INTRODUCTION
Chester Football Club and Chester FC Community Trust are committed to providing a safe and positive environment for everyone involved and both organisations take these responsibilities very seriously particularly where children and vulnerable adults are present at any activities organised either by the club or the community Trust. The guiding principle of our approach to safeguarding is that it is always unacceptable for anyone to experience any kind of abuse.
All participants and visitors to club activities have the right to feel safe and to be safe, to be treated equitably with dignity and respect. Our duty is to keep children and vulnerable adults safe and to help protect them for abuse or harm
COMMITMENT TO SAFEGUARDING
A welfare officer has been appointed and provides a service to both the club and the community trust; in addition to ensuring that criminal records checks are undertaken the welfare officer has access to a number of other sources to provide advice and guidance on any complex issues.
The welfare officer is Marion Needham and she may be contacted on a dedicated phone line number 07739351711 or marion.needham@chesterfc.com or safeguarding@chesterfc.com. Any complaints relating to either children or vulnerable adults should be made to the welfare officer in the first instance.
Whistleblowing in a safeguarding context means revealing and raising concerns over misconduct or malpractice within an organisation. It can be used as an early warning system or it’s recognised that appropriate actions have not been taken. Any person with concerns can contact 0800 169 1863 and ask for the FA’s safeguarding team, or via email to: safeguarding@TheFA.com
POLICIES
Policies have been produced that fully set out the commitment to safeguarding for both children and vulnerable adults. The policy relating to children is the Football Association’s policy, the club and the community trust are fully committed to the aims and objectives set out in the FA policy. The prime focus of safeguarding for the FA relates to children and there is little emphasis on caring for vulnerable adults; the club and the commitment trust feel the care of these people is equally important has produced its own local policy relating to vulnerable adults. Full details both policies are now detailed.
SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN –THE ASSOCIATION’S SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN POLICY
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 abuse. This is the responsibility of every adult involved in football, thus every club is required to endorse and adhere to The Association’s Safeguarding Children Policy.
The FA recognises its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of children and young people who play or participate in football by protecting them from abuse and harm. The FA is committed to working to provide a safe environment for all children and young people to participate in the sport to the best of their abilities for as long as they choose to do so.
The FA recognises that the terms ‘child or young person,’ ‘abuse’ and ‘harm’ are open to interpretation and challenge but for the purpose of this Safeguarding Children policy they are define as follows:
A child or young person shall be defined as:
Anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday.
Abuse shall be defined as:
A violation of an individual’s human or civil rights by any other person or persons, and for the Purposes of safeguarding children, shall include physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, Neglect, bullying and hazing.’
Harm shall be defined as:
Ill treatment and forms of ill treatment (including sexual abuse and forms of ill treatment which are not physical) and also the impairment of or an avoidable deterioration in physical or mental health and the impairment of physical, intellectual, emotional, social or behavioural development.
Harm may be caused by acts of commission and acts of omission.
The Safeguarding Children Policy is supported by the FA’s RESPECT programme to address verbal abuse and bullying of youngsters by parents and coaches on the side lines. The Associations’ Safeguarding Children policy principles 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, race, faith, belief or sexual orientation;
- All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately; and
- Working in partnership with other organisations, children and young people and their parents and carers is essential.
The FA is committed to working in partnership with the Police, Children’s Services Departments, Local Safeguarding Children’s Boards and the Disclosure and Barring Service in accordance with their procedures. This is essential to enable these organisations to carry out their statutory duties to investigate concerns and protect all children and young people.
The Association’s Safeguarding Children Policy is in response to government legislation and guidance, developed to safeguard the welfare and development of children and young people.
Clubs and Leagues with youth teams must appoint a Welfare Officer in line with FA affiliation requirements.
All League and Club Welfare Officers are expected to abide by the Code of Conduct for volunteer Welfare Officers.
Safeguarding vulnerable adults at Chester Football Club
Who is a vulnerable adult
The law says a vulnerable adult is a person who is or may be in need of community care services because of their:
- Mental health
- Other disabilities
- Age
- Illness
- Inability to take care of themselves
- Inability to protect themselves against serious harm or being taken advantage of
Other people can be at risk – for example people with learning disabilities who may live independently or without services can be vulnerable to bullying and abuse as well.
What is abuse
Abuse can take many forms including:
- Verbal abuse which results in a person feeling upset or frightened
- Physical abuse which could include hitting, kicking, pinching or shaking
- Sexual abuse when someone is touched in an area where they do not wish to be touched or is made to do things that make them angry or frightened
- Emotional abuse to hurt someone’s feelings including shouting at or threatening someone
- Financial abuse when someone takes money or belongings without asking
- Neglect when care or support is not enough to meet someone’s needs
- Discriminatory abuse relating to skin colour, religion, disability, sexuality or speaking a different language
- Self neglect when by someone causing themselves injury, not eating or not washing
- Slavery – when someone is kept against their will or forced to do things they don’t want to do
- Institutional abuse – when someone is paid to look after a person does something that might hurt them or they do not get the help they need
Who might abuse a vulnerable adult
Anyone – it could be someone they know or a stranger.
Policy statement – safeguarding vulnerable adults at Chester Football Club
This policy is based on the Football Association’s safeguarding children policy and every vulnerable adult who plays or participates in football should be able to take part in an enjoyable and safe environment and be protected from abuse. This is the responsibility of every adult involved in football and everyone at Chester Football Club (the Club) is required to endorse and adhere to this policy.
The Club recognises its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of vulnerable adults who play or participate in football by protecting them from abuse and harm. The Club is committed to working to provide a safe environment for all vulnerable adults to participate in sport to the best of their abilities for as long as they choose to do so.
The safeguarding policy is supported by the FA’s Respect programme the principles of which are:
- The welfare of a vulnerable adult is, and must be, the paramount consideration.
- Everyone has the right to be protected from abuse regardless of their age, gender, disability, culture, language, race, faith, belief or sexual orientation.
- All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately; and
- Working in partnerships with other organisations, vulnerable adults and carers is essential.
The Club is committed to working in partnership with the Police, Social Services, Local Safeguarding Boards and the Disclosure and Barring Service in accordance with their procedures. This is essential to enable these organisations to carry out their statutory duties to investigate concerns and protect all vulnerable adults.
Other Useful Links
https://www.cheshirefa.com/play/youth/safeguarding-for-under-18s