May 21, 2021
Cara Sport Inclusion Ireland in partnership with Sport Ireland, The Federation of Irish Sport and Volunteer Ireland are delighted to announce the launch of the Inclusive Volunteer in Sport programme today the 21st of May 2021.
The programme aims to empower new and existing volunteers to become champions of inclusion, providing quality opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in sport and physical activity. It will encourage and support participants to be more reflective of their practice in relation to the inclusion of people with disabilities.
The programme acknowledges the very important role that volunteers have across the sporting and physical activity sectors and shines the spotlight on the importance of providing equal opportunities for people with disabilities to participate and volunteer in sport and physical activity.
The programme is offering 100 free places to individuals who would like to volunteer or who are already volunteering within their club and community. Each participant will receive online Inclusive Disability Training and will avail of an exciting opportunity to participate in our inclusive volunteer webinar, which is hosted by Rob Hartnett of Sport For Business.
Cara very much welcome applications from people with disabilities who are interested in volunteering and who would like to upskill in inclusion and disability.
Full details of the launch and the programme can be found on the website www.caracentre.ie/volunteer
Cara Inclusive Volunteer Programme
May 10, 2021
Sport Ireland wish to notify NGBs, LSPs and other funded bodies that the updated Sport Ireland Return to Sport COVID-19 eLearning Course is now available on our website.
The course, which can be publically accessed on the Sport Ireland website here (https://www.sportireland.ie/covid19/course), aims to continue supporting administrators, volunteers, coaches and participants to return to sport in a safe & practical manner. The course is structure similarly to the previous version with additional lessons included to reflect updated guidance. Funded Bodies are encouraged to share the course with their affiliates, clubs and members through their direct communication & social media channels.
This e-Learning course should be completed and interpreted in conjunction with the Governments latest public health measures provided at www.gov.ie/coronavirus along with the public health advice provided on the Health Service Executive Coronavirus webpage
Updated Sport Ireland COVID-19 eLearning Course Content:
- Introduction to the Sport Ireland COVID-19 Return to Sport e-Learning Course
- Protect yourself and others from COVID-19
- Hand hygiene
- Equipment hygiene
- Face coverings
- COVID-19 Medical Considerations for Sports Activities
- Safe Return to Sport and Physical Activity Checklist
- Recommendation for specific populations
- Stay Safe in the Outdoors
- Sport Ireland COVID-19 Officer Return to Sport e-Learning Course
- Recording Attendance at Activities
- How to manage a participant with COVID-19 symptoms?
- Stay Informed
Contact & Queries:
Any general queries in relation Covid19 should be directed to either the NGB or LSP Units at Sport Ireland directly.
May 6, 2021
Please find below additional information in relation to the recent government announcements provided by Sport Ireland.
Training
- From May 10th outdoor training for adults in pods of a maximum of 15 people can return. This includes contact training.
- On that basis, outdoor, contact training will also be permitted for those under the age 18 in pods of a maximum of 15 people.
Competition
- Outdoor (non-elite & club) matches and competitions may recommence on June 7.
- Such competition must take place without spectators.
- Sports that do not have a fixed number of competitors (i.e. non team sports) should engage directly with Sport Ireland to discuss the capacity requirements of their individual sports.
Indoor facilities
- Indoor facilitates such as gyms, swimming pools & sports / leisure centres can reopen from June 7th for individual training.
- The Return to Sport Expert Group has developed guidance for sports bodies in relation to the delivery of this individual training. The most recent version of this guidance is attached.
- Final information in relation to capacity levels within indoor facilities is still to be confirmed. Sport Ireland welcomes submissions from indoor sports with regards to the capacity requirements of their individual sports.
Individual Indoor Training May 2021
May 5, 2021
This Governance Code for Sport (the Code) is a voluntary code of practice for good governance of sport organisations in Ireland. Sport Ireland requires all National Sports Governing bodies to have the governance code adopted / in place in their organisation by 31st December 2021.
Now is the time to act to get all the five principles in place to enable the organisation to adopt the Code by 31st December 2021 deadline and be compliant.
The code is based on five principles:
- Leading our organisation
- Exercising control over our organisation
- Being transparent and accountable
- Working effectively
- Behaving with integrity
The process involves three steps:
On the journey form-showing that your organisation is committed to starting the process as set out for its organisation type and is now on the Adoption Journey to become compliant Public statement of compliance form
Public Statement of Compliance Form showing that your organisation has completed the process and now complies with the principles of the Governance Code for Sport for a three-year period
Comply or Explain Form The Governance Code for Sport then identifies a series of recommended Board practices to support organisations to comply with the Code. This form must be completed to show that the recommendations have been implemented and embedded by your organisation
How can OSK help?
OSK can assist your organisation in completing ‘Principle Two Exercising control over our organisation’ as this principle deals with financial aspects of the Code:
- Identifying and complying with relevant legal and regulatory requirements.
- Making sure there are appropriate internal financial and management controls.
- Identifying major risks for our organisation and deciding ways of managing the risks.
So what does your organisation need to do to comply with ‘Principle 2 – Exercising control over our organisation’. The organisation must show that the following are in place:
- Financial procedures manual
- Internal controls
- Audit Committee
- Financial policies and financial reporting
- Regulatory compliance
- Risk assessment
- Financial management
The team in OSK have developed a package to assist your organisation to put in place the policies and procedures to enable your organisation to comply with Principle 2 of the Code.
If you need assistance on this aspect of the Code please contact, Deirdre McDermott mcdermottd@osk.ie audit and advisor director and she will outline what services OSK Accountants can provide in relation to Principle 2 of the code and provide a quote for these services.
OSK is the official Audit and Accounting partner of the Federation of Irish Sport (FIS) and the preferred supplier of these services to the Federation’s members.
Apr 30, 2021
The Federation welcomes yesterday’s announcement that outdoor based sport and physical activity for adults can recommence from May 10th. We also welcome the pathway outlining increased opportunities for primarily indoor based sporting activities to begin from June 7th. After a challenging 15 months for all within the sport and physical activity sector, the publication of the pathway is an important tool for all organisation’s planning for the weeks and months ahead.
While this is a positive step, the Federation is acutely aware of the ongoing concerns of many members, particularly those whose activities are predominantly indoor, We will continue to work with our members to voice their challenges over the coming weeks and months as we hope to see further successful easing of restrictions and a greater resumption of activity in line with the planned pathway as the vaccine rollout continues. We thank Minister Jack Chambers and his department officials for their ongoing efforts to support the sport and physical activity sector and we will continue to engage over the coming weeks.
ENDS.
