AIMS

The Aims of Ashridge Park, in conjunction with the FA Child Protection Policy, are:

• To develop a positive and pro-active position in order to best protect all children and young people who play football, enabling them to participate in an enjoyable and safe environment.
• To provide quality assured child protection information and guidelines in conjunction with social services ,The Police and the FA.
• To instigate self declaration procedures for ALL  adults (i.e. those over the age of 16) working with young people within Ashridge Park FC. Such information will be confidentially stored and acted on should the need arise.
• To demonstrate best practice in the area of child protection.
• To promote ethics and high standards throughout football.

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, disability, culture, language, racial origin, religious beliefs or sexual identity.
• All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.

ACTION

• All those working with children and young people within Ashridge Park FC will be provided with a copy of the Club’s Child Protection Statement.
• All those working with children and young people within Ashridge Park FC. will be provided with the document entitled “Football and Child Protection”, which they will be asked to read and adhere to.
• All those working with children and young people within Ashridge Park FC will be given the opportunity to attend an FA  Junior Team Manager’s Course and, if available, appropriate child protection training.
• All those over the age of 16, working with children and young people within Ashridge Park FC will be required to submit a self declaration document which will be held in confidence but will be acted upon by the Executive Committee of Ashridge Park should the need arise.
• Upon receipt of a suspicion, or allegation, of abuse, the Football Association’s Regulations on child protection as defined in The FA Handbook will be invoked.
• The Child Protection Statement and the document entitled “Football and Child Protection” will be freely available on request to parents/carers of the children and young people within Ashridge Park Football Club.