Keep Up Play Safe
Cumberland FA’s ‘Keep up Play safe’ campaign has been launched to highlight that everyone involved with youth football, 16/17 year olds in open Age football, and those that work with Adults at Risk have a role to play in safeguarding, whether you are a spectator, volunteer or player.
We all need to take responsibility!
Safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do.
Join us as we aim to highlight that everyone has a role to play!
We want the Grassroots Football Community to get involved and help raise the profile of the #KeepUpPlaySafe campaign to ensure the message that ‘we all have a role to play in safeguarding’ is seen and heard loud and clear.
CEO Ben Snowdon explains what the #KeepUpPlaySafe campaign is all about!
How can you get involved?
**We've extended this to include the whole season....to help raise the profile of the campaign and the message behind it!
You can join our #KeepUpPlaySafe video campaign (details below) – all videos* shared on social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) during 2021-22 season with #KeepUpPlaySafe and tagging Cumberland FA will have the chance to WIN 1 of 4 £25 Vouchers courtesy of Kitlocker!
If the video is not for you – you can still play your part!
Scroll down to check that you’re doing what you can to ensure a safe and positive environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults.
You can tag us on Social Media to let us know what you're doing to #KeepUpPlaySafe or pass the message around your Grassroots Football contacts so they can get involved.
Watch the Cumberland FA #KeepUpPlaySafe videos on our YouTube channel
Here are some things that you can do to support safeguarding across grassroots football in Cumberland (this list is not exhaustive), as a Club Volunteer, Coach, Player, Parent/Carer or Referee
You can use one of the examples on the list below for the video to show how you're doing your bit to #KeepUpPlaySafe
*By uploading your video to this campaign using #KeepUpPlaySafe and tagging Cumberland FA you are giving permission for Cumberland FA to use this footage to promote the campaign now and in the future.
Clubs
- As a club chairman, I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by knowing that all committee members need to have done safeguarding training
- As a club secretary, I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by making sure our club has an up-to-date safeguarding policy.
- As a member of my club committee, I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by knowing what the FA’s whistle blowing policy is.
- As a club welfare officer, I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by ensuring that all our club coaches and volunteers have up to date DBS checks.
- As a club welfare officer, I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ safe by making sure that coaches and volunteers have in date safeguarding training.
- As a club welfare officer, I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by ensuring that everyone in my club knows who I am.
- As a club welfare officer, I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by making sure club members know how to report any concerns they may have to me.
Coaches
- As a coach I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by signing up to my club’s code of conduct and understand what behaviour is expected from me.
- As I coach I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by knowing who my club welfare officer is and how to report concerns I may have about a child.
- As a coach I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by keeping my DBS and safeguarding training up to date.
- As a coach I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by checking in with my players regularly and can recognise when something isn’t right.
- As a coach, I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by keeping the number for the NSPCC in my phone.
League Welfare Officer
- As a League Welfare Officer, I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by ensuring the clubs in my league know who I am and how to contact me with concerns.
Referees
- I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by knowing my DBS check and safeguarding education are up to date.
- I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by wearing a yellow armband to show I am a youth referee in football.
- I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by knowing how to report any concerns I may have relating to a child or poor practice to my County FA Designated Safeguarding Officer.
- I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by reporting any misconduct against me during a match.
- I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by helping to ensure that football is played in a fun and safe environment using the laws of the game to help protect players during matches.
Parents / Carers
- As a parent, I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by knowing that we all need to take responsibility for safeguarding.
- As a parent, I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by knowing who my child coach is, and that they are DBS checked.
- As a parent, I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by knowing who my club welfare officer is and how to contact them if I have any concerns.
- As a parent, I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by signing up to my club’s code of conduct and understand what type of behaviour is expected from me.
- As a parent, I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by reading my clubs safeguarding policy.
- As a parent, I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by encouraging my child to talk to me about any concerns they may have at football.
- As a parent, I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by knowing what poor practice looks like and how to report it.
- As a parent, I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by knowing that I can contact the NSPCC for general advice.
Players (U8 to and including U14 and to include disability teams)
- I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by knowing that football should be fun
- I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by knowing that I should always feel safe when I play football
- I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by knowing that if a coaches behaviour makes me feel uncomfortable or worried that I need to tell someone
- I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by knowing that I have signed up to my club’s players code of conduct
- I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by knowing what behaviour is expected from me at training and matches
- We need you all to ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ to help make sure that we can play the game we love in a fun and safe environment
Older children (16/17/18-year-olds and Adults at Risk)
- I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by knowing that my coach is DBS checked.
- I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by knowing that we have a club welfare officer that I can talk to if I need to.
- I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by knowing what appropriate behaviour looks like and how to report something that isn’t right.
- I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by knowing I have the right to feel safe on and offline.
- I ‘Keep Up to Play Safe’ by knowing that I have the right not to be discriminated against for any reason.
On Saturday and Sunday 20/21 November, The FA asked the whole of football to come together to promote the importance of safeguarding in the game we all love.
Each Club should have received information on this at the time. Click HERE for more details and watch the videos - for children, for vclub officials, for parents/carers.
It’s the start of an ongoing campaign called ‘Play Safe’, which will also surface at other relevant moments across this and the next two seasons, such as Safer Internet Day, Parents in Sport Week and Anti-Bullying Week 2022/23.
Play Safe is being run in partnership with the NSPCC and has support right across the men’s and women’s professional game and the County FAs.
Play Safe emphasises the importance of clubs having safeguarding at the heart of all that they do.
And that parents/carers and children themselves know what to do if they feel unsafe or worried, because nothing matters more than making sure football is safe for everyone, especially children and young people.
SUPPORT SERVICES
Support services available for children and families [Information provided by Cumbria Police]
Below is a list of national organisations that can help provide information to children and families:
Visit the Children and Young People page on the Cumbria Police website
Visit Cumbria Safeguarding Children Partnership
Aimed at Parents, Carers and Guardians and aims to provide information regarding safeguarding and related matters that may be worrying you.
Information can be found on a variety of topics below and you will also find some useful links and contact details to information and support services in Cumbria and nationally.
'KEEP UP' TO DATE
Visit The FA's Bootroom to find information on The FA's Safeguarding courses.
SAFEGUARDING FOR ALL
The online course is an introduction to safeguarding and is suitable for anyone over the age of 14
It provides a basic overview of how to safeguard children, looking specifically at best practice, poor practice, and abuse topics.
If you're under 18, it'll also explain how to safeguard yourself. This course is the perfect place to start if you have not done a safeguarding qualification before.
THE FA SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN COURSE
Providing club representatives, coaches, referees and managers with an awareness of best practice in safeguarding children in football.
THE FA WELFARE OFFICERS COURSE
Building on the Safeguarding Children Course, focusing on the specifics of the role, what is required, and the key tools needed to carry out the role
THE FA SAFEGUARDING FOR COMMITTEE MEMBERS
This course will support you, as a committee member, to identify your individual and collective responsibility in safeguarding, so as a team you create an environment where the wellbeing of children and young people (under 18s) is central to all that you do.
THE FA GUIDE TO SAFEGUARDING ADULTS
This module explores the meaning of ‘safeguarding adults’ and ‘adults at risk’. It looks at:
• The context of abuse – and the signs and indicators
• How to report any concerns
• How to use safeguards to reduce the risk of harm
#KeepUpPlaySafe in Cumberland Football
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR OPEN AGE (ADULT) FOOTBALL CLUBS
Whilst the focus of safeguarding is often seen to be on youth football, it is equally as important that 16 and 17 year old footballers feel safe whilst taking part in the open age (adult) game and that Clubs take responsibility for the safeguarding of any young players that they have.
Open Age (Adult) Club’s should recall various communications that they received in the early part of 2020 with regards to their safeguarding responsibilities for both under 18s and also adults in disability football.
Whilst COVID-19 meant that some of the next steps were put on hold, further information will be coming out to Clubs and Leagues shortly regarding this for the 2022/23 season.
In the meantime, all Clubs should:
• Ensure that the information regarding their Club is up to date on the Whole Game System and the names of all Managers / Coaches are recorded against the team(s) that they are involved in.
• Ensure that your coaches have a DBS check where your team has 16/17-year-old players.
• Ensure coaches have completed the free online ‘Safeguarding for ALL’ course where your team has 16/17-year-old players
• Ensure that you have your safeguarding policy in place. Information of what this should include can be found here
• Ensure that the Know Your Rights in Football document is shared with any 16 and 17 year old players at the Club
• Check out the latest safeguarding information on CumberlandFAcom
SAFEGUARDING POLICY FOR CLUBS WITH 16/17 YEAR OLD PLAYERS
If you have any questions at any time regarding safeguarding in Cumberland Football, please contact the team at Cumberland FA.
VISIT THE SAFEGUARDING & WELFARE PAGE ON WWW.CUMBERLANDFA.COM
Cumberland FA's Designated Safeguarding Officer is Steve Greenway and can be contacted on 01900 511 800 (Option 1 and then Option 1) or via email Safeguarding@CumberlandFA.com
VISIT THE WHOLE GAME SYSTEM
Under 18 Corner
Know Your Rights
Safeguarding Adults Week 2021
Anti-Bullying Week 2021
CLUBS | HOW YOU cAN KEEP UP TO PLAY SAFE
Some More ways to communicate how your club provides a safe and positive environment for every child and young person:
Ask your Committee members to:
o Ensure your Club Welfare Officer’s (CWO) contact details are widely available;
o Ensure safeguarding and player welfare is regularly on your meeting agendas and reflected in your club’s day to day practices;
o Discuss with your CWO a) what’s going well and b) what could be improved at your club – then agree three key priorities to drive positive change.
Ask your coaches and managers to:
o Find out first-hand from your under-18 players:
- What they feel is working well at the club;
- Anything they’d like to change.
Remind players that if they have any concerns they can speak with the coach/manager, the Club Welfare Officer or their parent/carer.
Ask parents/carers to:
o Put the CWO/NSPCC helpline number in their phone;
o Introduce themselves to the CWO;
o Ensure you know who their coach is;
o Discuss the club’s code of conduct with their child - and make sure they understand it;
o Complete The FA Safeguarding For All free online course;
o Regularly check-in with their child to see what they are enjoying/not enjoying at football and why;
o Reflect on whether they are:
- Keeping to the club’s code of conduct, in what they say and do;
- Recognising that under-18 referees are children and should receive the same support as every other under-18 in the game.
Safeguarding & Welfare
