ESBFL – Safeguarding

Dear Secretary,

Open-age Adult Football Clubs’ Safeguarding Responsibilities

Happy New Year and all good wishes to you for 2020. May we all take this opportunity to say a big thank you to you and your colleagues for all the hard work you put in to ensure your club runs effectively and provides football, week in and week out. We wish you an enjoyable rest of 2019-20 season.

We are writing to ensure clubs, at all levels of the game, are clear about their specific safeguarding responsibilities in open-age adult football.

Affiliated Footballs Safeguarding Children Policy and Procedures is embedded across youth football and there is information, support and guidance for clubs with under 18 teams to help them to provide children and young people with fun, safe and inclusive football.

The purpose of this letter is to support open-age adult football clubs to fully understand their safeguarding responsibilities for under 18s, and adults in disability teams.

For the avoidance of doubt every open-age adult club is required to safeguard under 18s and where there are adult disability teams to promote safeguarding adults, across every aspect of the club.

Please read the sections below and take any actions you need to. Some clubs will already have completed the requirements detailed below; others will be working towards ensuring this applies to all aspects of their club.

If you believe you already meet the requirements detailed below please review the safeguards you have in place across all aspects of your open-age adult teams from first team professionals, semi-professionals and amateurs to disability teams, community ventures and reserve teams for both men and women. It’s essential that every child (under 18) is afforded the appropriate safeguards at every level of the game and in every team.

Information, guidance, templates and Disclosure and Barring Service FAQs are available via TheFA.com http://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/safeguarding

Please note clubs playing within the Premier League should continue to comply with the safeguarding regulations as set out and overseen by the Premier League. Clubs playing within the English Football League (EFL) should continue to comply with the safeguarding criteria as set out and overseen by the EFL.

• safeguarding@premierleague.com for further clarification and or support

• safeguarding@efl.com for further clarification and or support

With respect to the rest of the football pyramid, all clubs playing within the leagues below should ensure they are compliant with the steps outlined in Table 1, and where applicable Table 2. Please use the relevant e-mail addresses below for any queries.  

• (to be confirmed) for further clarification and or support
• BarclaysFAWSLandFAWC@thefa.com for further clarification and or support

The relevant parent County FA will provide further communication and support for the leagues listed below and for all grassroots clubs. Clubs in these parts of the football pyramid must ensure they are compliant with the steps outlined in Table 1 and where applicable Table 2.

• should contact their parent County FA Designated Safeguarding Officer for further clarification and or support

Table 1 Clubs with under 18s in open-age adult teams (including disability teams) are required to:

Adopt and adhere to Affiliated Footballs Safeguarding Children Policy http://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/safeguarding/section-1-footballs-safeguarding-framework View section 1: 1.4 Safeguarding Children Policy and Procedures Club Template

Identify which teams have 16 and/or 17 year old players

Identify the coaches/managers (including assistant coaches/managers) and medics for these teams and list them on The FA’s Whole Game System alongside the registered team. This can be done by the club secretary, assistant secretary or if the club has a youth team by the Club Welfare Officer (Youth Teams).

Support coaches/managers (including assistant coaches/managers) and medics working with 16 and/or 17 year olds to complete an FA DBS Check http://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/safeguarding/section-3-safer-recruitment-and-dbs-checks View section 3:                3.1 Safer recruitment of volunteers                3.5 Eligibility of roles                3.7 DBS FAQs

Provide 16 and 17 year old players with safeguarding information              http://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/safeguarding/section-7-children-and-young-people-under-18s View section 7: 7.1 Know your rights in football

In support of the roll out of the Affiliated Football Safeguarding Adults Policy, clubs with open-age adult disability teams, need to take the following simple steps to safeguard adults. If this applies to any teams in your club, please read on.

Table 2 Clubs with open-age adult disability teams are also asked to:

Adopt and share with members the Affiliated Football ‘Safeguarding Adults Policy’              NB ‘easy read’ versions are available for adults with learning disabilities       http://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/safeguarding/section-10-safeguarding-adults                                         View section 10:               10.5 Safeguarding Adults Policy and Procedures

Appoint a Club Welfare Officer (Adult Disability Teams) and upload their name to The FA’s Whole Game System        http://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/safeguarding/section-10-safeguarding-adults                           View section 10: 10.2 Appointing Club and League Welfare Officers 10.3 Adding a Club Welfare Officer to WGS

Encourage volunteers and staff to complete the newly launched free, online FA Safeguarding Adults course        http://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/safeguarding/section-10-safeguarding-adults                           View: 10.4 How to access online course

Identify and list coaches/managers (including assistant coaches/managers) on The FA’s Whole Game System alongside the registered team.

Please note – The FA is currently considering with the government’s Disclosure and Barring Service the circumstances in which DBS Checks may be required for people working with adults (over-18s) in open-age disability football. Further guidance will be provided in due course. 

Thank you for supporting football to safeguard adults children safe across every level of the game. If you have any questions, please ensure you refer to the relevant contact points detailed on P1-2, for your part of the game.

Best wishes for a positive and successful New Year.

Sue Ravenlaw              Laurence Jones                                  James Kendall                  Kelly Simmons

Head of Safeguarding      Head of National League System       Director of Football Development     Director of Women’s Professional Game                                      

Information for clubs in relation to 16/17 year olds Safeguarding

All clubs will have had regular updates with information from ECFA. 

The latest letter is embedded below

What’s available for the club to implement now?

·       Completion of the Safeguarding for Committee Members Online workshop. Please visit :-  http://www.essexfa.com/about/rules-and-regulations/safeguarding-and-welfare

·       Adopting the FA’s Safeguarding Children Policy   Please visit:- http://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/safeguarding/policy-downloads

·       Consideration/identifying an individual to be the Welfare Officer

·       Identify coaches/managers and assistants with 16- & 17-year olds in their teams; they will require a FA DBS

·       Join HIVE – information, advice and guidance for welfare officers (please email Chloe Hookins for an invitation –  chloe.hookins@essexfa.com)

·       WebEx – Safeguarding Responsibilities in open age adult football – 3^rd June 2020 at 6.30pm – please email Chloe so she can send you joining details. (although this date has passed email Chloe for information)

·       Individuals renewing their Safeguarding Children workshop online (only if they have previously attended an in-person 3-hour workshop)

·       Please visit :- http://www.essexfa.com/about/rules-and-regulations/safeguarding-and-welfare (scroll down to the bottom to Related Documents).

·       Familiarising with the 16/17 year old document   Please visit:- http://www.essexfa.com/about/rules-and-regulations/safeguarding-and-welfare (see Safeguarding 16/17 year olds playing in open age football Action Required – under links Guidance and information for 16/17 year olds participating in open-age football.