Safeguarding at Amateur FA
LET'S KEEP FOOTBALL SAFE
The Amateur FA is dedicated to creating a safe and fun environment for all children, young people and adults to participate in football.
Individually and collectively, we are signed up to The FA’s Safeguarding Policy and Procedures, and we are committed to safeguarding children and young people within football.
Why is safeguarding so important?
Safeguarding children and adults at risk is at the centre of everything we do. We want children and adults at risk in our clubs to feel safe, relaxed and comfortable so they can get on with playing the beautiful game that is football.
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and therefore we work hard to ensure all our participants are aware of the FA’s safeguarding policies and procedures. Being equipped with the right safeguarding knowledge can help us all contribute to a safer and better experience for all!
The Amateur FA has its own Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO). Should you have any queries or concerns or an issue that needs to be raised please contact the DSO.
Should the DSO not be available, please contact another member of the team.
If the matter is urgent, please contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 or police on 999.
For a full guide to safeguarding, please download our safeguarding booklet.
amateur fa safeguarding policy
amateur fa adults at risk policy
afa safeguarding booklet
complete directory to best practice & guidance
If you need to complete a DBS check, please download the guidance here.
The Amateur FA believes that the mental health and wellbeing agenda is an important topic to support.For further information about mental health and to see what support is available, please download our mental health and wellbeing booklet.
mental health and wellbeing booklet
Get in Touch
Visit our HELPDESK to find answers to our frequently answered questions.
If your query cannot be answered, please submit a ticket.
You can also visit the FA Grassroots Technology Forum for help with FA IT systems.
the voice of a child
Listening to the views and opinions of our children andyoung people is vital in helping us to get things right.
We are working in various ways to engage with our childrenand young people in grassroots football to create a safe, fun and relaxedenvironment.
How can you help us?
Tell us
We rely on our participants and members to report anything which causes concern about the welfare of a child / children. Therefore we ask you to remain vigilant and report any concerns to your club welfare officer or the AFA’s Designated Safeguarding Officer on 020 8122 0147.
If you have an immediate concern please contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 or police on 999..
Follow the codes
The Respect code of conduct is in place to ensure everyone involved in football is playing their part to give players a positive experience.
Here at the AFA we encourage all our participants to follow the codes to ensure an excellent experience for all.
Codes of Conduct
Coaches, team managers & Club official
Become a Welfare Officer
Welfare officers play a vital role in ensuring our clubs/leagues run smoothly and that our young people are protected.
If you are someone who enjoys working with children and young people, likes to learn new things and has a passion for improving the game then this could be the right role for you!
For more information on how to become a Club Welfare Officer and what it involves click here.
Feedback
We are always looking to improve the way we do things and really value feedback from all our participants. So if you have an idea or some feedback on how we do things here at the AFA please do not hesitate to let us know by completing our feedback form.
Whistleblowing
Whistle-blowing can be used as an early warning system or when it’s recognised that appropriate actions have not been taken. This approach or policy is adopted in many different walks of life.
It is about revealing and raising concerns over misconduct or malpractice within an organisation or within an independent structure associated with it.
Any adult or young person with concerns about a colleague can also use whistle-blowing by contacting The FA's safeguarding team via email on safeguarding@thefa.com.
Alternatively you can go direct the Police or Children’s Social Care and report your concerns there, or to the Child Protection in Sport Unit via cpsu@nspcc.org.uk or the NSPCC Helpline via 0808 800 5000 or by emailing help@nspcc.org.uk