Child Protection & Safeguarding Children Policy
Purpose & Scope
lt is the policy of A2Prosoccer (the club we our) to safeguard and protect the welfare of children and all others involved in the club activities by protecting them from physical, sexual and emotional harm.
In all matters of child protection, the welfare and safety of the child is the paramount consideration. All children and young people have a right to be protected from abuse regardless of their gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, belief or age.
All adults coming into contact with children and young people in the club must comply with the Child Protection Policy. Through the application of policy, procedures and best practice, the club promotes the safety, welfare and well-being of all children and young people enabling them to participate in any club activity in an enjoyable, safe, inclusive environment.
All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to in an appropriate manner.
The purpose of this policy is:
To protect children, young people and vulnerable adults who receive A2Prosoccer services.
To provide parents, staff and volunteers with the overarching principles that guides our approach to child protection. Children are defined in the Children Act 1989 and 2004, as a person up to their 18th birthday. The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 defines a vulnerable adult as a person aged 18.
Safeguarding children and young people is defined as:
Protecting children and young people from maltreatment;
Preventing impairment of children or young peoples health or development;
Ensuring that children and young people are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and
Taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best life chances.
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015
Legal Framework
This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children, young people and vulnerable in England. A summary of the key legislation is available from:
This Policy and Procedures should be read in conjunction with related club policies and procedures.
Scope
This policy applies to anyone working for and on behalf of the club (paid, volunteers and seasonal workers, agency staff and students) , that comes into contact with children and young people to ensure best practice in safeguarding is promoted and adhered to.
Recruitment and Disclosure
Any person employed by the club must complete a self-declaration form and are subject to a satisfactory criminal record check (CRC) as relevant, CV checks, appropriate references, right to work in the UK checks and a qualification check, if applicable. All offers of work are subject to a satisfactory outcome to the rigorous screening process and until such time that all background checks are deemed as acceptable by the club, the person concerned is not permitted to commence work.
All employees, workers, consultants, agency staff and volunteers in a position of trust are required to undergo regular CRC disclosure clearances, normally every three years or earlier if required.
The club Welfare Officer is responsible for ensuring all vetting checks including criminal record checks adhere to the clubs Recruitment Policy as well as legislation and governing body rules.
Induction and training
During the induction process, employees who work with or come into contact with children and young people are required to attend the clubs safeguarding and protection training and receive a copy of this Policy and Procedures as well as other club policies and are required to sign an acknowledgement that they have read and agree to abide by them.
Welfare Concern
The Club Welfare Officer is the first point of contact for anybody concerned about welfare and can be contacted through our contact form.
If at any time you are not able to contact the club Welfare Officer or the matter is serious then you can either:
Contact your County FA Safeguarding Team directly, Tel: 0800 169 1863
Call The FA/NSPCC 24 hour Helpline for advice on 0808 800 5000, text 88858 or email [email protected]
Contact the Police or Children’s Services.
Abuse and neglect
Employees, workers, agency staff, consultants and volunteers must have an awareness of what constitutes abuse and neglect.
Abuse is defined as a form of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children or young people may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting by those known to them or, more rarely, by others (e.g. via the internet). They may be abused by an adult or adults, or another child, children, young person or young people.
There are 4 recognised categories of abuse as defined in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015:
Physical abuse
This can include any direct acts of physical injury upon a child or young person, which are not the result of normal competitive interaction. This can also include training sessions, which clearly exceed the capacity of the childs body to manage and encouraging young people to take alcohol, cigarettes or inappropriate drugs.
Sexual abuse
This includes all forms of sexual acts perpetrated upon a child by another person. Younger children cannot give consent due to their age and inexperience, but this issue is more complex when between older children of similar age groups. The essential issue is one of exploitation, which is considered to have occurred if the activity was unwanted when first began and/or involved a misuse of power, age or authority. This can also include exposure or failure to prevent the exposure of children to all forms of pornography.
Emotional abuse (includes bullying)
This is persistent and psychological ill treatment, which results in a severe impact upon a childs behaviour and development. It will involve a denial of normal respect and may take the form of persistent personal criticism or humiliation in the absence of any positive interest or concern. This can happen in competitive situations when children are subject to a persistent level of personalised criticism and/or bullying as a result of the unrealistic expectations of others.
Neglect
This relates to the persistent failure to prevent the exposure of a child to danger, or the extreme failure to carry out important aspects of care, medical or physical which results in the significant impairment of the childs health or development. This can occur when a coach fails to adequately supervise the safety of young children or exposes any child to extreme or unmanageable weather conditions or preventable risk of serious injury.
Children and young people may be at additional risk of abuse and neglect through some of the additional vulnerabilities they may face.
Other
Employees, workers, agency staff, consultants and volunteers should have an awareness of what constitutes other types of abuse as below.
Bullying
It is not always easy to define bullying. It can take many forms and is usually repeated over a period of time.
The three main types of bullying are: Physical (e.g. hitting, kicking, and theft) Verbal (e.g. racist or homophobic remarks, threats or name calling) Emotional (e.g. isolating an individual from activities) Emotional or verbal bullying is more common in football than physical violence. It can also be difficult to deal with or prove
Radicalisation and extremism
Radicalisation and extremism of children and young people is a form of emotional abuse. HM Government states that the aim of radicalisation is to attract children and young people to a particular extremist ideology. Radicalisation can take place through direct personal contact, or indirectly through social media. Extremism is defined as vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.
Online world
Although the online world provides many benefits to children and young people, there are also a number of potential associated risks:
Inappropriate language or images
Online grooming
Cyberbullying
Sexting
Deaf, disabled and Special Educational Needs children and young people
The Equality Act (2010) defines a person as disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term (has lasted or is expected to last at least 12 months) adverse effect on ones ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. This definition includes conditions such as cancer, HIV, mental illness and learning disabilities.
Children with special educational needs (SEN), deaf children and those with disabilities can face additional safeguarding challenges. Additional barriers can exist when recognising abuse and neglect in this group of children, which can include:
Assumptions that indicators of possible abuse such as behaviour, mood and injury relate to the childs disability without further exploration
The potential for children with SEN and disabilities being disproportionately impacted by behaviours such as bullying, without outwardly showing any signs
Communication barriers and difficulties in overcoming these barriers.
Use of photography and film
All images are taken by club photographers who have been briefed by the club Welfare Officer or Departmental Safeguarding Officer (DSO). Images are only taken if the parent/carer has consented for images to be taken. Where appropriate and possible, parent/carer consent is sought in writing at the start of the season or prior to an event. The club adheres to the following principles when using photography or film:
The club does not put young players under the age of 16 profiles, images and personal information on its website.
Schools
When the club engages with schools and organisations in connection with child or young people related activities, where appropriate the club writes to the school or organisation to state the clubs policy and procedures in relation to criminal record checks and safe recruitment. Schools and organisations are required to comply with the clubs safeguarding arrangements as set out in contracts and/or service level agreements.
Recognising Abuse
Abuse and neglect are forms of maltreatment. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, for example by hitting them, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Abuse may be committed by adult men or women and by other children and young people.
Developing an understanding of the behaviors that children may display if they are suffering from abuse is required to help protect them from harm. Indications that a child or young person may be suffering from abuse include:
Injury such as bruising, cuts or burns, that is unexplained or suspicious.
Any injury for which the explanation seems inconsistent.
The child or young person describing what appears to be an abusive act involving him/her.
Anyone expressing concern about the welfare of another child or young person.
Unexplained changes in behaviour e.g. becoming very quiet, withdrawn, or displaying sudden outbursts of temper.
Being mistrustful of adults, particularly those with whom a close relationship would normally be expected.
This list is not exhaustive.
Good Practice Guidelines and Staff Code of Conduct
To meet and maintain our responsibilities towards children we need to agree standards of good practice which form a code of conduct for all staff.
Good practice includes:
Treating all children with respect
Setting a good example by conducting ourselves appropriately
Involving children in decisions that affect them
Encouraging positive, respectful and safe behaviour among students
Being a good listener
Being alert to changes in childrens behaviour and to signs of abuse, neglect and exploitation
Recognising that challenging behaviour may be an indicator of abuse
Reading and understanding the clubs child protection policy
Being aware that the personal and family circumstances and lifestyles of some students lead to an increased risk of abuse
Referring all concerns about a students safety and welfare to the club Welfare Officer, or, if necessary directly to police or social care.
Treat all children and young people equally not showing favouritism.
Always work in an open environment (e.g. avoiding private or unobserved situations and encouraging open communication with no secrets).
Promote fairness, confront and deal with bullying.
Request written consent if the club is required to transport children and young people for any activities, events or significant travel arrangements e.g. overnight stays.
Following the clubs rules with regard to communication with children and use of social media and online networking.
Be a good role model, this includes not swearing, smoking or drinking alcohol in the company of children and young people.
Always give enthusiastic and constructive feedback rather than negative criticism.
Promote the clubs vision and values and be an ambassador for those values.
Ensure children and young people adhere to his/her relevant Code of Conduct.
Secure written consent for the club to administer emergency first aid or other medical treatment if the need arises.
Reward effort as well as performance.
Challenge unacceptable or inappropriate behaviour.
Keep a written record of any incident or injury that occurs, along with details of any treatment given or action taken using the clubs Accident and Incident Report Form.
This list is not exhaustive.
Searching children and young people
To ensure the safety and security for all club activities all children and young people may occasionally be subject to a personal search. A self-search is the preferred method, however, should the club suspect that the child or young person may be concealing a prohibited item; consent will be sought from their parent/carer before a same sex club employee who is being observed by a Supervisor searches the child.
Lost or missing children and young people
The following are actions that should be taken should a young person go missing during the course of a training session or match:
1. Remain calm and establish the person that saw the child last.
2. Search the area where the young person was last seen.
3. Contact the clubs Safeguarding and Welfare Officer, who will advise and liaise with Parents and the Police. Should the Club Safeguarding and Welfare Officer not be immediately available then contact the Police direct. Do not delay.
4. Be in a position to be able to provide name, address, age, description and clothing of the missing young person.
5. Do not leave the area until the Lead Designated Club Safeguarding Welfare Officer or equivalent, and/or the Police, have arrived in the event of the young person returning.
Children and young people who are not picked up on time
All parents and carers should collect their child or young person on time in line with the instructions given by the club. If a child or young person is not collected on time:
1. Remain calm and contact the parent/carer.
2. If contact cannot be made a minimum of two appropriate adults will wait at the venue until the parent or carer arrives.
3. Should the child or young person not be picked up at all, a club employee or worker will contact the clubs Safeguarding Team and the police and/or childrens services to take care of the child or young person until their parent or carer is contacted.
Risk assessments
For all club activities including, trips, tours, events and activities, thorough risk assessments are completed to identify and minimise potential risks.
Supervision of children and young people
The club adheres to best practice guidance set out by the FA in relation to the supervision of adults to children/young people. Generally, there should always be a minimum of two adults and an adult to child/young person ratio of:
7 years of age, one adult to every ten children;
17 years of age, one adult to every sixteen children/young people.
The Head coach will decide whether the activity or event takes place if the above ratios cannot be maintained based on consideration of Health and safety and safeguarding.
Reporting
lf there is an allegation or suspicion of abuse then this must be reported immediately to the club Welfare Officer/ Designated Person for Child Protection, whose responsibility it is to refer to social services/police (who are the investigative agencies). At all times the welfare of the young person is paramount. Swift reporting will enable the investigative agency to give advice and take appropriate action.
If a child or young person or vulnerable adult tells you he/she is being abused:
Allow him/her to speak without interruption, accepting what is said.
Allow the child/young person to lead the discussion and to talk freely.
Listen to what the child/young person is saying without investigating. Try not to interrupt them or ask lots of questions. Being asked a lot of questions can feel like being interrogated.
Allow the child or young person to tell you at his/her own pace.
Advise him/her that you will offer support, but that you MUST pass information on to the Welfare Officer / Child Protection Designated Person.
Immediately tell the Welfare Officer / Child Protection Designated Person.
Record the facts as you know them, including the account given to you by the young person and give a copy to the Welfare Officer / Child Protection Designated Person.
If you receive an allegation about any adult or about yourself:
Immediately tell the Welfare Officer / Child Protection Designated Person
Record the facts as you know them and give a copy to the Welfare Officer / Child Protection Designated Person
You must refer. You must not investigate.
The Club Welfare Officer is the first point of contact for anybody concerned about welfare and can be contacted through our contact form.
If at any time you are not able to contact the club Welfare Officer or the matter is serious then you can either:
Contact your County FA Safeguarding Team directly, Tel: 0800 169 1863
Call The FA/NSPCC 24 hour Helpline for advice on 0808 800 5000, text 88858 or email [email protected]
Contact the Police or Children’s Services. All contact numbers are included at the end of this document
Review
The club shall review this Policy and Procedures at the end of every season or whenever there is a change in legislation, guidance, governing body rules or learning from safeguarding cases.
