Become a Coach
Player CARE Coach Lead: The person your Coaches turn to
The person your Coaches turn to.
Player CARE Coaches are usually team captains — the people a teammate messages first when something is wrong. The Lead is who the Coaches themselves go to. Someone who checks they're coping, makes sure new people get trained, knows what to do when something serious comes up, and keeps all of it running when the committee changes. Player CARE Coach Leads are also typically the ones who join our peer network, as it is also important that they have people to check that they're coping too!
Most organisations need one. Larger ones might want two.
What a Lead does
Supports and supervises the people doing player care day to day
Makes sure incoming committee members and captains are trained
Holds the escalation route, and knows when to use it
Keeps welfare arrangements alive through handover
One in three young people are struggling with their mental health
One in seven 10-19 year olds has a diagnosed mental disorder
Suicide is the biggest cause of death in men under the age of 50
ABOUT THE COURSE
What the course covers
Supervising and supporting peer supporters, including spotting when someone is carrying too much
Common mental health difficulties, in more depth than the Coach course
Boundaries — what the role is, and more importantly what it isn't
Escalation, and working with your institution's support services
Running and refreshing Player CARE training inside your own organisation
Keeping arrangements going through committee turnover
Format
Live online, so it doesn't matter where in the UK or Ireland you are. The training is offered in the spring and autumn, takes around half a day and is delivered by our core team of experienced psychologists. The course has been accredited by the University of Ulster.
Prerequisites: That you hold a position supervising or supporting players or coaches.
The Lead qualification and the Charter
Gold on the Player CARE Charter asks for at least one qualified Player CARE Lead, or equivalent, able to provide support to colleagues. This qualification is one way to meet that criterion. It isn't the only one, and you don't need it for Bronze or Silver.