An online ‘Safeguarding for All’ Workshop is available to all Essex-registered referees, providing a basic overview of how to safeguard children, as well as exploring how to help create a safe environment and what to do if they have a concern.

The workshop is for referees who are currently unable to complete the online renewal of the FA Safeguarding Children Workshop, providing a comprehensive course to complete while face-to-face workshops are unable to be delivered. It also examines what is meant by the terms ‘best practice’, ‘poor practice’ and ‘abuse’.

“There isn't a set deadline for referees to complete the course,” explained Essex County FA Referee Development Officer, Lukas Wood. “However, if they have a spare 30/40 minutes, it is highly recommended for all referees to complete it if they can. It contains some useful information for how to make the grassroots game as safe as we possibly can.”

Referees can gain access to the workshop via this link. When logging-in, referees will need to use the same E-Mail address and password they use to log-in to the FA Whole Game System. Find out more about grassroots football by following @EssexCountyFA and @EssexReferees on Twitter and by searching for ‘EssexFootball’ on Facebook.