Safeguarding Children Policy & Procedures

HGSC Safeguarding Children Policy & Procedures

HALL GREEN SPORTS CLUB acknowledges the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people. We are committed to ensuring our safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice requirements. child or young person is anyone under the age of 18 engaged in any Club football activity. We subscribe to The Football Association’s Safeguarding Children – Policy and Procedures and endorse and adopt the Policy Statement contained in that document.

The policy recognises that the welfare and interests of children are paramount in all circumstances. It aims to ensure that regardless of age, gender, religion or beliefs, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or socioeconomic background, all children:

  • Have a positive and enjoyable experience of sport at HALL GREEN SPORTS CLUB in a safe and child centred environment.
  • Are protected from abuse whilst participating in the activity provided by the HALL GREEN SPORTS CLUB or outside of the activity.

HALL GREEN SPORTS CLUB acknowledges that some children, including disabled children and young people or those from ethnic minority communities, can be particularly vulnerable to abuse and we accept the responsibility to take reasonable and appropriate steps to ensure their welfare.

As part of our safeguarding policy HALL GREEN SPORTS CLUB will:

  • Promote and prioritise the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.
  • Ensure everyone understands their roles and responsibilities in respect of safeguarding and is provided with appropriate learning opportunities to recognise, identify and respond to signs of abuse, neglect and other safeguarding concerns relating to children and young people.
  • Ensure appropriate action is taken in the event of incidents/concerns of abuse and support provided to the individual/s who raise or disclose the concern.
  • Ensure that confidential, detailed and accurate records of all safeguarding concerns are maintained and securely stored.
  • We endorse and adopt The FA’s Responsible Recruitment guidelines for recruiting volunteers & aim to prevent the employment/deployment of people with a history of relevant and significant offending from having contact with children or young people.
  • Ensure robust safeguarding arrangements and procedures are in operation.

The policy and procedures will be widely promoted and are mandatory for everyone involved in HALL GREEN SPORTS CLUB. Failure to comply with the policy and procedures will be addressed without delay and may ultimately result in dismissal/exclusion from the organisation.

Hall Green Sports 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 Safeguarding Team on 0844 980 8200 4787, by writing to The FA Case Manager at The Football Association, Wembley Stadium, PO Box 1966, London SW10 9EQ or alternatively by going direct to the Police, Children’s Social Care or the NSPCC. Our club encourages everyone to know about this information and utilise it if necessary.

Hall Green Sports Club has appointed a Club Welfare Officer (CWO) in line with The FA’s role profile and required completion of the Safeguarding Children and Welfare Officers Workshop. The post holder will be involved with Welfare Officer training provided by The FA and/or CFA. The CWO is the first point of contact for all Club committee members regarding concerns about the welfare of any child or young person. The CWO will liaise directly with the CFA Welfare Officer and will be familiar with the procedures for referring any concerns. They will also play a proactive role in increasing awareness of Respect, poor practice and abuse amongst their Club members.

We acknowledge and endorse The FA’s identification of bullying as a category of abuse. Bullying of any kind is not acceptable in our league. If bullying does occur, all players or parents/carers should be able to tell and know that incidents will be dealt with promptly. Incidents need to be reported to the CWO or alternatively, in cases of serious bullying, we may contact the CFA Welfare Officer.

Respect codes of conduct for Players, Parents/Spectators, Officials and Coaches have been implemented by our Club. In order to validate these Respect codes of conduct the Club has clear actions it will take regarding repeated or serious misconduct at Club level and acknowledges the possibility of potential sanctions which may be implemented by the CFA in more serious circumstances. All registering members will be required to adopt the Respect codes.

Reporting your concerns about the welfare of a child or young person – Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. If you are worried about a child it is important that you report your concerns – no action is not an option.

  • If you are worried about a child then you need to report your concerns to the CWO
  • If the issue is one of poor practice they will either: a. Deal with the matter themselves or b. Seek advice from the CFA Welfare Officer
  • If the concern is more serious - possible child abuse - they will, where possible, contact the CFA Welfare Officer first, then immediately contact the Police or Children’s Services
  • If the child needs immediate medical treatment take them to a hospital or call an ambulance and tell them this is a child protection concern. Let your CFA Welfare Officer know what action you have taken.
  • If at any time you are not able to contact your Club Welfare Officer or the matter is clearly serious then you can either: a. contact your CFA Welfare Officer directly. b. contact the Police or Children’s Social Care c. call the NSPCC 24-hour Helpline for advice on 0808 800 5000 or text 88858 or email help@nspcc.org.uk

Please note: The FA’s Safeguarding Children Policy and Procedures is available via www.TheFA.com/Footballsafe. Click on the ‘downloads’ under Policy and Procedures. It outlines in detail what to do if you are concerned about the welfare of a child and includes flow diagrams to describe this process. This is also covered within the Safeguarding Children workshop, where participants are given the opportunity to discuss how this feels and how best they can prepare themselves to deal with such a situation.

Further advice on Safeguarding Children matters can be obtained from:

Monitoring

The policy will be reviewed a year after development and then every three years, or in the following circumstances changes in legislation and/or government guidance. A review could also be required by the Local Safeguarding Children Board, UK Sport and/or Home Country Sports Councils or as a result of any other significant change or event.