Safeguarding
Ensuring the Welfare of Children and Vulnerable Adults
find out about policies and how to report concerns
Read Social Media Guidance and Safeguarding Updates
We place the safeguarding and welfare of young people high on our agenda. It's the responsibility of every adult involved in football, thus every club is required to endorse and adhere to The FA’s Safeguarding Children Policy.
It’s important to remember that every child or young person, defined as any person under the age of 18, or adult at risk, who plays or participates in football should be able to take part in an enjoyable and safe environment and be protected from abuse.
We offer a range of safeguarding services and training to help create a safe and enjoyable football experience for everyone. We ensure safeguarding requirements are met as a requirement of club affiliation and we support clubs to maintain these standards. This includes making unannounced safeguarding visits to clubs.
At the beginning of each season, all clubs need to name a Club Welfare Officer (CWO). We recognise that, without volunteer CWOs, football in Essex wouldn't have as many safeguards in place. These people, who are Disclosure and Barring Service- checked (DBS), will be able to advise you of any concerns you may have regarding young people.
They will have completed the Safeguarding Children Course, enabling them to be able to deal with welfare issues. As well as a CWOs, your league also has a League Welfare Officer. The FA use DBSs, which are conducted on an individual to make sure they do not have any convictions which might mean they are not safe to work with young people. CWOs can also complete a Welfare Officer Workshop.
GET IN TOUCH
Designated Safeguarding Officer
Helen Hever: (01245) 393098, helen.hever@essexfa.com, Child Welfare Enquiries (Advice, Referrals), Safeguarding Children, Respect
Safeguarding Support Officer
Wayne Hickey: (01245) 393093, wayne.hickey@essexfa.com, Monitoring Compliance and Good/Poor Practice, Safeguarding Visits, Mental Health First Aider
Safeguarding Enquiries: safeguarding@essexfa.com
Senior Safeguarding Lead
Brendan Walshe: (01245) 465271
Deputy Senior Safeguarding Lead
Nick Emery: (01245) 393077
Board Safeguarding Champion
Matt Clare
NSPCC: (0808) 800 5000
Local Safeguarding Children (Outside Office Hours): (0845) 606 1212
Childline: (0800) 11 11
Police: 999
If you're IMMEDIATELY concerned about a child’s welfare, contact the Police or Social Services on (0845) 603 7634 (office hours) or (0845) 606 1212 (outside office hours).
Safeguarding Policies and Reporting Concerns
Social Media Guidance
Safeguarding Update
In early 2020, local youngster Charlie won our design competition with his poster to promote safeguarding services. The content and overall impression of Charlie’s design was exactly what we were looking for! You can download the poster here.
He captured all the messages in such an eye-catching way. We're always looking out for more new designs… so be creative! Ideally, the artwork should be really appealing to young people, with a football theme. They need to be simple, and contain all the vital information. We're looking forward to seeing what the young people of Essex can come up with!
NHS England Safeguarding App: This app continues to support frontline staff and citizens with 24-hour, mobile access to up-to-date safeguarding guidance and local contacts to report safeguarding concerns. It is accessed by over 300 users daily and has had over 61,000 downloads.
The app provides an overview of necessary legislation and guidance covering both children's and adults' safeguarding as well as an NHS staff guide and contains regional contact information on how to report a safeguarding concern. It also includes links to national bodies. You can access the app via Apple iOS or Google Play or it can be downloaded by visiting your device’s appropriate app store and searching for ‘NHS Safeguarding’.
BEST-PRACTICE AND GUIDANCE NOTES
We want to help
Its scary. Your head will be telling you lots of things. I’m frightened. I won’t be believed. Where do I go? This isn’t right.
There are people you can turn to. You need to be brave (we get that), and we know its going to be hard. If your family or friends aren’t the right people for you to go to, there are many others who can help you.
Immediate Help: NSPCC (0808) 800 5000 (Monday-Friday, 8:00am–10:00pm, or 9:00am–6:00pm at the weekends) or E-Mail help@nspcc.org.uk
Police: 999 (24 hours)
Childline: 1098 (24 hours)
Thinkuknow (online abuse)
Essex County FA: Helen Hever (Designated Safeguarding Officer) and the Safeguarding Team (Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm), safeguarding@essexfa.com
Your Club Welfare Officer: all Essex County FA-affiliated grassroots youth clubs have to have a CWO, who will be trained to help you
THE SHELDON REPORT
Clive Sheldon QCs Report Into Non-Recent Child Sexual Abuse in Football
The Essex County FA welcomes the publication of Clive Sheldon QCs Report into non-recent child sexual abuse in football, published by The FA, here.
The review was commissioned by The FA in December 2016, following the disclosures of abuse in the media by former footballers.
Survivors are central to the report, which includes a number of survivor accounts. The executive summary from the report notes that, during the review, Clive Sheldon’s team had the full cooperation of The FA, the Premier League, the EFL, all County FAs and all impacted clubs.
Following the disclosures, a significant number of criminal processes have taken place, several leading to criminal convictions and some to lengthy custodial sentences for individual perpetrators. You can read The FA’s statement here.
For information about safeguarding in football in 2021, please follow this link and, for safeguarding in the Essex County FA, browse the details below on this page.
For any queries about the report, including if you are a survivor affected by the report, please E-Mail FASheldonReport@TheFA.com.
If you wish to report a child abuse concern, please contact:
* NSPCC Helpline (0800) 023 2642 or (0800) 800 5000
* The FA safeguarding case management team (safeguarding@thefa.com)
If it is an emergency, please contact the Police or Children’s Services in your area.