Introduction to Child Welfare Policy

Welcome to St Andrews United FC. As a club we have made great strides since joining the East of Scotland League to develop itself of and off the field. Part of this on-going strategy is to make the club as safe and welcoming an environment as possible. Accordingly, I would like to introduce you to our Child Wellbeing & Protection Polices, which in accordance with relevant national and international guidance and legislation, outline our service levels for ensuring that the interests and well-being of children are at the forefront of the club’s mindset whenever children are under our care. Ultimately, we want every child who visits St Andrews United FC, whether on a matchday, training night or social event to have a positive experience. It is therefore paramount that the club has in place correctly trained, competent personnel and robust procedures in order to deliver this strategy. The following procedures will, with the co-operation of parents and guardians, ensure that we deliver the required approach to children and young people.

Yours sincerely,

Donald Gellatly
Co-Chairman, St Andrews United FC

CHILDREN’S RIGHTS POLICY STATEMENT

St Andrews United FC (herin after The Club) is fully committed to embedding a rights-based approach in Scottish football. We recognise and work within the general principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) for the best interests of the child, non-discrimination, participation as well as survival and development.

For the purposes of this policy a child is recognised as someone under the age of 18 years. This policy applies to all children regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, race, religion, socio-economic status or family circumstance.

The Club will:

Respect the rights of children as paramount.
Provide opportunities for every child interested to play football to gain a positive experience.
Include and involve children in decision making, providing opportunities for children to be heard.
Promote and implement policies and procedures to safeguard the well-being of children and protect them from abuse, ensuring they know what to do and who they can speak to if they need help.
Promote and implement policies and guidelines to prevent and respond to bullying, ensuring they know what to do and who they can speak to if they need help.

Require members of staff, volunteers and members of the club to adopt and abide by this policy.
Train, support and supervise its volunteers and members of staff, to adopt best practice in embedding children’s rights in Scottish football and promoting, protecting and respecting these rights to children.
Respond to any concerns raised where a child’s rights are being denied in Scottish football.
Regularly monitor and evaluate the implementation of this policy, these procedures and associated safeguards in developing our child-rights based approach and include children’s views in this process.

Review

This policy and associated policies, procedures and safeguards will be regularly reviewed and will include children’s participation and feedback on the content and actual experience of implementation as part of the review:

CHILD PROTECTION POLICY STATEMENT

The Club is fully committed to promoting, supporting and safeguarding the well-being of all children in its care. We recognise the child’s rights to protection as provided in Article 19 of the UNCRC: all forms of physical or mental violence, injury and abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse. ‘Child protection’ means protecting a child from child abuse or neglect, as stated within the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2014.

The Club will:

Respect the rights of children as paramount.
Promote the rights and well-being of children by providing opportunities for them to take part in football safely.
Promote and implement appropriate procedures to safeguard the well-being of children and protect them from abuse, ensuring they know what to do and who they can speak to if they need help.
Require members of staff and volunteers to adopt and abide by this policy and sign up to the Code of Conduct for Safeguarding Children’s Wellbeing.
Safely recruit and select individuals who will be working with children to ensure appropriate measures have been taken and risk assessed when needed.
Train, support and supervise its members of staff and volunteers to adopt best practice to safeguard and protect children from abuse and to reduce risks.
Respond to any allegations of poor practice, misconduct or abuse of children in line with procedures as well as implementing, where appropriate, the relevant disciplinary and appeals procedures.
Observe guidelines issued by local Child Protection Committees for the protection of children.
Regularly monitor and evaluate the implementation of this policy, these procedures and associated safeguards and include children’s views in this process.

Review

This policy and associated procedures will be regularly reviewed and will include children’s participation and feedback on the content and actual experience of implementation as part of the review:

ANTI-BULLYING POLICY STATEMENT

The Club is fully committed to safeguarding the well-being of all children in its care. We understand that children’s well-being can be seriously impacted by bullying behaviour. The Club therefore recognises the information provided for children by respectme, Scotland’s Anti-Bullying Service: ‘Bullying is never acceptable; it doesn’t make a child better or stronger to get through it and it should never be seen as a normal part of growing up. Bullying is a behaviour that can make a child feel frightened, threatened, left out and hurt. Something only has to happen once to make a child feel worried or scared to go to school or other places they enjoy going’.

The Club will:

Respect the rights of children as paramount.
Work together to develop positive relationships amongst children and adults which are mutually respectful, responsible and trusting; and promote their emotional health and well-being.
Seek to prevent, reduce and respond effectively to bullying behaviour, through the implementation of this policy and guidelines.
Require members of staff and volunteers to adopt and abide by this policy.
Train, support and supervise its members of staff and volunteers to adopt best practice to prevent, reduce and respond to bullying.
Address the needs of children who are bullied as well as those who bully within a framework of respect, responsibility, resolution and support.
Respond to any concerns raised either in the experiences of children of poor practice/misconduct or abuse caused by an adult’s bullying behaviour.
Highlight bullying based on prejudice and perceived differences, to ensure our practices are effective in dealing with these issues.
Regularly monitor and evaluate the implementation of this policy and guidelines and include children’s views in this process.

Review

This Policy and guidelines will be regularly reviewed and will include children’s participation and feedback on the content and actual experience of implementation as part of the review:

CHILD WELLBEING & PROTECTION OFFICER

Leo Micallef

07427 673958 | leomicallef@live.co.uk

To see our complete policy on Child Wellbeing & Protection please click on the links in the menu on the left.

ST ANDREWS UNITED FC