The Club’s Welfare Officer is are Claire Mercer (07850 523506) or wadhurstjfcwelfare@gmail.com, and in her absence, Trudi O'Neill (07818 666729) or trudioneill@btinternet.com.
We take the welfare of the children who are members of the Club very seriously and strive to follow the guidelines of the Football Association. The Management Committee has agreed on the following points for Child Welfare;
- The Club has a duty of care to safeguard from harm all children (defined as a person under 18) registered with it. The Club will ensure the safety and protection of all children involved in the club through adherence to the Child Welfare guidelines adopted by it.
- Abuse can take several forms including neglect, physical, sexual and emotional abuse.
The Club will work to ensure that:
- the welfare and safety of the child involved in any training or competition activities is paramount
- all suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately
- staff and volunteers are aware of the guidelines and are able to make informed and confident responses to specific child Welfare issues.
- The Club recognises that anyone may have the potential to abuse children in some way and will therefore take all reasonable steps to ensure unsuitable people are not used by the Club.
- It is not the responsibility of anyone working in the Club to decide whether or not child abuse has taken place. However there is a responsibility to act on any concerns through contact with the team's coach and/or the Club's Child Welfare Officer and the appropriate authorities.
- There is evidence that some people have used sporting events as an opportunity to take inappropriate photographs or film footage of young sports people in vulnerable positions. The Club should be vigilant and any concerns must be reported to the coach and/or the Club's Child Welfare Officer.
If you have any concerns or for further information please contact your team coach, the Child Welfare Officer or any other club member, and your conversation will be treated in confidence.
If you are worried about sharing concerns on abuse you can contact social services or the police direct, or the NSPCC Child Protection Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or Childline on 0800 1111.