Privacy Policy

Any information provided by you is confidential and is only accessible by PMFA.  When you complete and sign registration and renewal forms you agree to us holding this information on file.  We may request dates of births of your child as well as their name.  This information is used for the purposes of ensuring your child is training in the correct group suitable for their age and ability.  Other contact information may be requested such as name, address, email and phone numbers.  This information is used to keep you up to date on important information regarding training and matches.  All electronic information is password protected and all paperwork is in a lockable cabinet.  Your information is never passed to third parties.  

PMFA ensures the safe and secure provision for children and young people at all our sport sessions. Therefore, safeguarding the welfare of children and young people is part of our core business and all staff are DBS checked, First Aid qualified and have undertaken children’s Safeguarding training.
This policy, with the associated procedures, provides guidance for all staff who may come across concerns of this nature within the context of their work for PMFA. PMFA acknowledges and accepts it has a responsibility for the well-being and safety of all children and young people who are under PMFA care or using its facilities, (children and young people mean those under 18).
It is the duty of all adults working for us to safeguard the welfare of children and young people by creating an environment that protects them from harm. The well-being of children and young people is paramount for all staff and accordingly, they must make themselves aware of this policy. Where appropriate, the following guidelines will be supplemented by in-service training and additional guidance. Our coaches are trained to identify child protection issues and in such cases the child will take priority and take forward these issues with the relevant authorities who will investigate accordingly.
1. For the purposes of this policy, PMFA responsibilities cover:

• Identifying specific safeguarding concerns that need to be raised with a senior manager within the responsible provider and/or authority. Such concerns could include but may not be limited to: Inadequate safeguarding arrangements in a coaching environment
• Lack of clarity about the safeguarding needs of children and young people within a coaching environment   Concern about the presence of radicalisation and/or extremism within any setting
•  Responding to specific child protection concerns about children at risk of significant harm that are likely to need to be referred through to social care services and possibly the police.

2. All PMFA employees, and those who undertake work on PMFA behalf, must maintain a proper focus on safeguarding children and young people, this must be reflected both in sound individual practice and in our internal policies and guidance. All permanent and contracted staff working with children and young people (including young people who are vulnerable adults) must:

• Give the highest priority to their safety and welfare.
• Recognise, identify and respond to signs of abuse, neglect and other safeguarding concerns relating to children and young people.
• Respond appropriately to disclosure by a child, or young person, of abuse.   Respond appropriately to allegations against staff, other adults and against themselves.
• Contribute, as necessary, to all stages of PMFA safeguarding and protection processes.

Key Principles:

• The aims of the PMFA Safeguarding Policy is to safeguard all children who interact with PMFA activities.
• To demonstrate best practice in the area of safeguarding children.
• To develop a positive and pro-active welfare programme to enable all children and young persons to participate in an enjoyable and safe environment.
• To promote high ethical standards throughout all PMFA activities.

The key principles underpinning this policy are:

• The child or young person’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 allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to efficiently and appropriately.
• To encourage parents and other members of the child or young person’s family to be involved in a relationship with us.
• To ensure that coaches, parents and other adults who come in contact with children and young people provide good role models of behaviour. As part of PMFA recruitment and selection process, offers of work to positions which involve working with children are subject to satisfactory DBS checks and appropriate references are obtained.

Responsibilities and collection of children:
PMFA has procedures in place for children whose parents or carers do not collect them from an activity at a specified time. All parents and carers are made aware that their children should be met no later than 15 minutes after an activity has finished. Should the child not be collected within 15 minutes, coaching staff have emergency contact numbers. Only the (primary) adult delivering the child to the session is entitled to collect the child, unless alternatives have been discussed with the primary adult. Under no circumstances will a child be released to anyone without this prior approval. If in doubt the Police may be called.
Ratio of Adults to Children:
PMFA adopts best practice regulations laid down by the FA in relation to the supervision of Adults to Children. Procedures are in place to fully risk assess the types of activity and participant ability to ensure appropriate ratio of staff/coaches to participants. Events of Concern: PMFA is committed to doing the utmost to safeguard children from harm, there may be an occasion when concern is raised over the treatment of a child. ‘Child abuse and neglect’ are generic terms encompassing all ill treatment of children as well as cases where the standard of care does not adequately support the child’s health or development. Children may be abused or suffer neglect through the infliction of harm, or through the failure to act to prevent harm. Abuse can occur in a family or an institutional or community setting. The perpetrator may or may not be known to the child. Should you have any concern that abuse is occurring you should contact Social Care or the police. Responding to suspicion or a report: Where possible, the Owner of PMFA should be contacted as early as possible, however it is recognised that an individual may need to respond to a situation immediately. With this in mind the following guidelines offer help and support in responding to abuse or a suspicion of abuse: If the child is hurt or ill – seek medical attention if necessary – call the Police (101 or 999) and ask their advice if you are unsure – or the local authorities young peoples and social care department – if the child is immediately at risk of significant harm, treat any allegations extremely seriously and act at all times towards the child as if you believe what they are saying. Tell the child they are right to tell you and reassure them that they are not to blame and be honest about your own position, who you have to tell and why and tell the child what you are doing and when, keep them up to date with what is happening and take further action – you may be the only person in a position to prevent future abuse. Respond, Record, Refer Write down everything said and what was done as soon as you can – Use the child’s words – not your own opinion or what you think they said and inform parents/carers unless there is suspicion of their involvement Don’t make promises you cannot keep and do not interrogate the child – it is not your job to carry out an investigation/interview – this will be up to the police and local authority professional staff. Listen and ensure that you do not jeopardise any potential criminal investigations and cast doubt on what the child has told you, don’t interrupt or change the subject and do not say anything that makes the child feel responsible for the abuse or promise to keep secrets or keep the information confidential Not acting is NOT an option – Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Recording, We will ask for a written factual statement from the person making the report. If the report involves an allegation about another member of staff, that person will also be asked to write a brief report. Any statement made by the child or young person should be reported in their own words. These reports should be confined to facts and should not include any opinion, interpretation or judgement. We will ensure that any child concerned is immediately removed from any possible risk of harm. We will report to and seek the advice of the Local Authority and the Police.
Confidentiality – No guarantee of confidentiality can be given to a child or young person (although this does not necessarily mean that the parents of the young person have to be told). We cannot promise to keep their disclosure a secret or that an employee or affiliate will not have to speak to someone else about the issue – we will reassure them that it will be on a ‘need to know’ basis and that their dignity and privacy will be respected at all times. A child or young person should never be pressured to give information or show physical marks unless they do so willingly. If they choose to show markings, two members of staff should be present. Undertakings of confidentiality should not be given either to the person making the allegations or to the person being interviewed. The priority is that the welfare of the child is protected. If in doubt communicate your concerns to the owner of PMFA.
Where a disclosure is made the following procedure is actioned immediately.

• Any disclosure of abuse or harm to a child or vulnerable adult should be reported immediately to The Owner of PMFA. The freelance Coach or Employee will be immediately removed from any further duties. We will then contact relevant organisations/authorities. All steps are undertaken to ensure only the most appropriate staff are employed by PMFA. We have a clear Complaints Procedure that investigates all complaints made to us regarding our affiliates and employees. Continuous environmental scanning takes place to ensure that PMFA adhere to the latest legislation and safeguarding protocols. Organisations that we may share information with are The Police, NHS and Social Services, in accordance with this policy and our Confidentiality Policy.

PMFA believe that children flourish in a well-structured environment, where all children know what is expected of them. All children should be free to attend and enjoy all our sport sessions without fear of being hurt or bullied. Therefore, our objective is to create an environment which encourages self-discipline and self-esteem in an atmosphere of mutual respect and where all children have the ability to appreciate the needs of others.
To achieve this all PMFA staff will be:
• Consistent and firm, but fair and kind.
• Will agree the above values with the children at the start of each session
Also
• The Behaviour Values and this Policy will be published on our website and form part of a parental commitment to support us with this policy when placing their children with us at any of our sessions.
• The Behaviour Values will be regularly discussed with the children.
• They will be explained to all newcomers (staff and children).
All PMFA staff will be a positive role model for children with regard to the adherence to The Behaviour Values, they will resolve conflict calmly and with a courteous demeanour. Positive behaviour will be praised wherever possible, and the situation where a child only receives attention for unacceptable behaviour should be avoided.
When unacceptable Behaviour occurs:
• Neither physical punishments nor the threat of physical punishments will ever be used.
• These include shaking, smacking, pushing, pulling etc.
• Children will never be sent out of the coaching area alone.
• The humiliation of children is unacceptable.
• Children will first be told that such behaviour (bad language, activities causing possible danger etc.) is unacceptable.
• They will have the reasons explained to them.
• Children are expected to apologise for hurting or upsetting another person, even if it was an accident.
• It will always be made clear to the child that it is the behaviour that is unwelcome, not the child.
• Staff will never shout, except to warn of a danger.
• Staff will make themselves aware of and respect a range of cultural expectations regarding interpersonal interactions.
• Staff will deal with inappropriate behaviour in a way that encourages the child’s development in a positive way.
• Recurring problems will be tackled by a variety of means, using positive reinforcement, rewards for good behaviour, such as chart Team rewards etc.
• Recurring problems will be tackled in partnership with the family and the whole club, possibly resulting in a short-term suspension in order to discuss the situation.
• At this point the situation will be discussed with the parent or carer and a mutually acceptable solution found. Permission for targeted observations may be sought.
• Every effort will be made to help the child adjust his/ her behaviour.
• Should problems persist, unbiased observation records may be kept and countersigned by a witness. Parents will have access to these records.
• A review of the observation records will be held, the family may attend but results outlining any support or strategy we can offer will be outlined.
• Hopefully, as a result of this some improvement will be noticed and noted.
• Should there still be problems, suspension may will be deemed necessary, and will be written on an incident form.
• Parents should note that refunds will not be given in such cases, that should they wish the place to be held during the exclusion, it must be paid for.
• The child will be allowed to return if he/she shows willing to alter their behaviour.
• Their return is on a trial basis.
• Should any incidents occur during this time, exclusion will be immediate and permanent.
• Should a child need to be suspended twice, there will be no offer of return.

Suspension is a last resort and should be avoided, but the safety of the group is paramount.
Staff will be made aware through induction, training, our mentoring support, appraisals etc that some kinds of inappropriate behaviour may be the result of a child’s Special Needs or environmental circumstances, this will be taken into account with discussions with parents and carers.

With PMFA affiliated with Dorset FA; to help maintain our standards and protect our players; Michael Jordan has been appointed PMFA's Welfare Office, any Welfare issues please feel free to contact Mike on mjordan96@aol.com or myself on manning_paul_@hotmail.com