New Safeguarding Policy Implemented across all of Gibraltar Football
This safeguarding policy is a sign of the Association’s commitment to ensuring that football is both fun and safe for all children to participate in, irrespective of their age, ability, or level of involvement.
Centred around five goals, or areas for action the policy will underpinthe Association’s work to prevent any risk of harm to children in football and to appropriately respond to any issues or concerns. These five goals are:
- Laying the foundations for safeguarding
- Ensuring organisational preparedness and prevention
- Raising awareness
- Working with others and reporting concerns
- Measuring success in safeguarding
The new policy deals in depth with areas such as a code of conduct for adults and parents. Another key focus are guidelines and documents to refer to on the supervision of children and minors when playing away from home and travel that includes overnight stays. Privacy and the correct and appropriate use of dressing rooms and changing facilities is also covered.
A crucial part of the Association’s new safeguarding policy, is that anyone involved in football in Gibraltar wherever youngsters are playing, is required to complete UEFA’s online safeguarding courses and submit the relevant certificates of completion to the Association’s Safeguarding Officer. Failure to do so will mean that relevant coach or club official will not be allowed onto a pitch or pitch side to carry out their duties.
For a more in depth read, please visit the dedicated safeguarding page on the Gibraltar FA website: https://www.gibraltarfa.com/safeguardingwhere each of the goals is broken down and explained in detail.
Speaking bout the new policy, Gibraltar FA Safeguarding officer Julian Valverde stated: “It has been a very busy summer for the association as we have revamped a lot of our working practices. Safeguarding has featured heavily, and we are pleased to announce our new safeguarding policy together with all the accompanying annexes to help our membership in this very important field”.
Gibraltar FA General Secretary Ivan Robbais delighted that the safeguarding policy has been rolled out stating: “ As a parent of young children myself, safeguarding has always been at the forefront of my thoughts when discussing youth football. In consultation with the GSLA, we have embarked on a new venture with UEFA, to provide our members an online platform to qualify in safeguarding. This by no means is the end of the instructional phase, as I am conscious of the benefits of face-to-face interaction. Therefore, we will continue providing personal development to our members by bringing out safeguarding guest speakers to carry out seminars on a biannual basis”
