Guernsey FA is lending its full support to Play Safe – an ongoing national campaign led by The FA to raise awareness of the importance of safeguarding in football.

Although it runs throughout the year, Play Safe really comes to the fore over football’s National Safeguarding Weekend, held this year on Saturday/Sunday 17^th and 18^th September.

The main focus this year is on parents and carers, with two key messages to convey:

• Awareness of the vital safeguarding role parents/carers play in football; and
• Encouragement to take the short, new and free online safeguarding course that’s been created specifically for parents/carers. You can access the course here.

Importantly, encouragement to take the new course has come from FASSSAG – The FA’s Survivor Support and Safeguarding Advisory Group:

“We have inputted into the course and helped frame its key messages from our collective experiences. It’s vitally important to us that every parent/carer understands they role they need to play in football. Taking this course can make a real difference – we are asking every parent/carer to commit to help ensure football is ever-safer.”

The support of FASSSAG has been welcomed by FA Chief Executive Mark Bullingham, himself a parent and youth football coach:

“The FASSSAG has been important in helping us create our new strategy moving forwards and we really appreciate their input into the new course.  I have taken the new course and encourage all parents/carers across football to take it too.

“Ultimately, safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. We all need to ensure that everyone involved in football – particularly children and young people – has a consistently safe and positive experience of our great game.  Play Safe reminds everyone of that responsibility and keeps safeguarding front of mind, which is exactly where it should be.”

Guernsey FA Chief Executive and Senior Safeguarding Lead, Gary Roberts added:

“The Guernsey FA is rightly committed to ensuring children in the island have a fun, positive and inclusive experience. That’s why the Guernsey FA is backing Play Safe – and this week will be our designated ‘Safeguarding Awareness Week’ when we share information and guidance with the football community in Guernsey.

“Guernsey FA works tirelessly to monitor safeguarding in local football and to support local clubs in ensuring volunteers have the relevant training and qualifications. However, it is important to remember that parents and guardians also have an important role to play in creating a safe and enjoyable environment for young people to enjoy football, but also to have in having an understanding of what should be expected by local clubs in safeguarding their children. We would encourage every parent and carer to take the opportunity to learn more about safeguarding in football through the resources available, along with taking the short, and free, training course. It is important to remember that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.

Play Safe is being run in partnership with the NSPCC and has the full backing of the Premier League, EFL, Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Championship. It’s also supported and being run across every other level of the game.

For more information on the safeguarding framework The FA has in place, together with numerous helpful guidance notes, please click here.