Safeguarding Children Policy

Last updated: 19 April 2026

1. Our Commitment

ProGirl Academy acknowledges its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of every child and young person and is committed to providing a safe environment for all. We recognise that a child is anyone under the age of 18 and subscribe to The Football Association's (The FA) Safeguarding Children Policy and Procedures.

ProGirl Academy endorses and adopts the following key safeguarding principles:

• 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, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, marital status or civil partnership, race, nationality, ethnic origin, colour, religion or belief, ability or disability, pregnancy and maternity;
• all suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately; and
• 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. ProGirl Academy recognises that this is the responsibility of every adult involved in our club.

2. Scope

ProGirl Academy has a role to play in safeguarding the welfare of all children and young people by protecting them from physical, sexual or emotional harm and from neglect or bullying. It is noted and accepted that The FA's Safeguarding Children Regulations (see The FA Handbook) apply to everyone in football whether in a paid or voluntary capacity, including coaches/managers, volunteers, match officials, helpers on club tours, medical staff or other club officials/helpers.

3. Safer Recruitment

We endorse and adopt The FA's Safer Recruitment guidelines and we will:

• specify what the role is and what tasks it involves;
• request identification documents;
• as a minimum meet and chat with the applicant(s) and, where possible, interview people before appointing them;
• ask for and follow up with 2 references before appointing someone; and
• where eligible, require an FA-accepted enhanced DBS check with barred list check, in line with The FA's current Safeguarding Children Policy and Regulations.

All current ProGirl Academy members working in eligible roles with children and young people, such as coaches/managers and physiotherapists, are required to hold an in-date FA-accepted enhanced DBS check with barred list check as part of safer recruitment practice. If there are concerns regarding the appropriateness of an individual who is already involved, or who has approached us to become part of ProGirl Academy, guidance will be sought from the County Football Association (CFA).

It is noted and accepted that The FA will consider the relevance and significance of the information obtained via the DBS process and that all suitability decisions will be made in accordance with legislation and in the best interests of children and young people. It is accepted that The FA aims to prevent people with a history of relevant and significant offending from having contact with children or young people and the opportunity to influence policies or practice with children or young people. This is to prevent direct sexual or physical harm to children and to minimise the risk of 'grooming' within football.

4. Whistle-Blowing

ProGirl Academy supports The FA's Whistle Blowing policy, which means any adult or young person with concerns about an adult in a position of trust within football can 'whistle blow' by:

• contacting The FA Safeguarding Team on 0800 169 1863;
• writing to The FA Case Manager at The Football Association, Wembley Stadium, PO Box 1966, London SW1P 9EQ;
• emailing Safeguarding@TheFA.com; or
• going direct to the Police, Children's Social Care or the NSPCC.

ProGirl Academy encourages everyone to know about The FA's Whistle Blowing Policy and to utilise it if necessary.

5. Club Welfare Officer

ProGirl Academy has appointed a Club Welfare Officer (Youth Teams) ("CWO") in line with The FA's role profile, who has completed the Safeguarding Children and Welfare Officers Workshop. The post holder will be involved with ongoing Welfare Officer training provided by The FA and/or CFA.

The CWO is the first point of contact for all club members regarding concerns about the welfare of any child or young person. The CWO will liaise directly with the CFA Designated Safeguarding Officer and will be familiar with the procedures for referring any concerns. The CWO will also play a proactive role in increasing awareness of respect, poor practice and abuse amongst club members.

6. Anti-Bullying

We acknowledge and endorse The FA's identification of bullying as a category of abuse. Bullying of any kind is not acceptable at our club. If bullying does occur, all players and parents/carers should be able to access our anti-bullying policy and know that incidents will be dealt with appropriately. Incidents need to be reported to the CWO and, in cases of serious bullying, the CFA Designated Safeguarding Officer may be contacted.

7. Codes of Conduct

Codes of conduct for Players, Parents/Spectators, Officials and Coaches (as required by the CPSU Safeguarding Standards) have been implemented by ProGirl Academy. In order to uphold these codes of conduct, the club has clear actions it will take regarding repeated or serious misconduct at club level, and acknowledges the possibility of potential sanctions which may be implemented by the CFA in more serious circumstances.

8. Reporting a Concern

In this club, safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, and we know that inaction is not an option. If anyone is worried about a child, it is important that they report their concerns to the CWO, who will deal with reported concerns as follows:

• our CWO will manage poor practice and, where necessary, seek advice from the CFA Designated Safeguarding Officer (CFA DSO);
• our CWO will make referrals about more serious concerns to the CFA DSO, or in an emergency contact the Police or Children's Social Care;
• we will ensure that, if the child needs immediate medical treatment, we take them to a hospital or call an ambulance and tell them it is a child protection concern; and
• our CWO will keep records of the actions taken and keep the CFA DSO informed.

If at any time our Club Welfare Officer is not available, or the matter is clearly serious, all our members should be aware that they can:

• contact the CFA DSO directly;
• contact The FA's Safeguarding Team on 0800 169 1863 or Safeguarding@TheFA.com;
• contact the Police or Children's Social Care; and/or
• call the NSPCC 24-hour Helpline for advice on 0808 800 5000, text 88858, or email help@nspcc.org.uk.

ProGirl Academy understands and accepts our collective responsibility to adhere to our safeguarding children policy and procedures. We commit to ensuring our members are aware of and have access to our policies.

Signatories

Director: Georgina Slater (19 April 2026)
Club Welfare Officer: Gabriel Colquhoun (19 April 2026)

Further Information

• The FA's Safeguarding Children Policy and Procedures (including the anti-bullying policy) are available via TheFA.com.
• The FA's Safer Recruitment guidance is available via TheFA.com.