Aintree Vipers FC recognises that it 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 and that this is the responsibility of every adult involved in our club. The Law states that everyone has a Duty of Care towards Children and emphasises that everyone shares this responsibility.

Aintree Vipers FC observes The Football Association’s child protection and best practice policy and procedures and endorses and adopts the policy statement contained in that document.  Best practice means developing an open environment encouraging children and young people to share their concerns. It means being open and conducting all interactions with children in view of others and ensuring that where children are being transported on behalf of a club, that parental consent is obtained. Best practice also means challenging bullying, foul or provocative language or any controlling behaviour that could upset children or young people or reduce them to tears.

It doesn’t take much for poor practice to cross the line and become abuse.

The key principles of The FA child protection policy are that:

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. This is the responsibility of every adult involved in football.

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.

Working in partnership with other organisations, children and young people and their parents or carers is essential.

It is noted and accepted that The Football Association’s child protection regulations (reproduced below) apply to everyone in football whether in a paid or voluntary capacity. This includes those who are a volunteer, match official, helper on club tours, football coach, club official or supporter.

In England Criminal Records Bureau  checks are mandatory for anyone with access to children  or young people.

We endorse and adopt The FA’s child protection and best practice guidelines for recruiting volunteers and will require an FA CRB Unit Enhanced Disclosure in line with FA guidelines, this application will require the production of identification documents.

All  Aintree Vipers FC Football Club Adult volunteer members with direct access to children and young people will be required to complete a CRB Enhanced Disclosure via The FA CRB Unit.

 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 or physical harm to children and to minimise the risk of ‘grooming’ within football.  If there are concerns regarding the appropriateness of an individual wishing to become involved with the Club, it is noted and accepted that The FA will consider the relevance and significance of the information obtained via The FA CRB Unit Enhanced CRB Disclosure and that they will decide on the suitability of the applicant.

Having someone responsible at a club for safe guarding children is vital – it means that there is  leadership and a clear way of sharing information with all those involved with the children and young people.

Aintree Vipers FC has appointed a Club Welfare Officer (CWO) in line with The FA’s guidelines and who has completed the child protection and best practice workshop. The CWO is the first point of contact for all club members and parents or guardians regarding concerns for the welfare of any child or young person. They will liaise directly with the LCFA 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. 

Each team will also appoint a Team Welfare Officer (TWO) who will liaise with the CWO.

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.

Codes of conduct for players, parents or spectators, officials and coaches have been implemented by Aintree Vipers FC. In order to validate these codes of conduct the club has clear sanctions to deal with any misconduct at club level and acknowledges the possibility of potential sanctions which may be implemented by leagues or the CFA in more serious circumstances.  All prospective members will be informed of these codes. Players, Parents & Officials & Coaches will sign to acknowledge that they have received and read copies of the Clubs Codes of Conduct.

Aintree Vipers FC understands the need for continued development of its volunteers to ensure we maintain high standards and best practice.
The club commits to do all in its power to ensure that all its volunteers have access to appropriate information and training courses in coaching, first aid and child protection. 

Further advice on child protection matters can be obtained from The Club Welfare Officer, The County Football Association’s Child Protection Officer, via the County FA Office or the The FA Child Protection Team on  0207 745 4649.

Club Procedures to comply with the Policy

 INCIDENT and ACCIDENT REPORTING PROCEDURE

The responsible person in charge of each team at the time of an Incident/Accident, which results in an injury, must ensure that the player is given adequate first aid if required.

The responsible person or the Team Manager must notify the player's parents (if not present) of the nature of the Incident/Accident or injury at the earliest opportunity. The Team Manager or Welfare Officer must contact the Player's Parents within 24 hours of an accident resulting in an injury to ascertain the well-being of the player.

All Incidents/Accidents whether they involve injury or not, must be recorded by the TWO or manager and investigated where necessary.  

The details of the Incident /Accident  must be reported to the Club Welfare Officer,  within 24 hours where an injury has occurred and 48 hours in all other circumstances, In cases of injury the initial report must be followed up by a report of the condition 24 hours after the incident / accident.

Health and Safety

Managers,  Coaches and Welfare Officers  must protect the health and safety of the clubs members by ensuring that:

There is a suitable first aid kit and wherever possible a first aider is present or where this cannot be arranged a person trained in basic emergency aid procedures must be present.  

An emergency phone is available.    

Goal Post safety guidelines are followed.  

The venue is safe and there are no obstacles to cause injury.      

If indoors the fire procedures are known.       

Access for emergency vehicles is ensured.      

All equipment is in safe condition.  

 Players should have suitable footwear, shinpads must be worn and jewellery is removed.

Parents, guardians and relatives of playing members are reminded however, that volunteers are trained in basic first aid only and seeking of medical advice may be recommended in some instances. 
Managers and volunteers registered with the club are specifically prohibited from administering drugs in any form and will not  undertake ANY task which may put them or   a casualty at risk under the Child Protection Policy.

Anti-bullying Policy

Creating a positive and open environment where children and young people feel that there opinions are valued is very important in safeguarding children

Aintree Vipers FC  has a responsibility to respond promptly and effectively to issues of bullying by:                                                                                                                                 

All club members, coaches, officials and parents/carers showing an understanding of what bullying is.               

All club members, officials and coaching staff knowing  what the club policy is on bullying, and following  it when bullying is reported. 

All players and parents/carers knowing what the club policy is on bullying, and what they should do if bullying arises

Bullying will not be tolerated.      

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. Anyone who knows that bullying is happening is expected to tell the Club Welfare Officer or one of the team mangers or coaches.

Bullying is the use of aggression with the intention of hurting another person.                                                       Bullying results in pain and distress the 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    

Racist - racial taunts, graffiti, gestures  

Sexual - unwanted physical contact or sexually abusive comments

Homophobic - because of, or focussing on the issue of sexuality   

Verbal - name-calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, teasing.

Bullying hurts. No one deserves to be a victim of bullying. Everybody has the right to be treated with respect. Individuals who are bullying need to learn different ways of behaving. The impact upon a child or young person can be devastating and in some cases affect all aspects of their life, in extreme circumstances it can lead to suicide threats or even attempts.  Never ignore bullying by parents, coaches, other adults or children. The bully in football may be : parents who push their children too hard, a coach or club with a win at all costs attitude, a child or young person intimidating others.

Anti-bullying Procedure

Take bullying seriously, listen to and support the person being bullied.

Report bullying incidents to the CWO team Managers or Coaches.

In cases of serious bullying, the incidents will be referred to the CFA CPO for advice and possibly to The FA Case Management System

Parents will be informed and will be invited to come to a meeting to discuss the problem
If necessary and appropriate, the Police will be consulted   

The bullying behaviour or threats of bullying must be investigated and the bullying stopped quickly.   An attempt will be made to help the bully (bullies) change their behaviour.  If mediation fails and the bullying is seen to continue the club will initiate disciplinary action under the club constitution.

Child Abuse

All children in England are protected by the Children Act 1989 and other legislation which gives local authorities the right to investigate if they have cause to suspect a child ( anyone under the age of 18) is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm.

Club Officials and the FA have responsibilities which are determined by the Police Act 1997 -  the Sex Offenders Act 1997 -  Human Rights Act 1998  -  Children Acts 1989 and 2004 - Protection of Children Act 1999  -Youth Evidence and Crime Evidence Act 1999 - Sexual Offences Act 2003 and  government guidance, such as Working Together to Safeguard Children 1999 which outlines all the duties of all agencies working with children.

We recognise, however, that child abuse is also a very emotive and difficult subject.  It is important to understand the feelings involved but not to allow them to interfere with our judgement about any action to be taken

Child Protection Reporting Procedure

Whether informed directly by a child or young person, via a third party, or through your own observations within a football setting, you should follow the outlined procedure below (The FA Reporting procedure)

Ensure the immediate safety of the child or young person

If the child or young person needs immediate medical treatment, take them to hospital or telephone for an ambulance, inform doctors of concerns and ensure that they are aware that this is a child protection issue

Report the concerns to the designated person for child protection CWO  or the person in charge immediately, unless the concern is about this individual.

If the designated person is not available, or the concern is about this person, report your concerns directly to the local Social Services, the local Police or The FA/NSPCC Child Protection Helpline (0808 800 5000).

These agencies will advise you whether a formal referral to Social Services is necessary and what further action you might need to take. If you are advised to make a formal referral make it clear to Social Services or the Police that this is a child protection referral.

All police forces have dedicated Child Protection Teams (CPTs) which deal with allegations of abuse within the family setting and by people in a position of trust. In a real emergency dial 999 to involve the full squad.

Remember if the concern is about someone involved within a football setting and you are unable to contact the appropriate designated person, then you should also inform the FA Case Manager on 0207 745 4771 and let them know what action, in line with FA procedures, you have taken.

The Football Association's Regulations on child protection are defined in The F.A. Handbook as:

1.  Any act, statement, conduct or other matter which harms a child or children, or poses or may pose a risk of harm to a child or children, shall constitute behaviour which is improper and brings the game into disrepute.

2.  In these Regulations the expression "Offence shall mean any one or more of the offences contained in Schedule 1 to the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 and any other criminal offence which reasonably causes The Association to believe that the person accused of the offence poses or may pose a risk of harm to a child or children.

3.  Upon receipt by The Association of:

  3.1.  notification that an individual has been charged with an Offence; or,
  3.2.  notification that an individual is the subject of an investigation by the Police, social
  services or any other authority relating to an Offence
  3.3.  any other information which causes The Association reasonably to believe that a
  person poses or may pose a risk of harm to a child or children then The Association shall
  have the power to order that the individual be suspended from all or any specific football
  activity for such period and on such terms and conditions as it thinks fit.

4.  In reaching its determination as to whether an order under Regulation 2 should be made The Association shall give consideration, inter alia to the following factors:

  4.1.  whether a child is, or children are, or may be at risk of harm
  4.2.  whether the matters are of a serious nature
  4.3.  whether an order is necessary or desirable to allow the conduct of any investigation
  by The Association or any other authority or body to proceed unimpeded.

5.  The period of an order referred to in 2 above shall not be capable of lasting beyond the date upon which any charge under the Rules of The Association or any Offence is decided or brought to an end.

6.  Where an order is imposed on an individual under Regulation 2 above, The Association shall bring and conclude any proceedings under the Rules of The Association against the person relating to the matters as soon as reasonably practicable.

7.  Where a person in convicted or is made the subject of a caution in respect of an Offence that shall constitute a breach of the Rules of The Association and The Association shall have the power to order the suspension of the person from all or any specific football for such period (including indefinitely) and on such terms and conditions as it thinks fit.

8.  For the purposes of these Regulations, The Association shall act through its Council or any committee or sub-committee thereof, including the Board.

9.  Notification in writing of an order referred to above shall be given to the person concerned and/or any club with which he is associated as soon as reasonably practicable.