CHILD
PROTECTION POLICY
1
York
Cubs 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:
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. We also recognise that this is the
responsibility of
every
adult involved in our club.
3
York Cubs 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
Generally volunteers will not be appointed unless they are parents/carers
of children who play in that age group. Where others are to be considered we
endorse and adopt The FA’s child protection and
best
practice guidelines for recruiting volunteers and will:
·
Request identification documents
·
As a minimum meet and chat with the applicant(s) and where possible
conduct interviews before appointing
·
Request and follow up with two references before appointing
·
Require an FA CRB Unit Enhanced Disclosure where appropriate in line
with FA guidelines.
All
current York Cubs FC 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 the 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
York
Cubs FC 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. York Cubs FC encourages everyone to know
about it and
utilise
it if necessary.
6
York Cubs FC has
appointed a Child Protection Officer (CPO) 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
CPO 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 County FA 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 CPO, a member
of
the committee or, in cases of serious bullying contact
the
County FA CPO.
8
Codes
of conduct for players, parents or spectators,
officials
and coaches have been implemented by York Cubs FC and are available on our web
site (www.yorkcubs.com)
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
have been 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 24-Hour Helpline 0808 800 5000
C.
www.TheFA.com/Goal
D.
The FA child protection team 0207 745 4649
Implemented June 2003
