Safeguarding

Aston Villa Football Club in conjunction with the Premier League is committed to safeguarding children and adults at risk.

The Club seeks to create a safe, secure culture enabling all vulnerable groups to participate in a broad spectrum of activities relating to football.

The Club accepts its responsibility to assist in the welfare of children and young people and to safeguard them from poor practice, abuse and bullying.

All individuals within the organisation have a role and responsibility to help ensure the safety and welfare of children and young people and adults at risk. All staff are aware of the clubs’ safeguarding policies and where required are DBS checked.

The club will do everything that can be reasonably expected to help safeguard and protect children from harm and will act when it is suspected that a child or adult at risk is being harmed or is at risk of harm.

Statement: Sheldon Report 2021

Following the publication of the Sheldon Report, an independent review led by Clive Sheldon QC, in respect of non-recent child sexual abuse in football, our thoughts are with those who have been affected. The Club would like to take this opportunity to reinforce its commitment to safeguarding and protecting children and young people. Football needs to be a safe place for all children and young people and this is of paramount importance to us. The Club will review any recommendations made by Clive Sheldon QC to ensure that its child protection and safeguarding practices are compliant and where possible strengthened.

The report can be found here: https://thecpsu.org.uk/news/2021-03-the-sheldon-report-non-recent-child-sexual-abuse-in-football/

If you are personally impacted by these matters, would like to report a concern or seek further information, you can contact the Club at safeguarding@avfc.com

The following organisations can also offer support:

Adult victims and survivors of childhood abuse within a football context can access information about the support available to them here: https://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/safeguarding/section-9-support-for-survivors
NSPCC football helpline: 0800 023 2642
The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) can also be contacted by calling 0808 801 0331 or by visiting their website: https://napac.org.uk/calling-our-support-line/
Survivors UK provides information, support and counselling for men who have been raped or sexually abused. Thousands of men contact them each year. Call 0845 1221201 or visit www.survivorsuk.org for more information
Queries regarding the Review should be emailed to: FASheldonReport@theFA.com

Safeguarding at AVFC

Aston Villa Football Club (“the Club”) and AVFC Foundation (“AVCF”) would like to remind all players, participants, parents, carers and supporters that they are committed to safeguarding and protecting children and young people.

We will full promote the wellbeing and safety of all children, young people and vulnerable adults who are participating in our Academy, Foundation or at our Match Day. Any suspicions and/or allegations of abuse will always be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.

All children and vulnerable adults have the right to protection from all forms of abuse and exploitation and it is the duty of all staff and volunteers, paid or unpaid at the Club or Foundation to safeguard them by creating an environment that protects them from harm. Our suite of Safeguarding Policies also extend to all players and participants of the Club and Foundation.

The aims of both the Safeguarding Children and Safeguarding Adults policy are to:

Safeguard all children and vulnerable adults who interact with the Club and Foundation;
Demonstrate best practice in the area of safeguarding children and adults;
Positively reflect and promote the Club and Foundation Values
Ensure that children and vulnerable adults feel safe in our activities;
Commit to working in partnership across the Club and Foundation with external organisations including statutory bodies and local schools;
Develop a positive and pro-active welfare programme to enable all children and vulnerable adults to participate in an enjoyable and safe environment;
Ensure that coaches, parents and other adults who come in contact with children and vulnerable adults are good role models of behaviour; and
Promote high ethical standards.

SAFER RECRUITMENT

As part of the Club and Foundation recruitment and selection process, offers of work for positions which involve working with children are subject to a satisfactory DBS check at the level deemed suitable for the position offered and subject to appropriate references.

SAFER ENVIRONMENT

Children have a right to enjoy taking part in sports events planned and provided by those who put their safety and wellbeing first. The Club and Foundation as event organisers, take all reasonable steps to ensure that the activities take place in a safe an environment.

When children for whom the Club and Foundation are responsible attend off-site activities, including away fixtures, trips tours and tournaments, residential visits and work related activities, a member of the Safeguarding team will check that risk assessments and safeguarding arrangements are in place such as accommodation, travel arrangements, effective supervision, registration and dispersal.

PHOTOGRAPHY

It’s important that children and young people feel happy with their achievements and have photographs and films of their special moments. Family and friends also want to be able to share the successes of their children when they have been part of a special event or activity. However, some children, parents or carers may not be comfortable with images of themselves or their children being shared. It is important to be aware of child protection and safeguarding issues when people are taking photos or filming at events. The potential for misuse of images can be reduced when we are aware of the potential dangers and put appropriate measures in place.

SAFER SYSTEMS

The Club and Foundation understand that risk can only be mitigated not eradicated. Therefore, it is critical that the Club and Foundation work within a culture of continuous learning in order to ensure a high quality of service provided to all. Where an incident or accident occurs or a complaint is received, the Club and Foundation are committed to investigating, reviewing and evaluating the circumstance and/or event in order to understand what has happened and most importantly what controls can be implemented in order to mitigate the risk of the incident, accident or complaint occurring again.

ALLEGATIONS POLICY 2022/23

If any report to the Safeguarding Team involves an allegation against a member of Club or Foundation staff and we believe that the individual has behaved in a way that has harmed a child or young person, committed an offence against a child or young person and/or has demonstrated that they are unsuitable to work with children. The Head of Safeguarding will immediately inform the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) for consultation and advice on any further investigation. For more information, please see ‘Allegations of abuse against a member of AVFC staff’ within the Safeguarding policy.

COMPLAINTS

If you are any concerns regarding Complaints and Safeguarding.

If you wish to make a complaint regarding a Safeguarding issue, please email safeguarding@avfc.co.uk. Your complaint will be dealt with in line with our Safeguarding procedures and our departmental Safeguarding Complaints Procedure. Please visit the safeguarding section of our website for specific information in relation to safeguarding:https://www.avfc.co.uk/club/safeguarding

A concern would be classified as a safeguarding matter when it relates to either:

Complaints regarding poor practice in children’s activities or relating to children (under 18s), such as bullying,
Complaints relating to an Adult at risk,
A concern in relation to a member of unsafe practice by Club staff, volunteers, or partners.

Contact: Head of Safeguarding, 07827300798 safeguarding@avfc.co.uk

If you have a complaint as a Fan, please follow this link to our Fan Charter https://www.avfc.co.uk/fans/fans-charter/