Paddlesport Safety and Rescue Provider

What the Role Entails

The role of a Paddlesport Safety and Rescue Course (PSRC) Provider is rewarding, demanding and critical to the development of the sport; you will play a key role in the development of independent paddlers, instructors, leaders and coaches.

PSRC Providers carry out the following tasks

• to provide the Paddlesport Safety and Rescue Course;
• provide course candidates with a clear development plan at the end of the course (Aspirant Paddlesport Instructors, Leaders or Coach’s require more detailed action planning);
• act as an ambassador for British Canoeing Awarding Body Qualifications and Awards and their National Association Delivery Centre;
• support the continuous professional development of coaches and leaders through safety workshops.

In addition, it is expected that all PSRC Providers will be committed to supporting aspirant PSRC Providers. This may include:

• supporting aspirant Providers with the development of action plans;
• supporting aspirant Providers who are observing or working as an additional member of staff on training programmes;
• providing supporting evidence of completion of action plans or endorsing the skills of an aspirant Provider.

It is acknowledged that PSRC providers may charge course fees or daily rates for their delivery of PSRC courses and Paddles Up Training are not employing providers to deliver these courses, appropriate steps must be taken by those providers to ensure they are compliant with local employment legislation. However, it is expected that PSRC providers would not normally charge for the provision of support of aspirant providers.

Key Responsibilities

• to deliver the Paddlesport Safety and Rescue Course workshops in line with the Provider Service Agreement, Data Processing Agreement, Course Syllabus and National Association Delivery Centre policies and procedures;
• to support the National Association monitoring and evaluation of Safety systems and delivery when requested;
• to role model good practice and generally support/promote best practice;
• to attend, and contribute to, training and standardisation meetings, workshops and other update events or developmental activities as required;
• to maintain records of relevant communications and activities;
• to accurately complete end of course processes and retain records where required.

WHAT DOES THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS LOOK LIKE?

Your development to becoming a PSRC provider starts with your application. Applications open each April and if your successful, your orientation (2 day course) will give you the chance to work with one of our Trainers. To get the most out of the orientation we recommend that:

• you have worked through these webpages and considered all of the suggested development;
• you have observed, supported and worked on PSRC courses before the Orientation.

BEING A SUCCESSFUL PROVIDER WILL INVOLVE:

• being great at delivering and facilitating learning of a range of safety skills in a range of craft;
• being able to Paddle and Rescue from a range of craft to meet the demonstration needs of the program (Canoe, Kayak and SUP)
• experience of delivering a range of Paddle Awards to a range of learners;
• delivering a range of Personal Performance Awards;
• be able to identify strengths in individuals as well as areas for development.

MAINTAINING THE ROLE

On becoming a PSRC Provider, you will be required to follow and agree to the Provider Service Agreement. This includes following the Update Scheme.

You will also be expected to attend a moderation event every 3 years; this is to keep you up to date with, and to share best practice with, other PSRC Providers.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Read more about the PSRC here, including the course content and documents.

WHEN CAN I APPLY?

PSRC Provider applications are taken each April. Successful applicants are then able to book on an Orientation. Whilst applications do not open until April, Orientation events are advertised year round so you can “save the date”.

Minimum Requirements

To become a PSRC provider, you must meet the following requirements

Values and Attitudes

Interpersonal:

Has strong interpersonal skills, the ability to operate as a team player and excellent customer care skills.

Communication:

Is able to communicate effectively with a wide range of people. Is skilled in communicating through various media, has excellent presentation and report-writing skills. Is competent in the language used for assessment.

Integrity:

Is fair and equitable, ethical and honest. Treats people with respect, is candid, and protects confidential information. Adheres to Paddles Up Training policies and demonstrates loyalty to Paddles Up Training and the team. Supports equality of opportunity.

Problem Solving:

Is a clear thinker able to approach tasks in a systematic and logical manner. Has excellent problem solving and analytical skills.

Open Mindedness:

Is able and willing to take and offer advice. Is willing to learn, develop and grow.

Experience:

Has significant and current experience delivering Safety.

Competence:

Has competence in the subject matter of the qualification, and in personal paddling and safety skills.

Judgement:

Has the ability to make accurate judgements about the standard of candidates’ training and assessing skills.

Knowledge and Understanding:

Has sound and current knowledge and understanding in all aspects of the relevant syllabi and all that is involved in delivering the Safety training and assessment.

Commitment:

Is committed to continued professional development to maintain the standards required of the role, including:

• the maintenance of Update Scheme requirements remaining active in the relevant disciplines/environment
• remaining up-to-date with current best practice in all aspects of the relevant Safety Award syllabus
• being able to demonstrate personal paddling/safety competence in the relevant discipline/environment
• taking part in informal/formal activities that will help ensure their own interpretation of Safety standards and requirements is at the correct level

Further Instructions

Application Process

Applications open in April each year. An 'Apply now' button will appear on all open roles, please read the instructions on the application for application deadlines and offline options.

Orientations will be agreed with successful applicants. Orientations are face to face, typically two days in duration. The up to date orientation fee can be found by looking at the available dates under booking now or by looking at the Paddles Up Training Delivery Centre Fees document Here . There may be additional costs in the case of a final sign off being required.

Development Pathway

To get the most out of your PSRC Provider Orientation and your journey to becoming an PSRC Provider, we have prepared a selection of suggestions and recommendations of steps to prepare for the course and support your development. This should not be seen as a tick list or minimum requirement as every aspirant provider journey will be different. We recommend you sit down with an experienced provider and develop an action plan to support your development.

PSRC Provider Self Analysis

A PSRC provider needs to understand each of the following areas of planning, delivering and reviewing a PSRC course. We recommend you consider each question and ensure you know the answer before your Orientation. It is important to focus your development on those areas you feel you are less familiar with or competent in.

Administration and Organisation of a Course Planning

• What are the course staffing requirements? (ratios/roles)
• How do you get course authorisation?
• What are the pre-requisites for the course?

• Who will be your course candidates?
• How will you tell them about your courses?

• You may need to consider the costs of the course or what you might charge?
• What are the fees or costs to you of running the course?
• Will you need to hire equipment?
• Is the course being funded by a club, centre or organisation?

• When will you cancel courses? How far in advance?
• How do you warn candidates that a course might be cancelled?
• What happens to things you have paid for if the course is cancelled?

In order for the course to be safe, enjoyable and meet the key outcomes of the training course we need to make some key decisions to ensure we are in the right place at the right time. You may need to know:

• Where can you meet and greet your candidates, where can you do an initial briefing? Where will they get changed? Where can they have lunch and where can we do the course close and debrief?
• What are the changing arrangements like for the location? Does the location have a safeguarding policy?
• Does the location have access to refreshments? Is it easy to get food and drink?

• Are we permitted to paddle? What is the water quality like? How deep is the water? How is the venue effected by the weather? Does the venue have everything you need to run the course? Is the equipment near the water? How do we move the equipment to where you need it?
• What other users are there at the location? How might they affect your course? How might we affect them? How do we minimise conflict and help everyone enjoy the environment? Is there anything else we should consider such as nesting birds?

The course syllabus is detailed and provides a clear list of subjects that must be covered, outside of this core content every course will be different and we may want to consider:

• How will you tailor a course to a group or environment?
• What might you do differently if all of the candidates were aspirant Paddlesport Instructors?
• Why might you recommend a longer course duration?
• How might your plan change for candidates under 18?
• What will you do in winter when days are shorter and the weather/ water is colder?

For our Candidates to get the most for our course you will need to manage the programme well and may need to consider several factors:

• How will you structure the day to make the best of the time we have?
• How will you get the most out of the location?
• How will you ensure your delivery style meets the needs of the candidates?
• How will you ensure activities and practice sessions are safe and effective?
• How will you balance tutor led learning and learner devised learning in your sessions?

You will need to be able to demonstrate and explain a range of techniques from the bank and on/in the water from a range of paddlesport craft as well as understand all aspects of the syllabus and craft. You may also need to consider how you will manage courses where the number of participants is odd? It might be useful to consider how certain techniques will be demonstrated if you are working alone? You may need to consider how you use a second provider to get the most out of them.

What end of course procedure do you need to complete? How will you ensure each candidate has an opportunity to talk to you at the end of the course, ask questions and receive personal feedback?

Every Course is an opportunity for learning and improving. End of course feedback. We can create a positive impact on our future experiences by performing a good post course review. What did you learn today? What can you focus on next time? Who can you discuss your performance with or get support from to make improvements?

• Very experienced paddlers might be able to have their experience recognised through Accredited Prior Learning, how will I recognise this? What advice would I give them? How do APL Applications work?
• How will I manage a conflict of interest? How will I recognise that there is a conflict of interest?
• What do I do if a candidate asks for special consideration? What do I do if a candidate asks me about the reasonable adjustment policy? What do I do if a candidate can’t do some of the training?
• What do I do if someone isn’t happy with your course? How can I get support from Paddles Up Training?

Development options

• Decide – do I want to be signed off at orientation or have a development plan and need a final assessed delivery?
• Mentor – who can help me? Who has recently become a provider who understands the journey?
• Read – The ‘Provider role webpages’

• Read - the most up to date PSRC Syllabus and Training notes, comparing them to when you undertook your PSRC training, what is different? What has changed?
• Observe – do you have access to local providers you can go and watch? Can you see more than one provider run a course? How do courses change when they are run in different places?
• Watch – the PSRC videos on the British Canoeing Awarding Body youtube channel?

• Consider – where will you run your courses, how will you ensure you have all of the equipment to run a course? How will your courses be different depending on different candidates? Time of year? Temperature? How do we ensure we have the right kit to remain productive during a long cold day on/ in the water?
• Consider – where do you learn best? What locations have worked well in your experience? What locations have not worked and why?

• Get involved – do I have access to groups that would enjoy learning different rescue techniques? Can I co deliver any PSRC courses?
• Get some personal coaching – who can help me develop your rescue skills? Could you do a PPA in SUP, Race etc to develop understanding? Who do you know who would be willing to come out and practise with you?

• Read – the policies and procedures that affect your course;
• Discuss – different scenarios with your mentor or a National Association Trainer;
• Watch – how to videos for subjects like course authorisation and certification.

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