Since officially joining the Colts team as Welfare Officer in November 2022 I have been out every weekend to try to meet as many Colts coaching teams, children and parents as well as officials. It has been great to see a lot of good practice and children clearly enjoying their football.
I also sit on the Committee, assist in reviewing relevant policies, procedures and promote the Respect Codes of Conduct. You can find out more about this in the Library section of our website.
You may well have seen a few “Respect” posters, banners, leaflets and A boards about – there are more to come in supporting the message of fair play and a safe environment for children to play football.
Another part of my role involves ensuring that my responsibilities are well understood by all and to work together with other Welfare Officers within Clubs, Leagues and The FA.
Please do not hesitate to contact me at: welfare@westbridgfordcolts.com if you wish to raise a concern – or on a more positive note, praise any good practice. At the end of the day I wish to endorse and promote all that is good and wish to spread the message within the Club and to others that we play against.
A COUPLE OF VERY IMPORTANT NOTES:
- In the event of having a concern about poor practice or safeguarding;
- In the event of being contacted by your League or another Club Welfare Officer about an incident or complaint, before responding;
EMAIL: welfare@westbridgfordcolts.com
Young Referees
We need to ensure all referees are treated with respect. This checklist should help teams to support young referees.
Safeguarding
Keeping children safe is a priority for the club. The FA TV YouTube channel have produced a video called Reporting Safeguarding Concerns.
There is also the unfolding story in the media in relation to historic sexual abuse allegations within football. It is troubling times for the football world and the FA have produced a short video “Checked, Trained, Hear, Report.”
As a Club we will endeavour to ensure all coaches and managers have their DBS status kept up to date. This check is just a small part of how we keep children safe. As well as this Welfare page, there are a number of policies and procedures, including Safeguarding in the Library section. The FA also have useful guidance on safeguarding. Including Staying safe online.
CURRENT FA GUIDELINES SAY: Lots of roles do not need to have checks for example: you do not need to have checks to watch your child play, if you occasionally run the line or if you drive your own child and his/her friends to games. This is a private and personal arrangement with other parents, or if your role is mainly admin. I am currently seeking guidance from Nottinghamshire FA to confirm if this remains so.
If you have a concern in relation to a child’s welfare, please pass this on without delay. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. No action is not an option.
FA Respect
Please also take a look at the following FA Respect videos:
The FA Respect Campaign: Two Rays
FA Respect: Why Kids Love Football
The FA Respect Programme has a Guide for Parents and Carers on their website. This contains four short video clips of around five minutes which we like you to watch. You can also test your knowledge and earn a Respect certificate.
http://www.thefa.com/respectguide/
In addition, there is also a useful FA Respect Guide for Youth Teams.
The Nottinghamshire FA ran a #Dab4Respect campaign at the end of last year to engage young footballers and raise awareness for Respect in football. Some of our teams posted their photos and videos on our Colts Facebook page, including our Under 7’s Whites who won a prize from Nottinghamshire FA for their dab video!
We need your help!
Respect Ambassadors
I am actively recruiting a parent/grandparent/enthusiastic follower of each Colts team to appoint a Respect Ambassador. All you need to do is monitor behaviour at your player’s match and promote Respect.
The codes of conduct are featured in our Library section. Please contact me at the welfare email address if you would like to help the Welfare team to offer a match day environment that supports good practice and sportsmanship.
Welfare Officers