor the progress of the club towards fulfilment of these conditions.
- (h) BR should publish on its website the recommendations of the Investigation Panel. The IP does not recommend that its detailed findings should be published as to do so would likely cause yet further strife and conflict within the club and the wider rowing community.
The trustees and committee are treating this situation very seriously and we are taking advice on how to implement the recommendations of the independent panel.
As a group we will do everything in our power to satisfy the recommendations that have been made and avoid the club’s disaffiliation.
As always your support is very much appreciated.
The Trustees and Committee of CLSARC