SHMS Made Simple: Practical Support to Get Your Club Ready for 2027

The Devon Cricket Foundation is helping clubs prepare for 2027 with a straightforward SHMS support resource and a supporting webinar. Clubs can register now using the links below.

The Safe Hands Management System (SHMS) is your club’s central record of key people, roles, DBS checks and qualifications. Keeping it accurate helps clubs identify safeguarding gaps, support volunteers and maintain the requirements relevant to their activities.

Our SHMS Made Simple guide explains what Club Committees, Club Administrators and Club Safeguarding Officers need to know, with practical steps to make SHMS part of everyday club management.

Why SHMS matters for 2027

The ECB's 2027 Club Accreditation checklist expressly requires a fully up-to-date and compliant SHMS club profile, with key roles recorded and the necessary safeguarding checks in place.

The accreditation window opens in January 2027 and closes on 30 April 2027. This brings the accreditation timetable into the pre-season preparation period and makes autumn and winter the right time to review records, arrange training and resolve outstanding compliance actions.

This is particularly important for clubs planning to recruit overseas players through the managed migration process. Accreditation supports that process, so clubs should check their position early alongside the relevant endorsement and immigration requirements.

The 2027 accreditation window applies to clubs that held Clubmark accreditation between 2022 and 2025. Clubs accredited through the 2026 pilot follow a separate self-assessment and development-plan process.

A shared responsibility across the committee

SHMS works best when responsibility is shared:

  • The committee keeps safeguarding on the agenda, supports outstanding actions and plans for changes in volunteers.
  • The Club Administrator maintains club information, updates roles, follows up invitations and checks the dashboard.
  • The Club Safeguarding Officer helps identify DBS and training requirements and reports safeguarding actions to the committee.

The guide recommends a monthly review, with additional checks after the AGM, before the season and whenever volunteers change.

What should clubs check now?

Start with these practical steps:

  1. Check your club profile: make sure contact details, teams, sections and programmes reflect your current activities.
  2. Review role-holders: add new officials, update changed roles and remove people who have left.
  3. Follow up invitations: officials need to accept their SHMS roles before their records can be checked.
  4. Address red compliance items: these identify mandatory safeguarding requirements needing attention.
  5. Plan renewals: check DBS and training records early and allow time to resolve gaps.

The dashboard also displays blue advisory items, which identify opportunities to strengthen club practice. The Safe Hands Help Centre explains compliance rules and provides tutorials and troubleshooting guidance.

Register for a SHMS support webinar

The webinars will support clubs in using SHMS, understanding their dashboard, and preparing their records for 2027.

Webinar 1 | Tuesday, 12 January 2027 - 7pm-8:30pm
Webinar 2 | Wednesday, 24 March 2027 - 7pm-8:30pm

REGISTER HERE

Club Administrators, Club Safeguarding Officers, Chairs and other committee members involved in safeguarding are encouraged to take part.

Access the guidance and get support:

Contact

For local support or help getting your club onto SHMS, contact your Regional Club Development Officer:

North & East Devon
Antony Cox
antony.cox@devoncricket.co.uk
07375 323421
South & West Devon
Ian McCombes
ian.mccombes@devoncricket.co.uk
07939 016149

Use the winter to get organised, resolve outstanding actions before activity starts, and keep SHMS current throughout the season.