On 25 November 2024, the English Football Association (the FA) announced its new four-year safeguarding strategy, titled An Ever-Safer Culture.
This announcement follows the publication of the new 2024-2028 FA strategy, ‘Inspiring Positive Change Through Football’, to take English football forward, with a clear focus on the biggest opportunities and challenges that need to be addressed.
An Ever-Safer Culture sets out the FA's strong commitment to continuously improving its levels of delivery, as well as tackling ongoing and new challenges, putting the support and protection of children and adults at risk at its heart.
Building on the 2021-2024 strategy, this new and comprehensive long-term strategy focuses on three key priorities:
1. Governance and Standards: Ensuring strong leadership, effective governance oversight and robust standards driving continuous improvement.
2. Education and Empowerment: Educating to empower and help create an ever-safer culture.
3. Managing Concerns: Enabling reporting and handling safeguarding referrals in a safe and effective way.
Through this, the FA will drive enhancements to safeguarding requirements and standards at all levels, including with its England teams and talent pathway activity. Technology will be used to help safeguard digital channels, as well harness technology to save time for those who carry out ID checks as part of the essential DBS vetting processes.
Over the next four years, the FA will promote FLAG IT, a new initiative to help everyone remain vigilant, and be empowered to recognise and overcome bystander behaviours, break the silence and raise and report concerns.
The strategy also commits to a re-envisioned course programme offer via England Football Learning by 2028, and reaching 80,000 more parents/carers through the free, online ‘Safeguarding Awareness for Parents/Carers’ course. The FA will also continue to raise awareness of ways of reporting and a new Case Management System (CMS) is being adopted across County FAs, English Schools’ FA and Independent Schools FA.
The strategy takes a purposeful and person-centred approach, ensuring that children’s and adults’ wellbeing is at the heart of what the FA does, and leading a shared intention at all levels of the game to safeguard Everyone, Everywhere, Every Time.
An Ever-Safer Culture will be delivered collaboratively across the game, including key football authorities, the network of 50 County FAs throughout England and the Leagues, Government and other organisations inside and outside the sports sector.
Mark Bullingham, FA Chief Executive, said:
"Safeguarding remains a vital part of our game and we are committed to doing all that we can to ensure that every child and adult at risk is able to play football in a fun, safe, inclusive and welcoming environment. Our new safeguarding strategy focuses on three key priorities - governance and standards, education and empowerment, and managing concerns – as we continue to create an ever-safer culture across our national game."
Sue Ravenlaw, FA Head of Safeguarding, added:
"Football is made up of many different parts, with each playing a critical role in safeguarding. This strategy speaks to the commitment that is shared across all these bodies to continue to do all we can to create and maintain football environments where children and adults at risk are safe and can flourish. Our thanks go to everyone playing a part in safeguarding and the delivery of this strategy."
Sarah Walker, FA Head of Safeguarding Case Management, said:
"Ensuring everyone knows how to recognise, report and refer concerns is a cornerstone of our safeguarding work. We ramped up this work in the last strategy cycle and we will continue to do so through 24-28, alongside understanding and responding to the trends in national policing and sports case data."
The FA Survivor Support and Safeguarding Advisory Group (FASSSAG) said:
"Having a clear strategy and action plan is vital if everyone in football is to help play their part in creating an ever-safer environment within our game. We’re proud that our extensive experience in this area has helped to inform and shape our new strategy – and frame the safeguarding policies, procedures and best practice throughout football. The challenge to make the game as safe as possible for everyone will never go away, and this new strategy defines a collective purpose, and we are confident that football’s heading in the right direction."
Christian McMullen, NSPCC Professional Learning Services Director said:
"The NSPCC welcomes this new safeguarding strategy that ensures safeguarding children remains at the heart of football and to continuing to work closely with The FA and football authorities to support the delivery of safeguarding and child protection across the game."