Bilton Ajax JFC acknowledges its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of every child and young person who has been entrusted to its care and is committed to working to provide a safe environment for all members. A child or young person is anyone under the age of 18 engaged in any club football activity. We subscribe to The Football Association’s Safeguarding Children – Policy and Procedures and endorse and adopt the Policy Statement contained in that document.

The key principles of The FA Safeguarding Children Policy are that:

• the child’s welfare is, and must always be, the paramount consideration

• all children and young people have a right to be protected from abuse regardless of their age, gender, disability, race, sexual orientation, faith or belief

• all suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately

• working in partnership with other organisations, children and young people and their parents/carers is essential.

We acknowledge that every child or young person who plays or participates in football should be able to take part in an enjoyable and safe environment and be protected from poor practice and abuse. Bilton Ajax Football Club recognises that this is the responsibility of every adult involved in our club.Below are organisitions that can offer further advice and support.

You can contact Childline by clicking here or by ringing 0800 1111

NSPCC can be contacted by clicking here or you can ring 0808 800 5000 or via email to help@nspcc.org.uk

MIND provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. Click here for more info

CEOP is a law enforcement agency and is here to help keep children and young people safe from sexual abuse and grooming online. Click here for more info

Respect

To kick off the 2020/21 youth football season, The Football Association has announced a renewed focus on the Respect campaign as it enters its ten year anniversary.

Originally launched in the 2008/09 season, the campaign’s new mantra of ‘We Only Do Positive’ aims to improve behaviour on touchlines across the country by raising awareness of Respect amongst a new generation of parents, coaches, volunteers and players.

The campaign follows extensive research carried out during the 2017/18 season to understand the effect of negative behaviour at football matches from Under 7s to Under 18s level more clearly, focusing on where Respect interventions would be most effective.

‘We Only Do Positive’ is The FA’s new strategic approach to emphasise the role of parents and coaches whilst highlighting the importance of positive behaviours and environments – both on and off the pitch – for young footballers involved in mini-soccer and youth football.

The FA’s Respect campaign aims to educate parents and coaches on their roles in creating a fun, safe and inclusive environment for players to ensure the campaign is embraced throughout the age groups and result in sustained participation from players and volunteers alike.

Please click on this link:

https://www.thefa.com/get-involved/respect

The FA and County FA’s are determined to provide an inclusive football experience for anyone who wishes to play, coach, officiate, administer, support or be involved in any role in English football. An experience that is reflective of our diverse communities, safe for all and free from abuse and discrimination.

Instilling confidence in reporting discrimination is a key goal of our collective inclusion and anti-discrimination work across the game.

When discriminatory behaviour takes place, those who witness it – or are the victim of it – need to be able to report it quickly, and to the right people. The reporting process needs to be easy and confidential. Plus, those who make reports must be confident that their concerns or experiences will be heard and, where necessary, dealt with promptly and appropriately.

HOW DO I REPORT?

We recognise that there is under-reporting of incidents of racism and discrimination in the game and we encourage those who feel that they have been discriminated against to report their concerns.

Should you wish to report an incident of discrimination, in the first instance, please contact Wayne Forster via email Welfarebiltonajax@outlook.com

Additional information can be found by following this link:

Safeguarding

Anyone who has a concern about the welfare of a child or the behaviour of an adult towards a child or young person under-18 years of age in football, please refer your concerns to the Child Welfare Officer Wayne Forster at Bilton Ajax JFC via email at Welfarebiltonajax@outlook.com

The club will investigate all concerns. Information and investigations are shared with the County FA safeguarding team and where appropriate the larger body of professionals working towards safe environments for children.

Additional information can be found on the following this link:https://www.birminghamfa.com/