Last Thursday, the Lancashire FA monthly newsletter outlined important updates relating to safeguarding. 

Below are the key pieces of information you need to know.

DBS

All Clubs need to have coaches and managers with an ‘accepted’ in-date FA DBS by 31st December or team league fixtures will be withheld until issues are resolved. Should there be a number of non-compliant coaches or managers from the same club we will suspend the affiliation of the entire club pending a full safeguarding audit. Matches will only recommence for that club once every coach is compliant and we are satisfied the club is fully aware of its responsibilities and discharging them appropriately. Children’s safety will always be paramount - if fundamental safeguards are not present, we would be neglecting our youngest stakeholders by allowing that provision to continue unchallenged. Our key role is to support you. If your welfare officer or club in general is unsure about how to process DBS applications, manage the club’s safeguarding records, and ensure renewals take place in good time, then please ask Neil Yates or Chris Doherty at neil.yates@lancashirefa.com or chris.doherty@lancashirefa.com.

Safeguarding visits

As part of the safeguarding standards under which the Association is judged annually, we are mandated to conduct unannounced weekend visits to Lancashire clubs to explore the basic level of safeguarding awareness amongst parents and coaches and ensure that the personnel managing the team from the touchline are the same people connected to that team on the Whole Game System. This is the only way we can ensure that those looking after children on match days have been deemed suitable to carry out that role. Thus far we have visited teams that are not even registered on our system and have found coaches with no qualifications or DBS accreditation. This is both dangerous and unacceptable - We are therefore requesting that all clubs complete a brief audit to make sure their WGS records are accurate and reflect the reality of matchday management. Again, if we find non-compliant or non-qualified adults in charge of teams, we will immediately ask leagues to withhold fixtures pending a full enquiry.

Adults In Junior Football Workshop

Our safeguarding team are more than happy to help you increase your understanding around this fundamental area in football, running their 'Adults In Junior Football Workshop' for you - it's free, it's virtual and it protects our youngest stakeholders and you can book here.