CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

We intend to create in our Football Club an environment in which children are safe from abuse and in which any suspicion of abuse is promptly and appropriately responded to.

Ross Juniors Football Club Aim is to:-

Provide a safe and enjoyable environment in which football is played
Demonstrate best practice
Promote ethics and high standards throughout the game

Ross Juniors Football Club Objectives are to:-

Make sure football is safe for all children
Raise the awareness of child protection in the game at all levels through workshops, resources and promotional materials
Put in place a vetting and screening programme
Manage allegations and concerns about poor practice and possible abuse
To have all Managers and Coaches CRC checked
Overall responsibility for Child Protection lies with the Club Chairman or his Deputy, with the CWO reporting to them

The designated Club Welfare Officer (CWO) for Ross Juniors Football Club is Rachael Loftus and her role is as follows:-

Give advice and guidance using The FA Child Protection Policy and Procedures and The FA Child Protection and best practice guidelines to those in football
Consult initially with the Club Chairman or his Deputy
Ask the NSPCC helpline or the FA Child Protection Department for advice
Receive information from nominated Welfare Officer contacts in clubs, or club members, volunteers, children or parents and carers who have child protection concerns and record it
Report suspicions to the Social Services or the Police. It is not the role of the Chairman, Deputy or CWO to decide whether a child has been abused or not
Keep the NSPCC and FA Child Protection Dept informed of any developments

Prevent abuse by means of good practice:-

Adults will not be left alone with individual children or small groups
Children will be encouraged to develop a sense of autonomy and independence through adult support in making choices. This will enable children to have the self-confidence and the vocabulary to resist inappropriate approaches

Keep records

Whenever worrying changes are observed in a child’s behaviour, physical condition or appearance, a specific and confidential record will be set up, quite separate from the usual on-going records of children’s progress and development. The record will include, in addition to the name, address and age of child: timed and dated observations, describing objectively the child’s behaviour / appearance, without comment or interpretation; where possible, the exact words spoken by the child; the dated name and signature of the recorder
Such records will be kept in a separate file and will not be accessible to others

Club Welfare Officer

Ross Junior Football Club has appointed a Club Welfare Officer (CWO) 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 CWO is the first point of contact for all members and parents or guardians regarding concerns for the welfare of any child or young person. They will liaise directly with the CFA 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.

RJFC Club Welfare Officer is Rachael Loftus who can be contacted by email rachael_278@hotmail.co.uk

Bullying

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 CWO, a member of the committee or, in cases of serious bullying contact the CFA CPO.

Codes of conduct for players, parents or spectators, officials and coaches have been implemented by Ross Junior Football Club.

This policy was adopted for Ross Juniors Football Club on 2nd February 2005.

Reviewed and updated on 26th November 2016.