SAFEGUARDING AT SYLVANS

At Sylvans we are committed to providing a safe, friendly and inclusive environment where all players, coaches and officials can thrive and enjoy football.

We have comprehensive safeguarding policies which cover how we work safely with children and young people. Our Welfare Officer has been appointed to be responsible for all aspects of safeguarding within the Club. Our polices are attached here for everyone connected with the Club to access and read. We encourage all parents and guardians to read these policies.

The main role of the Welfare Officer is to ensure the safety and protection of children and young people by putting in place appropriate procedures and making sure these are accessible and well understood by everyone within the Club. The Welfare Officer will also manage any concerns about children and young people within the Club.

All our coaches and assistants are required to have an in date FA DBS check and to complete the FA’s Safeguarding Children course. Our Welfare Officer is responsible for ensuring that all appropriate checks and courses are kept up to date.

It is important that everyone connected with the Club – players, coaches, parents, guardians – knows who our Welfare Officer is and how to contact them.

Please find our Safeguarding Children Policies below. We recommend all member of the club read and be aware of these policies. The policies will also be on display in the clubhouse, along with the codes of conduct for players, coaches, officials and spectators. Please feel free to contact one of the Welfare Officers with any questions or concerns you might have.

SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN POLICY

Sylvans S.C. acknowledges its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of every child and young person who has been entrusted to its care and is committed to 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, race, sexual orientation, faith or belief;

- 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/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. Sylvans S.C. recognises that this is the responsibility of every adult 
involved in our club.

Sylvans S.C. 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 and accepted that The Football Association’s Safeguarding Children Regulations (see The FA Handbook) applies to everyone in football whether in a paid or voluntary capacity. This means whether you are a volunteer, match official, helper on club tours, football coach, club official or medical staff

We endorse and adopt The FA’s Responsible Recruitment guidelines for recruiting volunteers and we will:

- specify what the role is and what tasks it involves;

- request identification documents;

- as a minimum meet and chat with the applicant(s) and where possible interview people before appointing them;

- ask for and follow up with 2 references before appointing someone; and

- where eligible require an FA accepted Enhanced Criminal Record Check (CRC) with Barring List Check in line with current FA policy and regulations.

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ANTI-BULLYING POLICY

Statement of Intent

We are committed to providing a caring, friendly and safe environment for all of our members so they can participate in football in a relaxed and secure atmosphere. Bullying of any kind is unacceptable at our club. If bullying does occur, all club members or parents should be able to tell and know that incidents will be dealt with promptly and effectively. This means that anyone who knows that bullying is happening is expected to tell one of the Club Welfare Officers or any committee member. This club is committed to playing its part to teach players to treat each other with respect.

What is Bullying?

Bullying is the use of aggression with the intention of hurting another person. Bullying results in pain and distress to the victim.
Bullying can be:
- Emotional: being unfriendly, excluding (emotionally and physically), sending hurtful text messages, tormenting, (e.g. hiding football boots/shin guards, threatening gestures);
- Physical: pushing, kicking, hitting, punching or any use of violence;
- Sexual: unwanted physical contact or sexually abusive comments;
- Discrimination: comments, jokes about disabled people, sexist comments; and
- Verbal: name-calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, teasing.

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WHISTLE BLOWING POLICY

Whistle-blowing can be used as an early warning system or when it’s recognised that appropriate actions have not been taken. It is about revealing and raising concerns over misconduct or malpractice within an organisation or within an independent structure associated with it.

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EQUALITY POLICY

Sylvans S.C. is responsible for setting the standards and values to apply throughout the club at every level. Football is for everyone; it belongs to, and should be enjoyed by, anyone who wants to participate in it.

The aim of this policy is to ensure that everyone is treated fairly and with respect and that football is equally accessible to all.
Everyone involved with the club should abide and adhere to this Policy.

Sylvans S.C.’s commitment is to promote inclusion and to confront and eliminate discrimination whether by reason of age, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, marital status or civil partnership race, nationality, ethnic origin, colour, religion or belief, ability or disability, pregnancy and maternity and to encourage equal opportunities.

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COMMUNICATIONS & SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE

The following guidance is provided not as an obstacle to communication but to ensure all coaches, officials and other volunteers manage their safeguarding responsibilities effectively. It aims to ensure children, young people and adults in a position of trust are not subjected to improper communications or improper allegations. A child or young person is anyone under the age of 18. Any questions or concerns about this policy should be directed to a Club Welfare Officer.

Sylvans, its officials and volunteers are responsible for ensuring that all forms of communication with children and young people and all content hosted on websites, social network platform and any associated message boards or blogs abide by the Rules and Regulations of The Football Association.

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