Safeguarding

Charlton Athletic Football Club Safeguarding Statement

Following widespread national publicity regarding allegations of historical abuse in football in November 2016, the Football Association’s and English Football League’s investigation has identified 285 suspects with 331 football clubs have been impacted, with the figure spans all tiers of football, from premier clubs through to amateur. 

The FA’s unequivocal goal has always been to ensure the game is safe and enjoyable for all. Working collaboratively with the clubs and authorities, the FA has led this work in developing a united strategy. The FA’s work has been, and continues to be, to: Implement preventative safeguarding measures and create fun, safe football environments; Make the reporting of concerns as easy as possible; Ensure safeguarding and child protection concerns are investigated swiftly and thoroughly in conjunction with statutory agencies-and with demonstrable outcomes. The FA has released a document entitled ‘Keeping Football Safe and Enjoyable’, which outlines the safeguarding work being done across football.  

Charlton Athletic Football Club is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Charlton Athletic Football Club staff recognise their duty of care to safeguard the welfare of children and young people by creating an environment that protects them from harm, allows children and young people to have a voice and is proactive in the implementation of welfare processes. The club’s standards of practice ensure all staff are fully aware and understand their responsibilities under safeguarding legislation and are required to take relevant training and education courses in conjunction with football governing bodies. The club regularly refer to government documentation, such as Keeping Children Safe in Education and Working Together to Safeguard Children to keep updated on best practice and current legislation on safeguarding and welfare. 

Charlton Athletic Football Club Key Safeguarding Principles:

• To safeguard all children and young people who interact with the club

• To demonstrate best practice in the area of safeguarding children and young people

• To develop a positive and proactive welfare programme to enable all children and young people to participate in an enjoyable and safe environment

• To promote high ethical standards throughout

Working closely with the FA’s team of safeguarding professionals, all 92 clubs operating within the Premier League and Football League ensure there is a structure and team of safeguarding personnel. In line with the FA’s safeguarding strategy Charlton Athletic Football Club has a Designated Safeguarding Officer and welfare team. The key roles of the Designated Safeguarding Officer are to ensure that all eligible individuals have the necessary certification; to make certain that safeguarding is embedded in the club; to promote best practice and to deal with any poor practice and welfare issues that may arise. Club Welfare Officers are required to attend the FA Safeguarding Children Workshop and a Welfare Officer Workshop in addition to having an in-date enhanced DBS/ criminal records check.

Charlton Athletic Football Club Safeguarding Hierarchical Structure 

Senior Safeguarding Manager

Dean Jarman

dean.jarman@cafc.co.uk

07384 816526

Head of Education and Welfare

Joe Francis

joe.francis@cafc.co.uk 

07983 363476

Club Policies 

In coordination with the FA’s guidance and Charlton Athletic's commitment to safeguarding, the club has a number of policies and procedures in place to for all staff and stakeholders to follow to ensure the welfare and safety of all those in club activity. These policies are reviewed annually by a CAFC board member. Charlton Athletic Football Club Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy and Procedures can be found on our club website. There are a number of supporting policies in place that also contribute to the safeguarding and welfare culture within the club. Active policies within the club are the following:

• Whistleblowing Policy

• Staff Complaints Procedure

• Match Day Complaints Procedure

• Safe Selection and Recruitment Process Procedure 

• Health and Safety Statement of Intent

• IT Policy 

• Adults at Risk Policy

• Anti-Bullying Policy

• Late Collection of Children Policy

Safeguarding In Action

Charlton Athletic Football Club take great pride in our work in pursuit of welfare and safeguarding for all our club members. The English Football League conducted the first of two annual Safeguarding Audit Visits as recent as August 2018 for the club’s Academy. This collaborative two day visit highlighted the culture of care ingrained within our Academy environment and provided the club the opportunity to display the positive work in action at the Academy, with EFL representative highlighting our work as a model of good practice. We intend to work closely with the EFL and all other governing bodies to continually develop our practices and be updated on all legalisation in regards to safeguarding. 

Charlton Athletic are committed to not only developing talent on the pitch but ensuring that players and parents involved within our academy are provided with a holistic development platform to grow into better rounded individuals. The club have a number of education/development programmes throughout all phases of the Academy, providing our players with the knowledge and skills set for success on and off the field. These programmes, developed by the Education and Welfare team, will ensure our players, parents and staff all understand their contribution and responsibility to ensuring the welfare of all associated with the club and how to support the players in their enjoyment of football and athletic development. The “CAFC Champions Programme” was launched in the season 2017-18, providing great success through our Foundation and Youth Development Phases. Our programme built upon the concepts to “Play, Live and Represent” like a champion will continue throughout this season. Alongside these player orientated programmes, parent workshops will continue for the upcoming season. As an important stakeholder for development and welfare, the club believe building strong relationships with families will ensure a safeguarding culture is embedded throughout our academy. This supportive workshops provide a platform for staff and parents to work collaboratively, addressing the rigours of academy life. 

An exciting new “Life Skills and Player Care Programme” created and designed by Head of Education and Welfare Joe Francis has been launched at the start of this season. This bespoke programme, which is funded and supported by the League Football Education will target our professional development phase within our club with an emphasis on performance, well-being and transition. 

Reporting

If you have concerns about the safety or wellbeing of a child or vulnerable adult at Charlton Athletic Football Club please make contact with a member of our Safeguarding Team via telephone or email. The club will review all information you have provided and respond to this ASAP. We have a duty to share information that you give us with other agencies if we think that a child or vulnerable adult could be at risk of harm. Please contact the club or any of the below organisations for advice and guidance on safeguarding and welfare.

Help Organisations:

Guidance for young people:

Policies: