English Football Association

Football unites to promote the play safe message [English Football Association]

The whole of football in England – at every level – joined forces to promote ‘Play Safe’, a national campaign to focus attention on the vital importance of safeguarding in football. 

Play Safe is officially supported by the NSPCC and will run on a designated weekend every season from now on.

At the heart of the campaign are three short films to emphasise the importance of safeguarding for key groups of people, crucially children themselves. As you’ll see, England men’s and women’s players are right behind Play Safe too.

Procedures for engaging online with under-18s for coaches/managers [English Football Association]

The FA encourages the appropriate use of social media to help run your teams and leagues, communicate with players (via their parents/carers when under-16), and appoint referees, log results and much more.

Whatever way we communicate with children the safeguarding principles remain the same. Retaining boundaries is just as important online as it is offline.

If you have a role in football then always make sure communications to children are relevant to your role – focus on the football, don’t share personal info or comments.

Criminal record check for those working with children [English Football Association]

As part of the FA safeguarding children strategy, The FA requires those working in eligible roles with children and young people to pass a criminal records check. This is in line with legislation and government guidance and is standard practice.  

The FA provides the framework and guidance for Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks in football and the leagues and clubs then have to implement this to ensure that those who are required to have checks done, do so.  

More on the link below.

Child safeguarding policies and procedures [English Football Association]

A collection of documents that constitute the FA safeguarding policies and procedures, including:

  • Affiliated Football's Safeguarding Policy and Procedures
  • Grassroots Safeguarding Children Policy and Procedures
  • Template - Clun Safeguarding Children Policy Procedures
  • The FA Anti-Bullying Policy for Cluns
  • County Witnesses Guide to Personal Hearings
  • Match Officials Guide to Personal Hearings
  • Player and Club Guide to Personal Hearings

 

Subscribe to English Football Association