RESPECT & Safeguarding

COVID-19 SAFEGUARDING

Whilst the return to football is an exciting time, we appreciate that it's not been easy and as a Club, we want to support all our players, coaches and teams as best we can. While many families have coped well during lockdown, others may not have and for some children the experience will have been very difficult. You may be one of the first people outside the family unit that a child has met in recent times.

It’s important you know that some children may be struggling for various reasons, including:

• Lacking confidence, as they have felt cut off from their friends;

• Being confused and stressed about how to behave because of social distancing;

• They or someone they care about may have been or still be unwell;

• They may still be grieving because someone they love has died;

• Hearing that people from BAME communities may be more vulnerable to COVID-19;

• They may have been neglected emotionally and/or physically – through lack of food and/or care;

• Children with learning disabilities may find it particularly confusing, as their routine has changed.

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Now more than ever, your role in safeguarding as a coach or parent is massively important. Do lean on the CWOs in the club for advice if you are concerned or worried about any child in your team or need additional support.

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RESPECT

Playing football in a safe and supportive space starts with us.The FA Respect Codes of Conduct are in place for us to create a safe and inclusive environment for our players to learn and play football. We expect high standards of behaviour from all involved with the Club and at the end of a season, if our teams finish within the Top Ten in their league age groups for Respect scores then their teams are rewarded with vouchers kindly donated by one of our sponsors.

Individual Codes of Conduct can be found below. Please share links with your players and teams and urge them to read them before the season starts.

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SAFEGUARDING

However, as coaches in positions of trust we also have a wider responsibility to all the children in the club to ensure they are safe and protected.

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Safeguarding rules and regulations can be found here:

http://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/safeguarding

http://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/safeguarding/section-11-the-complete-downloads-directory

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The most relevant documents are here for your information including the FA Safeguarding policies and one specific to the Club.

RESOURCES

The following are resources to assist in the working with young people, understanding our roles and responsibilities but also ensuring our players are safe from harm and risk outside of football. We have a duty to look out for every child in our Club.

The following documents have additional advice and support for anyone wishing to report any concerns about a player. Please note, there are no wrong or right answers here, you can simply call either of our CWOs for advice and a chat and they can advise.