Safeguarding Children

Pirelli Football Club acknowledges its responsibility to safeguarding the welfare of every child and young person who has been entrusted to its care and is committed to the working to provide a safe environment for all members.

A child or young person is anyone under the age of 18 engaged in any club football activity. We subscribe to the Football Association’s (“The FA”) Safeguarding Children Policy and Procedures and endorse and adopt the Policy Statement contained in that document.

The key principles of the FA Safeguarding Children Policy 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, racial origin, religious beliefs or sexual orientation
  • All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately
  • Working in partnership with other organisations, children and young people and their parents or carers is essential

We acknowledge that 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 poor practice and abuse. Pirelli Football Club recognises that this is the responsibility of every adult involved in our club.

Pirelli Football Club has a role to play in safeguarding the welfare of all children and young people by protecting them from physical, sexual or emotional harm and from neglect or bullying. It is noted that the FA’s Safeguarding Children Regulation (refer to the FA handbook) applies to everyone in football whether in a paid or voluntary capacity. This includes those who are volunteers, match officials, helpers on club tours, football coaches, club officials or medical staff.

We endorse and adopt The FA’s Safeguarding Children Guidelines for Recruiting Volunteers and will:

  • Develop a role profile
  • Request identification documents
  • As a minimum, meet and chat with the applicant(s) and where possible conduct interviews before appointing
  • Request and follow up with two references before appointing
  • Require an FA Criminal Records Bureau (“CRB”) Unit Enhance Disclosure where appropriate in line with FA guidelines

All current Pirelli Football Club members with direct access to children and young people will be required to complete a CRB Enhanced Disclosure via the FA CRB Unit. If there are concerns regarding the appropriateness of an individual who is already involved or who has approached us to become part of Pirelli Football Club, guidance will be sought from The FA. It is noted and accepted that The FA will consider the relevance and significance of the information obtained via The FA CRB Unit Enhance Disclosure and that all decisions will be made in the best interest of children and young people.

It is accepted that The FA aims to prevent people with a history of relevant and significant offending from having contact with children or young people and the opportunity to influence policies or practice with children or young people. This is to prevent direct sexual, physical or emotional harm to children and to minimise the risk of “grooming” within football.

Pirelli Football Club supports The FA’s Whistle Blowing Policy. Any adult or young person with concerns about a colleague can “whistle blow” by contacting:

The FA Child Welfare Manager 020 7745 4912
The FA Case Manager 25 Soho Square, London, W1D 4FA
Police 101, 999 in emergencies
Social Services 01228 226877
NSPCC 0808 800 50000

Pirelli Football Club encourages everyone to know about it and utilise it if necessary.

Pirelli Football Club has appointed a Child Welfare Officer (“CWO”) in line with The FA’s role profile and required completion of the Safeguarding Children 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 club members and parents or carers regarding concerns for the welfare of any child or young person. They liaise directly with The FA Child Protection Officer (“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 practise and abuse amongst club members.

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 carers should be able to tell and know that incidents will be dealt with promptly. Incidents will be reported to the CWO, a member of the committee or, in cases of serious bullying, contact The FA’s CPO.

Codes of Conduct for players, parents & spectators, officials and coaches have been implemented by Pirelli Football Club. In order to validate these Codes of Conduct, the club has clear sanctions to deal with any misconduct at club level and acknowledge the possibility of potential sanction which may be implemented by leagues or The FA in more serious circumstances. All prospective members will be informed of these Codes.

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