1. Safeguarding Children Policy

Burnbridge Wanderers Junior Football Club (BWFC) 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 Safeguarding Children Policy and Procedures and endorse and adopt the Policy Statement contained in that document.

The key principles of The FA Safeguarding Children policy are that:

• The child’s welfare is, and must always be, the paramount consideration
• 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
• All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately
• 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. BWFC recognises that this is the responsibility of every adult involved in our club.

BWFC 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 Safeguarding Children regulation applies to everyone in football whether in a paid or voluntary capacity. This includes those who are a volunteers, match officials, helpers on club tours, football coaches, club officials or medical staff.

We endorse and adopt The FA’s Safeguarding Children Guidelines for recruiting volunteers and will:

• Develop a role profile
• Request identification documents
• As a minimum, meet and chat with the applicant(s) and where possible conduct interviews before appointing
• Require an Enhanced DBS Check where appropriate in line with FA guidelines.

All current BWFC members with direct access to children and young people will be required to complete an Enhanced DBS Check via the FA DBS Unit. If there are concerns regarding the appropriateness of an individual who is already involved or who has approached us to become part of BWFC, 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 Enhanced DBS Check 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.

BWFC 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 0800 169 1863, by emailing them at safeguarding@thefa.com or writing to The FA Case Manager at The Football Association, Wembley Stadium, PO Box 1966, London SW10 9EQ or by going directly to the Police, Social Services or the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000.
BWFC encourages everyone to know about it and utilise it if necessary.

BWFC has appointed a Club Welfare Officer (CWO) in line with The FA’s role profile and required completion of the Safeguarding Children 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 CWO 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.

BWFC 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 manager, the CWO, a member of the committee or, in cases of serious bullying contact the CFA CWO.

Codes of Conduct for Players, Parents or Spectators, Officials and Coaches have been implemented by BWFC. 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.

The club shall ensure that access to confidential information is restricted to the Club Welfare and Protection Officers, appropriate club officers and/or external authorities.
Safeguarding Children Policy.

The club shall respond swiftly and appropriately to all suspicions and allegations of abuse, and by providing parents and children with the opportunity to voice any concerns they may have.

Further advice on child protection matters can be obtained from:

• BWFC Child Welfare Officers – Nicky Phillips & John Disney - (welfare@burnbridgewanderersjfc.co.uk or 07730 594255)

• The County Football Association’s Child Welfare Officer, whose details can be found in the County Handbook or via their Website
• NSPCC on their 24-Hour Helpline 0808 800 5000, text 88858 or email help@nspcc.org.uk
• www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/safeguarding
• The FA Safeguarding Team on 0800 169 1863.