Child Protection Policy
(1) Woodley Saints Football Club acknowledges its responsibility
to safeguard the welfare of every child and young person who has been entrusted
to its care and is committed to working to provide a safe environment for all
members. A child or young person is anyone under the age of 18 engaged in any
club football activity. We subscribe to The Football Association’s child protection
and best practice policy and procedures and endorse and adopt the policy statement
contained in that document.
(2) The key principles of The FA Child Protection Policy are
that:
(a) The child’s welfare is, and must always be, the paramount
consideration.
(b) All children and young people have a right to be protected
from abuse regardless of their age, gender, disability, culture, language,
racial origin, religious beliefs or sexual orientation.
(c) All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken
seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.
(d) Working in partnership with other organisations, children
and young people and their parents or carers is essential. We acknowledge that
every child or young person who plays or participates in football should be
able to take part in an enjoyable and safe environment and be protected from
poor practice and abuse. Woodley Saints Football Club recognises that this is
the responsibility of every adult involved in our club.
(3) Woodley Saints Football Club has a role to play in
safeguarding the welfare of all children and young people by protecting them from
physical, sexual or emotional harm and from neglect or bullying. It is noted
and accepted that The Football Association’s child protection regulation (see
The FA Handbook) applies to everyone in football whether in a paid or voluntary
capacity. This includes those who are a volunteer, match official, helper on
club tours, football coach, club official or medical staff.
(4) We endorse and adopt The FA’s Child Protection and Best
Practice Guidelines for Recruiting Volunteers and will:
(a) Develop a role profile
(b) Request identification documents
(c) As a minimum meet and chat with the applicant(s) and where
possible conduct interviews before appointing
(d) Request and follow up with two references before appointing
(e) Require an FA CRB Unit Enhanced Disclosure where appropriate
in line with FA guidelines.
All current Football Club members with direct access to children
and young people will be required to complete a CRB Enhanced Disclosure via The
FA CRB Unit. If there are concerns regarding the appropriateness of an
individual who is already involved or who has approached us to become part of
Woodley Saints Football Club, guidance will be sought from The Football
Association. It is noted and accepted that The FA will consider the relevance
and significance of the information obtained via The FA CRB Unit Enhanced CRB Disclosure
and that all decisions will be made in the best interests of children and young
people. It is accepted that The FA aims to prevent people with a history of
relevant and significant offending from having contact with children or young
people and the opportunity to influence policies or practice with children or young
people. This is to prevent direct sexual or physical harm to children and to
minimise the risk of ‘grooming’ within football.
(5) Woodley Saints Football Club supports The FA’s ‘whistle
blowing’ policy. Any adult or young person with concerns about a colleague can
‘whistle blow’ by contacting The FA Child Protection Manager on 0207 745 4771,
by writing to The FA Case Manager at The Football Association, 25 Soho Square,
London W1D 4FA or by going direct to the police, social services or the NSPCC.
Woodley Saints Football Club encourages everyone to know about it and utilise
it if necessary.
(6) Woodley Saints Football Club has appointed a Club Welfare
Officer (CWO) in line with The FA’s role profile and required completion of the
child protection and best practice workshop. The post holder will be involved
with designated person’s training provided by The FA. The CWO is the first point
of contact for all club members and parents or guardians regarding concerns for
the welfare of any child or young person. They will liaise directly with the
CFA CPO and will be familiar with the procedures for referring any concerns.
They will also play a proactive role in increasing an awareness of poor
practice and abuse amongst club members.
(7) We acknowledge and endorse The FA’s identification of
bullying as a category of abuse. Bullying of any kind is not acceptable at our
club.If bullying does occur, all players, parents or guardians should be able
to tell and know that incidents will be dealt with promptly. Incidents need to
be reported to the CWO, a member of the committee or, in cases of serious
bullying contact the CFA CPO.
(8) Codes of conduct for players, parents or spectators,
officials and coaches have been implemented by Woodley Saints Football Club. In
order to validate these codes of conduct the club has clear sanctions to deal
with any misconduct at club level and acknowledges the possibility of potential
sanctions which may be implemented by leagues or the CFA in more serious
circumstances. All prospective members will be informed of these codes.
(9) Further advice on child protection matters can be obtained
from:
(a) The County Football Association’s Child Protection Officer,
whose details can be found in the County Handbook
(b) The Football Association/NSPCC Child Protection
(i)
24-Hour Helpline 0808 800 5000
(ii)
www.TheFA.com/Goal
(iii)
The FA child protection team on 0207 745 4649.
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Woodley
Saints FC – Childcare Guidelines
The following guidelines provide relevant reading for all
WSFC managers, coaches and other club officials. They are intended primarily
for the protection of children taking part in WSFC activities and should be
used in conjunction with the above Child Protection policy.
Treat all youngsters with respect and dignity befitting
their age, ensuring that your language, tone of voice and body language are
appropriate at all times.
Do not engage in any of the following:
Invading the privacy of children when they are changing,
showering or toileting
Rough physical play or provocative games which might lead to
intimate contact
Making sexually suggestive remarks about or to a child, even
as a joke
Inappropriate or intrusive touching of any form
Any scapegoating, ridiculing or rejecting of a youngster
Physical punishment of any sort
Letting youngsters involve you in any excessive attention
seeking that is overtly sexual or physical in nature.
If, as a result of an injury to an intimate part of the
body, a youngster needs the help of an adult, you should either have another
adult present or advise another adult of the situation and what you are doing
about it.
If a youngster is injured or upset and seeks physical
affection, care should be exercised in responding. If you find yourself in a
situation where you and a child are alone, say in a changing room, you should either
discourage him, or move to where others are present.
Apart from very exceptional circumstances, you should never
sleep in the same room as a child while on tour. Exceptions might result from
the need to reassure a very distressed or homesick child. In these
circumstances the adults in the party should agree on the action to be taken.
Care should be taken to protect children from hazards such
as electrical appliances, busy roads and dangerous playing conditions. Ensure
that an appropriate level of supervision is provided at all times, particularly
when on tour.
Avoid giving lifts to youngsters on their own, other than
for short journeys. If they are alone, ask them to sit in the rear of the car.
If you see a colleague acting in ways which might be misconstrued,
be prepared to speak to them or to the club chairman about your concerns.
If a child tells you that someone has harmed them sexually
(this includes incidents of indecent exposure):
Look at the child directly and listen to what he has to say
Accept what he says and don’t show any signs of disbelief
Be aware that the child might have been threatened
Tell the child that they are not to blame
Do not press for information as this must be left to trained
child-care specialists
Reassure the child that they are right to tell
Make a note of what the child has said
Let him know what you are going to do next
Seek advice as a matter of urgency.
Every allegation of sexual harm should be reported to the
Police or Social Services, and to the Club Welfare Officer or if he /she is not
available the Club Chairperson. The same basic procedure applies to any
incident of deliberate physical harm resulting in any significant injury,
though it is appropriate to ask the child what has happened in more detail before
reporting the matter.
If at any time you are in doubt, consult colleagues before
taking action.