Is this a safeguarding concern?
what is poor practice, and what is a safeguarding concern?
This page offers guidance on what constitutes a safeguarding concern (to be reported to the GFA) and what is poor practice (to be reported to and managed by the club).
The Gloucestershire FA has experienced an increase in the number of low level concerns (poor practice) being reported to the County FA. Incidents of poor practice should be reported to your Club Welfare Officer in the first instance; this is behaviour that is not immediately dangerous or intentionally harmful but which does set a poor example. This does not meet the threshold for a safeguarding issue, but does still need to be reported and managed internally.
The list below is not exhaustive, but gives an idea of the type of behaviour which constitutes poor practice for clubs to manage without the involvement of the Gloucestershire FA.
examples of poor practice
These should be reported to your Club Welfare Officer (CWO). Repeat offenders should then be referred to the GFA by the Club Welfare Officer.
This is poor practice and should be reported to your Club Welfare Officer.
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Equal Playing Time guidance
when should you contact the gloucestershire FA?
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With poor practice being dealt with by clubs’ internal processes, the County FA Designated Safeguarding Officer must be notified of more serious concerns.
- Any incidents that involve a statutory agency (e.g. Police, Social Services, LADO)
- Repeat offenders (where any poor practice has been identified on three separate occasions)
- Any matters where a child could be at risk of harm
- Any matters where there could be a breach of FA Disciplinary Regulations
- Any matters that you have tried to address but that continue to happen in the club*
*You can see the FA Whistleblowing Policy to the right, outlining what you should do if you do not think your Club Welfare Officer has adequately dealt with a concern.
Clubs should keep records of any poor practice reported, including what action was taken and what the outcome was as a result.
what can i expect when i make a report?
The infographic below shows the process for handling reports received by the GFA.
As shown, any reports of poor practice will be referred back to the club involved, so these complaints will be resolved quicker by directly contacting your Club Welfare Officer, rather than the GFA.
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If you are worried about the safety of a child or vulnerable person - this is a SAFEGUARDING CONCERN. You should get in touch using our details on the right. |
| If the risk is immediate then you should phone the police using 999 or the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000. |
| GET IN TOUCH |
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Liz Barnett Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) Safeguarding@GloucestershireFA.com Emergency Out of Hours: 07960 500 130 |
