Child Protection
CHILD PROTECTION POLICY
LCFC acknowledges its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of every child & young person who has been entrusted to its care & 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 FA child protection & best practice policy & procedures & endorse & adopt the policy statement contained in that document.
Key Principles
The key principles of the FA child protection policy are:-
The child’s welfare is, & must always be, the paramount consideration.
All children & 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.
All suspicions & allegations of abuse will be taken seriously & responded to swiftly & appropriately.
Working in partnership with other organisations, children & young people & their parents or carers is essential.
We acknowledge every child or young person who plays or participates in football should be able to take part in an enjoyable & safe environment & be protected from poor practice & abuse. LCFC recognises this is the responsibility of every adult involved in our club.
LCFC has a role to play in safeguarding the welfare of all children & young people by protecting them from physical, sexual or emotional harm & from neglect or bullying. It is noted & accepted the FA’s child protection regulation (see 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.
We endorse & adopt the FA’s child protection & best practice guidelines for recruiting volunteers & will:-
Develop a role profile.
Request identification documents.
As a minimum meet & chat with the applicant(s) &, where possible, conduct interviews before appointing.
Request & follow up with two references before appointing.
Require an FA CRB Unit Enhanced Disclosure where appropriate in line with FA guidelines.
CRB Commitment
All current LCFC members with direct access to & control of children & 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 LCFC, guidance will be sought from the FA. It is noted & accepted the FA will consider the relevance & significance of the information obtained via the FA CRB Unit Enhanced CRB Disclosure & all decisions will be made in the best interests of children & young people.
It is accepted the FA aims to prevent people with a history of relevant & significant offending from having contact with children or young people & the opportunity to influence policies or practice with children or young people. This is to prevent direct sexual or physical harm to children & to minimise the risk of ‘grooming’ within football.
Whistle Blowing Policy
LCFC 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 FA, 25 Soho Square, London, W1D 4FA or by going direct to the Police, Social Services or the NSPCC. LCFC encourages everyone to know about it & utilise it if necessary.
Club Welfare Officer
LCFC has appointed a Club Welfare Officer (CWO) in line with the FA’s role profile & required completion of the child protection & 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 & parents or guardians regarding concerns for the welfare of any child or young person. They will liaise directly with the County FA Child Protection Officer & will be familiar with the procedures for referring any concerns. They will also play a proactive role in increasing an awareness of poor practice & abuse amongst club members.
We acknowledge & 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 & know 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 County FA CPO.
Codes of conduct for players, parents or spectators, officials & coaches have been implemented by LCFC. In order to validate these codes of conduct the club has clear sanctions to deal with any misconduct at club level & acknowledges the possibility of potential sanctions, which may be implemented by leagues of the CFA in more serious circumstances. All prospective members will be informed of these codes.
Further advice on child protection matters can be obtained from:-
The CFA’s Child Protection Officer, whose details can be found in the County Handbook.
The FA/NSPCC Child Protection.
24 hour helpline 0808 800 5000.
www.TheFA.com/Goal.
The FA child protection team 0207 745 4649.
LCFC acknowledges its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of every child & young person who has been entrusted to its care & 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 FA child protection & best practice policy & procedures & endorse & adopt the policy statement contained in that document.
Key Principles
The key principles of the FA child protection policy are:-
The child’s welfare is, & must always be, the paramount consideration.
All children & 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.
All suspicions & allegations of abuse will be taken seriously & responded to swiftly & appropriately.
Working in partnership with other organisations, children & young people & their parents or carers is essential.
We acknowledge every child or young person who plays or participates in football should be able to take part in an enjoyable & safe environment & be protected from poor practice & abuse. LCFC recognises this is the responsibility of every adult involved in our club.
LCFC has a role to play in safeguarding the welfare of all children & young people by protecting them from physical, sexual or emotional harm & from neglect or bullying. It is noted & accepted the FA’s child protection regulation (see 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.
We endorse & adopt the FA’s child protection & best practice guidelines for recruiting volunteers & will:-
Develop a role profile.
Request identification documents.
As a minimum meet & chat with the applicant(s) &, where possible, conduct interviews before appointing.
Request & follow up with two references before appointing.
Require an FA CRB Unit Enhanced Disclosure where appropriate in line with FA guidelines.
CRB Commitment
All current LCFC members with direct access to & control of children & 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 LCFC, guidance will be sought from the FA. It is noted & accepted the FA will consider the relevance & significance of the information obtained via the FA CRB Unit Enhanced CRB Disclosure & all decisions will be made in the best interests of children & young people.
It is accepted the FA aims to prevent people with a history of relevant & significant offending from having contact with children or young people & the opportunity to influence policies or practice with children or young people. This is to prevent direct sexual or physical harm to children & to minimise the risk of ‘grooming’ within football.
Whistle Blowing Policy
LCFC 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 FA, 25 Soho Square, London, W1D 4FA or by going direct to the Police, Social Services or the NSPCC. LCFC encourages everyone to know about it & utilise it if necessary.
Club Welfare Officer
LCFC has appointed a Club Welfare Officer (CWO) in line with the FA’s role profile & required completion of the child protection & 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 & parents or guardians regarding concerns for the welfare of any child or young person. They will liaise directly with the County FA Child Protection Officer & will be familiar with the procedures for referring any concerns. They will also play a proactive role in increasing an awareness of poor practice & abuse amongst club members.
We acknowledge & 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 & know 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 County FA CPO.
Codes of conduct for players, parents or spectators, officials & coaches have been implemented by LCFC. In order to validate these codes of conduct the club has clear sanctions to deal with any misconduct at club level & acknowledges the possibility of potential sanctions, which may be implemented by leagues of the CFA in more serious circumstances. All prospective members will be informed of these codes.
Further advice on child protection matters can be obtained from:-
The CFA’s Child Protection Officer, whose details can be found in the County Handbook.
The FA/NSPCC Child Protection.
24 hour helpline 0808 800 5000.
www.TheFA.com/Goal.
The FA child protection team 0207 745 4649.
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