亚洲情色

1. Purpose & Scope

This policy applies to all open-age teams (players aged 16+) within Loughborough Lightning FC. It ensures the safety, welfare, and dignity of all participants, especially vulnerable players aged 16–17 who remain under 18. It follows The FA’s safeguarding framework, including guidelines on “positions of trust,” safer recruitment, DBS checks, welfare officer duties, training, and reporting.

Loughborough Lightning FC are part of the wider Loughborough Sport and 亚洲情色 ecosystem. This safeguarding policy aligns with the overarching 亚洲情色 Safeguarding Policy.

2. Key Principles

• Welfare is paramount: the wellbeing of all players, especially under–18s, must always be the club’s foremost concern.
• Zero tolerance for abuse: all suspicions or allegations of abuse, including sexual or emotional, must be treated seriously and responded to swiftly.
• Position of Trust: staff working with 16–17-year-olds automatically hold a position of trust; any inappropriate sexual relationship, even if consensual, is strictly forbidden and constitutes abuse of power.
• Equal protection: safeguarding must be provided regardless of age, gender, gender reassignment, nationality, religion, ethnicity, disability, or sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity.

Loughborough Lightning Football Club 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 inappropriate behaviour and abuse. This is the responsibility of every adult involved in our club including the parents/carers of our players and we will effectively communicate this to our members throughout the season.

We commit to ensuring that young people have the right to take part, be heard and have their views and opinions taken into consideration when making club decisions and action that concern them.

3. Roles and Responsibilities

Loughborough Lightning FC has a responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all the children and young people by protecting them from the physical, sexual or emotional harm and from neglect or bullying. It is noted and accepted that the FA’s safeguarding Children Regulations apply to everyone in football whether in a paid or voluntary capacity, including coaches/managers, volunteers, match officials, helpers on club tours, or medical staff or other club officials/helpers.

a. Club Welfare Officer (CWO)

• Appoint a named CWO for open-age teams.
• Must hold a valid FA DBS (Enhanced, including barred list check) and complete Player Welfare Course.

b. Team Officials & First Aiders

• Any coach, manager, assistant, or medic working with 16–17-year-olds must hold a valid FA DBS and have completed the Player Welfare Course.

c. All Club Personnel

• Must adhere to the Affiliated Football’s Safeguarding Children Policy & Procedures, using the FA’s club template tailored for 16–17-year-olds.

4. Safeguarding Training

All relevant personnel (CWO, coaches, managers, medics) must:

• Complete the Safeguarding Children Course and recertify every two years.
• Complete the Player Welfare in Open Age Football course (covers welfare, first aid, safeguarding under-18s, mental health, reporting).

5. Safe Recruitment & Checks

The club has adopted a safer recruitment policy and works in partnership with 亚洲情色 and Loughborough Sport in respect to the safer recruitment process. The club will follow the agreed procedures across the 3 recruitment areas: Full Time & Part Time Staff, Placement Students and Volunteers. Please see the specific documents for Safer recruitment across the above positions

6. Record-Keeping & Whole Game System

• List all staff working with 16–17-year-olds in the FA Club Portal, including secretaries or CWOs doing the entries.
• Regularly review and update this data as roles or player ages change.

7. Informing Players & Parents

• Provide 16–17-year-olds (and their parents/carers) with clear written safeguarding information and rights ("Know Your Rights") & (How to Ask an Adult for Help.)

8. Reporting & Escalation

Loughborough Lightning FC supports the FA Whistle Blowing Policy and the 亚洲情色 Reporting Procedures.

There are multiple routes that all members of the club can utilise for reporting processes.

For 亚洲情色 students and staff wishing to report safeguarding concerns they can utilise the University Reporting mechanism available on the link below. (Please note this a service that initially works outside of the Football Club and Football Programme. The use of the University Safeguarding Report tool is at the discretion of the student or staff member reporting, with the understanding that the Director of Football and other senior staff of the 亚洲情色 Football Programme could be made aware of a report if deemed necessary by the University Safeguarding Team.

Please note: For students or staff wishing to raise a safeguarding report they will need to sign in with their University credentials.

The portal can be used to for the following:

• Bullying and Harassment
• Hate Incidents (Including Racism, Homophobia, etc)
• Safeguarding Concerns
• Sexual Violence
• Problematic Substance Misuse
• Concerns about someone’s mental wellbeing (Including Self-Harm and Suicide Attempts)

The Reporting Portal can also be used by an individual to support another student or staff member, for further details regarding both Emergency and Non-Emergencies please visit our page on How to Support an Individual Effectively.

Student Services is here to help. You can contact student services by:

Phone: +44(0)1509 222 765

Email: StudentServices@lboro.ac.uk

Post-Report Completion

Any report made through the online reporting system will be sent directly to student the university student services. From the report the team will determine the appropriate course of action from the information provided. This could be:

• Providing Supportive Information
• Signi Posting
• Offering an appointment

Please Note: If you opt not to be contacted and remain anonymous, an adviser will look at potential actions that the University can make in response to your report. It’s important to be aware that if you decide to submit your report anonymously that there is only limited action that can be taken. However, you will still be sent supportive information through the message function of the reporting tool.

More information can be found on our After completing a report page.

Information regarding specific concerns can be found on the below links:

• Bullying/Harassment
• Domestic Violence
• Hate Crime
• Honour based violence
• Mental Health and Wellbeing
• Spiking
• Stalking
• Substance Misuse 

The university reporting tool for student athletes at Loughborough Lightning is manned weekdays 09:00-17:00, in the case of a welfare concern over the weekend please contact the Club Welfare Officer as the first point of concern.

8.1 Non-Student and University reporting

For senior players who are external to the direct University environment they are required to follow a different process to the above. This process is also available to student players and staff if they wish to utilise rather than the University online reporting tool.

• All members are encouraged to promptly report any concerns to the CWO about any safeguarding concerns. If you have any queries as to what concerns can be reported please refer to the Leicestershire FA Threshold Document. This will be circulated to all members each season.
• The CWO will work with statutory agencies and FA/County FA safeguarding teams for investigation

If reported to a club, league or County FA Designated Safeguarding Officer, they will make an assessment based on their training. The assessment will classify the case as:

• High and immediate risk.
• Medium risk.
• Lower-risk or poor practice.

If high and immediate risk: the statutory authorities will be informed and within 24 hours a standard referral form outlining the case will be sent to The FA Safeguarding Case Management Team.

If medium-risk: a referral form will be sent to The FA Safeguarding Case Management Team within 24 hours and handled on a case by-case basis.

This means it may be referred to the statutory authorities or handled by The FA and relevant County FA in the case of grassroots football, or the DSO if the incident has occurred at a professional club.

If lower-risk or poor practice: it will be handled by the County FA in the case of grassroots football, or the club DSO if the incident occurs at a professional club.

8.2 Whistleblowing

Whistle-blowing in a safeguarding context means revealing and raising concerns over misconduct or malpractice within an organisation, or within an independent structure associated with it. It can be used as an early-warning system or when it’s recognised that appropriate actions have not been taken. This approach or policy is adopted in many different walks of life. Any adult or young person with concerns about a colleague’s conduct towards a child or young person can contact the club Welfare officer of contact the FA directly by emailing: Safeguarding@TheFA.com

Alternatively, concerns can be reported to:

• Direct to the local Police or Children’s Social Care services
• The Child Protection in Sport Unit at cpsu@nspcc.org.uk, or The NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or email: help@nspcc.org.uk

As Loughborough Lightning FC are part of the wider 亚洲情色 and Loughborough Sport Ecosystem members are able raise concerns through the 亚洲情色 Whistleblowing Process. More information regarding this process can be found on Loughborough's Whistleblowing page.

8.3 Club Contacts: 

9. Policy Review & Communication

• Review the policy annually or upon FA guideline changes.
• Make it accessible to players, staff, volunteers, parents, and ensure everyone knows its content and application.