Some are.
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The meeting I had with the CWC was one of the best things I did. They found out about me and what I was about, my experience in the Corps and I found out about them, what they did to raise money, looked at the property book, financial state of the sqn, any ongoing projects and so on, all before I started properly.
Yes CWC’s or more correctly some people on CWCs can be hard work, but so can some COs.
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The OC has total responsibility for the Welfare of their Cadets and Staff - not the CWC.
The CWC are to assist the OC in this matter and if they feel that it is the OC that is the ‘welfare issue’ then they raise it with Wing Chair.
I thought that a Wing Commander was able to grant a short leave of absence to uniformed staff, possibly placing a temporary caretaker type CO or member of Wing Staff in a unit to look after everything until they returned. If a member of staff needs just a very short amount of time off (which this would class as) it would appear to be a bit dramatic to expect them to leave and never return to a squadron.
I have to say that unfortunately, this is not just a P+C issue though, I have heard of similar issues and worry that the organisation is not caring for it’s volunteers adequately. Mental and physical health are very important and people should feel able to take time out when needed, family should also be prioritised ahead of the the ACO. I am pleased to hear that the Squadron staff are trying to support him at this time, I am sure that he will appreciate this.
I am just entering the ACO from the SCC. I was CO of a Sea Cadet Unit and needed to put it on the back burner because of professional commitments. I was granted a year off leave by the Area Officer and my 2 ic was given the reins. This worked from my point of view, but the trouble is he ran it off the rails and I had great difficulty recovering- in fact the unit never properly recovered. So there are swings and roundabouts in taking even a well earned rest!
As occasional visitors CWC see cadets less than we do and can potentially see changes, because they may be gradual we don’t, and flag it with us.
It’s like relatives who might not see your kids for several months and comment on how much they’ve grown etc because you see them all the time you don’t quite see it as much.
And in what capacity do your CWC “see” your cadets to the extent where they know who they are, can tell if there’s an issue or spot the aside all their colleagues?
Public events where they are fund raising or assisting and when they attend the sqn for meetings. All of my CWC have been DBSd as I felt it was appropriate for them to be so and they all did it without question.
As for training, if you think what we do in the ATC is adequate to deal with and spot problems over and above a ‘concerned citizen’, then you are wide of the mark.
I know people who have proper safeguarding roles and they have to do 3 days when they start, compulsory annual refreshers and 3 yearly ‘renewal’ and get fully involved in referrals and meetings. We do something that is a few slides every 5 years. We are no more than the nosey neighbour whose been given or picked up a leaflet.
As for spotting problems I thought it was the responsibility of everyone to flag concerns, from the nosey neighbour to specialist. Those I know who work in schools have said all staff including parents who volunteer to provide learning support have a responsibility to make people aware if they feel there is a problem. Therefore CWC and staff members fit in nicely with these groups.