The purpose of the survey was to identify the knowledge and awareness of safeguarding measures amongst our membership - in particular amongst parents of junior (u18) players, to help us assess the effectiveness of previous communications and to identify how we may improve safeguarding awareness amongst our members.

Overall, we found there is a good level of awareness of safeguarding amongst members, that all respondents agreed or strongly agreed that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, and that the club takes safeguarding and player well-being seriously.

Nevertheless, thanks to your responses, we have been able to identify a number of areas in which small improvements can be made. In most cases this will be in the form of communications to members, but we will also be reviewing the information provided to new members on joining and to existing members on annual renewal of membership, and in making members aware of safeguarding awareness training that is available through The FA (free!).

A copy of the results of the survey, conclusions and the action plan coming out of the recommendations is being sent to all members.

What is Safeguarding?
Safeguarding is the process of protecting children and adults from harm by providing a safe space in which to play sport and be active.

To help ensure the game is enjoyable for everyone as much as possible, and to provide guidance and support for those occasions when it fails to meet expectations, there is a Safeguarding framework in place, led by The FA, the game’s governing body in this country, and delivered through County FAs in conjunction with leagues and clubs in the form of Policies, Codes of Conduct, procedures and volunteer training - about which there is more information below:

Safeguarding Policy
The club has adopted the FA’s template for our Safeguarding Policy, which you can read and/or download HERE

Codes of Conduct
The club has adopted the FA’s Respect Codes of Conduct. There are 5 Codes of Conduct covering distinct groups of participants –
Parents, Carers and Spectators
Team Managers, Coaches and Officials
Young Players
Adult Players
Welfare Officers
The Codes of Conduct can be read and/or downloaded by clicking on the links above

All club members confirm they have read and accept the club’s rules and Codes of Conduct corresponding to their role on joining the club, and on annual renewal/confirmation of continuing membership.

Contact
The Club Welfare Officer (CWO), Karen Kitahara, is the primary point of contact within the club for safeguarding matters. Karen can be contacted via welfareofficer@prideparkfc.com, or at the contact details on the Club Officials and Contacts page

Safeguarding Awareness Training
All our survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. The Club’s Officer’s (Chair, Treasurer, CWO and Secretary), team managers and assistant managers, and all coaches have completed safeguarding training corresponding to their roles.

There’s also Safeguarding Awareness training available for parents and carers – which is free and online and only takes about 25-30 minutes to complete – and will provide parents and carers with an understanding of the importance of safeguarding in football, highlights signs that should concern you – and how to report these concerns.

The FA and Pride Park is doing everything we can to create a safe and positive environment for your children to play football – this course will enable you to play an active role towards achieving that goal. We recommend that all parents take this course which can be accessed at https://learn.englandfootball.com/courses/safeguarding/safeguarding-awareness-for-parents-and-carers

The survey has given some reassurance that there is a generally good level of safeguarding awareness amongst our members, but has helped us assess the effectiveness of previous communications and to identify how we may further improve safeguarding awareness, particularly in respect of the awareness of our Safeguarding Policy, and especially our Codes of Conduct, and ensuring everyone plays their part in helping us create a safe space in which to play sport and be active.