Child Protection
Valuable information on how parents can ensure their children play in a safe environment both on the playing field and pitch and at home when on the Internet.
Child Protection
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Insidesoccer is committed to providing the right information and recourse to ensure you and your child are protected on the playing field and off it. Knowing that your child is playing and learning in a safe environment is a vital ingredient that enables both parents and children to enjoy their interest in the sport more.
Providing a safe environment in which to play is of paramount importance to coaches and club staff alike and this works on two levels. One, the physical well being of every child must be considered and two, the child's psychological welfare must be looked after too.
For parent's piece of mind, they can ask and ensure that any coach and club member whether at grassroots level with a minimum of a Level 1 coaching certification and above have been CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) checked.
Every coach must be able to conduct safe training and playing sessions and be able to recognise such things as bullying and abuse and how to resolve them before they become an apparent issue.
Many Federations such as the FA (Football Association) in the United Kingdom have developed partnerships with the Child protection agency such as the NSPCC to develop best practice schemes for all levels of clubs and staff. The AYSO (American Youth Soccer Organisation) Safe Heaven Programme in the United States is another example.
In addition you will find most countries have a national child protection unit that will provides guidelines for parents, clubs and staff on how to conduct safe activities and report any suspected abuse.
Equally important for a child's well being and that of the parent is knowing that a child can enjoy their interest in the sport online, safely.
Children enjoy exploring the internet, it is used to find out information, for homework, chatting, exchanging information and building new relationships and this can provide new social skills.
However it is also an arena that can sometimes put children in a vulnerable position with what information they are giving away.
Again there are agencies such as the CPSU (Child Protection in Sport Unit) and CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) in the UK and the AYSO (American Youth Soccer Organisation) Safe Heaven Programme in the United States for example that provide parents, clubs and children, guidelines, advice and how to protect children online in the way of how information, pictures and videos of children can be used safely and how to report concerns. (See the Insidesoccer Child Protection site guide in xxxxx- xxxxx)
We all want every child to enjoy their sport, fully in the knowledge that there is protection for them on and off the pitch.
We recommended that you look to your national federation's child protection schemes for their best practice guidelines.
Here are the addresses of those mentioned above: