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NORTH WALES COAST FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION CHILD PROTECTION POLICY AND CODE OF CONDUCT REPORTING OF OFFENCES BY MATCH OFFICIALS

The child's welfare is paramount. All children whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin, religious belief, and/or sexual identity have the right to protection from abuse. Anyone under the age of 18 years should be considered as a child for the purpose of this policy.

This Code of Conduct is intended to safeguard not only the children but also the adults who look after, manage, and coach the children

GOOD PRACTICE

• Always be publicly open when working with children. Avoid situations where an adult and the individual player are left completely unobserved by others
• If physical contact is necessary, it should be done openly. The coach/adult should be extremely careful as it is difficult to maintain hand positions when the child is constantly moving. Some parents are becoming increasingly sensitive about the manual support and their views should always be carefully considered
• Ensure that when administering first aid to a casualty's intimate parts that there is a chaperone present
• Where possible parents should take on the responsibility for their children in the changing rooms. Where children have to be supervised in the changing rooms always ensure that managers/coaches work in pairs and that gender is appropriate. Encourage an open environment - no secrets
• Where there are mixed teams playing away from home they should always be accompanied by a male and female adult
• As a general rule it does not make sense for managers/coaches to spend excessive amounts of time alone with children away from others
• As a general rule it does not make sense to take children alone in a car on journeys, however short
• As a general rule it does not make sense for managers/coaches to take children to their home where they will be alone with the manager/coach

Adults should NEVER

• Engage in rough or physical or sexually provocative games including, horseplay
• Share a room with a child
• Permit or engage in any form of inappropriate touching
• Make sexually suggestive comments to a child, even for fun
• Allow allegations made by a child to go unchallenged, unrecorded, or not acted upon

• Do things for a child of a personal nature that they can do for themselves. However, it may be necessary for a volunteer to do things of a personal nature for children, particularly if they are very young or disabled. Such tasks should only be carried out with the full understanding and consent of the parent/carer. There is a need to be responsive to a child's reactions. If the child is fully dependent then the adult should explain what they are doing and give choices where possible. If during a care situation a child is accidentally hurt, the child seems distressed in any manner, appears to be sexually aroused by the actions, or misunderstands or misinterprets something, the adult should report such incident as soon as possible to another colleague or club official and make a brief written note of the accidents. Parent/carer should be informed as soon as practicable.

COACHES CODE OF CONDUCT

All managers/coaches and any persons involved with children/vulnerable adults must:

1. Hold a valid Football Association of Wales welfare card
2. Have the welfare card with them at all times
3. Show their welfare card when requested

Any manager/coach found not having a welfare card will be dealt with by the North Wales Coast Football Association/Football Association of Wales.

• Be reasonable in your demands on children's time, energy and enthusiasm
• Children play for fun and enjoyment and winning is only part of their motivation
• NEVER ridicule or shout at the children for making mistakes or losing a match
• NEVER shout at or abuse match officials
• Actively discourage any shouting from the sidelines, apart from general encouragement
• Teach players that the laws of the game are mutual agreements which no one should break
• Develop respect for the ability of opponents, as well as the judgement of officials and opposing coaches
• Coaches must place the safety and well-being of the performer above the development of performance
• Coaches must hold Football Association of Wales Leaders Award as a minimum coaching qualification and should voluntarily be able to provide evidence as to their Person Record-Prosecution/Conviction History when requested

Managers/Coaches should provide an example for the players in terms of behaviour, clothing and attitude and invest more in the well-being and interest of the players than in their win/loss record. They have a responsibility to emphasise the following to the players in his/her charge:

• Respect for the laws of the game
• Respect for officials and their decisions
• Respect for opponents
• Responsible behaviour
• An emphasis on participation and doing one's best without a ‘win at all costs' attitude
• An emphasis on enjoyment and fun

PLAYERS CODE OF CONDUCT

• Play by the laws
• Never argue with the match officials
• Control your temper. Verbal abuse of officials or other players, deliberately distracting or provoking an opponent is not acceptable or permitted
• Work equally hard for yourself and for your team. Your team's performance will benefit and so will you
• Be a good sport. Applaud all good play whether they be your team, or your opponents
• Treat all players as you would like to be treated yourself. Do not interfere with, bully, or take unfair advantage of another player
• Co-operate with your manager/coach, team-mates and opponents. Without them there would be no football match

PARENTS CODE OF CONDUCT

• Focus upon the child's efforts and performance rather than the overall result of the game. This assists the child in setting realistic goals related to his/her ability by reducing the emphasis on winning
• Teach children that an honest effort is as important as victory, so that the result of the game is accepted without undue disappointment
• Encourage children to always participate according to the laws
• Never ridicule or shout at a child for making a mistake or losing a game
• Remember that children learn best from example. Applaud all good play
• If you disagree with the match officials, raise the issue through the appropriate channels rather than question the official's judgement and honesty in public. Remember most officials give their time and effort for your child's involvement
• Support all efforts to remove verbal and physical abuse from the game of football

SPECTATORS CODE OF CONDUCT:

• Children play organised football for fun. They are not playing for the entertainment of spectators only, nor are they miniature professionals
• Applaud good performances and the effort from each team. Congratulate all players on their performance regardless of the match result
• Respect the Officials' decisions
• Never ridicule or shout at a child for making a mistake during the game. Positive comments motivate
• Condemn the use of violence in any form, be it by spectators, coaches, officials or players
• Show respect for your team's opponents. Without them there would be no game
• Encourage players to follow the laws and respect the referee's decision
• Demonstrate appropriate social behaviour by not using foul language, harassing players, coaches or officials