About Performance Wellbeing
Elite sport can be tough and so it's vital that athletes are supported throughout their journey in sport.
This page is a collection of resources, initiatives, and policies which have the aim of supporting everyone to enjoy their involvement in competitive Canoeing. This page is primarily aimed at Olympic and Paralympic disciplines but we hope others can also benefit from some of the content and resources.
The term Performance Wellbeing represents our goal to support our people to be safe and well, to reach their performance potential, to cope with demands of high performance sport and to reflect positively on their experiences.
We hope that the right support is available and accessible when athletes, staff, or volunteers need it most. We might not always get this right, and so we welcome ideas and input from anyone involved in the sport including athletes, coaches, parents, and volunteers. If you're facing a challenge we hope there is someone or something here to help you, and if not, we want to help find it! You will find contact details on the following tabs for a variety of people that will be able to offer guidance or signpost you to further support.
As part of our commitment to Performance Wellbeing, in August 2017 the Performance Wellbeing Group (PWG) was formed bringing together key staff, athletes, and volunteers to put wellbeing on the agenda within our Talent and Performance programmes. The Group have helped to embed the concept of Performance Wellbeing within our programme activities, and continue working to ensure that wellbeing is prioritised within our policies and procedures. For more information, see the 'Information and Resources' tab.
Meet our Athlete Reps and Support Staff
The Athlete Rep Group
The Athlete Rep Group (ARG) represent the voice of athletes across the World Class and Talent Programmes within our Olympic and Paralympic disciplines. The British Athletes Commission (BAC) - an independent membership association representing the interests of athletes in elite performance sports - support the Athlete Reps in their voluntary roles.
View our Athlete Rep poster here.
The Athlete Reps deliver the opinions and feedback of our World Class Programme (WCP) and Talent Programme athletes to senior staff including the Performance Leadership Team and the British Canoeing Board. Athlete Reps are also equipped to act as advisors to support the queries or concerns of fellow athletes. This peer-to-peer scheme provides an alternative route for athletes to be heard when they may be unsure to whom or how their comments should be delivered.
Our inaugural British Canoeing Athlete Reps will hold term for an initial period of one year. The 2018 Reps are:
- Afton Fitzhenry (WCP athlete, Sprint)
- Katie Reid (WCP athlete, Sprint)
- Phil Miles (WCP athlete, Sprint)
- Chelsey Dixon (WCP athlete, Paracanoe)
- Stewart Clarke (WCP athlete, Paracanoe)
- Kimberley Woods (WCP athlete, Slalom)
- Ben Haylett (WCP athlete, Slalom)
Performance Wellbeing Coach, Zofia
Hi – my name's Zofia and I’m the Performance Wellbeing Coach at British Canoeing.
It’s my job to support Talent and World Class Programme athletes and staff and to manage any questions or concerns relating to the wellbeing of our athletes. I am also the Safeguarding Lead for our Talent and World Class Programmes.
If you'd like to get in touch, please contact me on [email protected]
Performance Lifestyle Advisor, Emma
Emma works as the (EIS) Performance Lifestyle Advisor for British Canoeing working as part of the multi-disciplinary support team for athletes on the Olympic and Paralympic World Class Programmes.
The Performance Lifestyle service exists to ensure that there is an appropriate balance between the pursuit of performance and the care for the person behind the performance.
The main areas of expertise within Performance Lifestyle are:
- Managing Transitions
- Supporting Wellbeing
- Career Development and Planning
- Personal and Professional Development and Finance.
For more information please click on the link here or see the PL Delivery Principles here.
Get in Contact
We want to encourage a free and open culture across the whole of our sport. If you’re worried about something or if you have a concern or question, we want to address it.
Communication is essential for us to resolve problems, but also for us to be aware of and deal with potential issues before problems arise. Click the image below to view our flowchart for raising queries or concerns within or relating to the Performance Department.
Safeguarding
Use this form to report a Safeguarding concern.
Accident or Near-Miss
Use this form to report an accident or near-miss.
Athlete Rep Group
If you are an athlete on our World Class or Talent Programmes and you would like to contact the Athlete Rep Group, you can:
- Speak to any of the Reps face to face within your daily training environment.
- Email them on [email protected].
- Contact them individually via email or social media.
- Leave a note in one of our comment boxes at our High Performance Centres.
- Use our anonymous online comment box below.
Anonymous Comment Box
If you’d prefer, you can use the below comment box to submit a comment, query or concern to the ARG. You are welcome to leave anonymous comments by withholding your name and email address but please note that this will mean that the ARG will not be able to respond to you directly. We encourage you to leave an email address or alternative contact details in case the ARG would like to follow up on your comments or investigate any concerns in more detail.
Information and Resources
On this page you can find a range of useful information and resources.
Performance Wellbeing Strategy
We want to put our athletes, staff and volunteers right at the heart of everything we do. To help us do this we have created our Performance Wellbeing Strategy.
Click the diagram on the right to view the key areas of focus of our strategy.
- The Performance Wellbeing Group help us to prioritise the wellbeing of our people. To understand how the group operates, download our Terms of Reference here.
Safeguarding Policies and Guidance
Our Performance Programmes follow a range of safeguarding policies and guidance. These cover reporting concerns, mental health, trip welfare and more. Click the relevant document below to download.
- Reporting Guide for Safeguarding Concerns within Performance and Talent
- Safeguarding Children Policy
- Safeguarding Adults Policy
- Safeguarding Procedure by British Canoeing and the Safeguarding Case Management Group
- Interim Suspension Policy for Safeguarding Investigations
- One-to-one Coaching Arrangements Policy and Infographic
- Mental Health Support Guidelines
- EIS Mental Health Support
- Accident Protocol
- Welfare Point of Contact on Trips: requirements
- Welfare Point of Contact on Trips: responsibilities
- Welfare Point of Contact and Chaperone Guidance
- Social Media Guidelines for Staff
- Communicating with Athletes Guidance
- Risk Assessment Procedure for Coaches
Performance Information
Below stores useful performance information. Click the relevant document to download.
- WCP Athlete Handbook 2020
- Transitioning into a High Performance Centre - Guidance for Olympic WCPs
- Centralisation Philosophy: Training at a High Performance Centre or remotely
- Whistleblowing Policy
- Athlete Grievance Policy
- Code of Conduct for the Coaching Workforce
- Athletes Code of Conduct - WCP Athletes
- Athlete Code of Conducts - Talent Programme and other British Teams
- Consequences for Breaches of the Athlete Code of Conduct
- Athlete Disciplinary Policy
- Parents and Carers Code of Conduct
- Consequences for Breaches of the Parent/Carer Code of Conduct
- Appeals Procedure including Summary
Performance Wellbeing Advice and Information
Here is some of our wellbeing advice. Click the relevant document to download.
- British Canoeing Mental Health Team
- Mental Health Support Charities
- Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) - it's NOT concussion!
- Illness Advice Flowchart
- Illness Advice: Medication and Recovery
- Hygiene Habits for Athletes