Safeguarding

Fulham Football Club and Fulham Foundation would like to remind all players, participants, parents, carers and supporters that they are committed to safeguarding and protecting children and young people. We fully accept responsibility for the wellbeing and safety of all children, young people and vulnerable adults who are under our care, whether they are our Academy players, Foundation participants or our matchday supporters. Any suspicions and/or allegations of abuse will always be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately. If you wish to share any concerns with us please contact us in the first instance at safeguarding@fulhamfc.com. All children and vulnerable adults have the right to protection from all forms of abuse and exploitation and it is the duty of all staff and volunteers, paid or unpaid, at the Club or FFCF to safeguard them by creating an environment that protects them from harm. Our suite of Safeguarding Policies also extend to all players and participants of the Club and FFCF. The aims of both the Safeguarding Children and Safeguarding Adults policy are to: - Safeguard all children and vulnerable adults who interact with us; - Demonstrate best practice in the area of safeguarding children and adults; - Positively reflect and promote our Values (Pioneers, Confident Custodians, Action Orientated, Open & Inclusive and Service Excellence); - Ensure that children and vulnerable adults feel safe in our activities; - Commit to working in partnership with external organisations including statutory bodies and local schools; - Develop a positive and pro-active welfare programme to enable all children and vulnerable adults to participate in an enjoyable and safe environment; - Ensure that coaches, parents and other adults who come in contact with children and vulnerable adults are good role models of behaviour; and - Promote high ethical standards. Barnardo's Safeguarding Audit 2021/22 Fulham Football Club receive a judgement of ‘Very Good’ following independent Barnardos 2021/22 Safeguarding Audit. "Staff, at all levels, not only demonstrate an understanding of the safeguarding responsibilities of their respective roles, but also of their active commitment to providing a safe and nurturing environment in which young people and players are safe and can thrive." - Barnados, 2022 We are very proud to announce that we received a judgement of ‘Very Good’ for our 21/22 audit. However, as a Club who is ambitious within this area of work and who take the safety and wellbeing needs of our players and participants as the highest possible priority, we are fully committed to maintaining and where possible improving any area of provision that will increase the safety, wellbeing and enjoyment of our players and participants. Therefore, as we begin to develop our Safeguarding Strategy for 2023-2026, the Safeguarding, Player Care and Education team will be encouraging everyone to get involved and tell us what is important to you and what isn’t! Our contact details are below if you would also like to share any feedback with us! Statement: Mohamed Al Fayed Mohamed Al Fayed statement We are deeply troubled and concerned to learn of the disturbing reports following the recent BBC documentary. We have sincere empathy for the women who have shared their experiences. We are in the process of establishing whether anyone at the Club is, or has been, affected. Should any person wish to share information or experiences relating to these allegations, we encourage them to contact the Club, at safeguarding@fulhamfc.com, or the police. The following organisations can also offer support: - Adult victims and survivors of childhood abuse within a football context can access information from the Football Association about the support available to them here: https://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/safeguarding/section-9-support-for-survivors - Further support for anyone affected from working or has worked in football can be sought from the Professional Football Association: Survivor Support Advocate Service - If you have been subjected to unwanted sexual behaviour, you can contact Victim Support for free and confidential help. - The Survivors Trust which is a national membership organisation supporting specialist rape and sexual abuse services in the voluntary sector. They have over 120 member organisations throughout the UK and Ireland who provide specialist support services to over 100,000 survivors each year. - If you are feeling triggered by the recent media report and/or are living with domestic abuse or violence or are worried about someone who is at risk, further advice is available on the women’s aid website. Statement: Sheldon Report 2021 The Club's Commitment Following the publication of the Sheldon Report, an independent review led by Clive Sheldon QC, in respect of non-recent child sexual abuse in football, our thoughts are with those who have been affected. The Club would like to take this opportunity to reinforce its commitment to safeguarding and protecting children and young people. Football needs to be a safe place for all children and young people and this is of paramount importance to us. The Club will review any recommendations made by Clive Sheldon QC to ensure that its child protection and safeguarding practices are compliant and where possible strengthened. The report can be found here. If you are personally impacted by these matters, would like to report a concern or seek further information you can contact the Club at safeguarding@fulhamfc.com The following organisations can also offer support: - Adult victims and survivors of childhood abuse within a football context can access information about the support available to them here:https://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/safeguarding/section-9-support-for-survivors - NSPCC football helpline: 0800 023 2642 - The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) can also be contacted by calling 0808 801 0331 or by visiting their website: https://napac.org.uk/calling-our-support-line/ - Survivors UK provides information, support and counselling for men who have been raped or sexually abused. Thousands of men contact them each year. Call 0845 1221201 or visit www.survivorsuk.org for more information - Queries regarding the Review should be emailed to: FASheldonReport@theFA.com Key Contacts CLUB & FULHAM FC FOUNDATION CONTACTS Director of Safeguarding and Inclusion: Eleanor Rowland erowland@fulhamfc.com Club Senior Safeguarding Manager: Peter Limbert plimbert@fulhamfc.com Foundation Senior Safeguarding Manager: Mike McSweeney mmcsweeney@fulhamfc.com lwitherspoon@fulhamfc.com nblair@fulhamfc.com swhite@fulhamfc.com mfuller@fulhamfc.com FOOTBALL AUTHORITIES The Football Association Head of Safeguarding Children: Sue Law Tel: 020 7745 4649 Email: sue.law@thefa.com Email: safeguarding@premierleague.com CHILDREN AND ADULT SERVICES Hammersmith and Fulham Out Of Hours Childrens's Emergency Duty Team (24 Hour) Tel: 020 8748 8588 Email: familyservices@lbhf.gov.uk EXTERNAL RESOURCES Help for adults concerned about a child: NSPCC Helpline: 0800 056 0566 Help for childred and young people: Childline: 0800 1111 childline.org.uk FA Safeguarding Children Guidelines: London Child Protection Procedures (2018) Keeping Children Safe in Education (September 2025) Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023): Standards for safeguarding and protecting children in sport (2018) KEY DOCUMENTS & INFORMATION Club and FFCF Statement on Bullying and Peer on Peer abuse The Club and FFCF have a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and any reported incidents of bullying. Bullying can have devastating effects on individuals if left unaddressed. It can be a barrier to learning, having fun, developing social interactions and at worst can have serious impact on an individual’s mental health. The Club and FFCF is committed to preventing bullying and will respond swiftly and quickly in order to minimise the impact on all individuals we work so closely with. We are committed to our responsibility as a provider of elite coaching, education and community coaching programmes to meet the standards as required by the Equality Act 2010, Keeping Children Safe in Education 2019, the Education Regulations 2014 and the Education and Inspections Act 2016. The Club and FFCF provide regular workshops and briefings for all of our players and participants on how to maintain positive attitudes, develop their knowledge and understanding of equality and diversity, empathy and the impact bullying can have on someone, and also educate on how to develop a range of strategies for players and participants to protect themselves from being bullied. All staff members who undergo the FA’s Safeguarding Children Workshop receive bullying awareness training as part of this workshop as well as attending a Safer Working Practice workshop facilitated by the Club. - If anyone feels that they are being bullied, they must talk to someone. Talk to a Coach, a Safeguarding Officer or the Head of Safeguarding. It is also right for a child or adult at risk to talk to their family about it and for them to discuss this with the Club or FFCF. If anyone is finding it difficult to talk to anyone at the Club or FFCF then individuals should feel confident to contact either the 24-hour helpline Childline on 0800 11 11 or the Samaritans on 116 123. All calls are confidential and trained counsellors will help individuals through their worries. Safer Recruitment - As part of the Club and FFCF’s recruitment and selection process, offers of work for positions which involve working with children are subject to a satisfactory DBS check at the level deemed suitable for the position offered and subject to appropriate references. Safer Environment - Children have a right to enjoy taking part in sports events planned and provided by those who put their safety and wellbeing first. The Club and FFCF as event organisers, take all reasonable steps to ensure that the activities take place in a safe an environment. When children for whom the Club and FFCF are responsible attend off-site activities, including away fixtures, trips tours and tournaments, residential visits and work related activities, a member of the Safeguarding team will check that risk assessments and safeguarding arrangements are in place such as accommodation, travel arrangements, effective supervision, registration and dispersal. - The Club and FFCF are fully compliant with the required annual Safeguarding training delivered by “the League” and “the FA”. We ensure the workforce keep up to date with emerging safeguarding and inclusion issues by way of attending workshops, conferences and learning and engaging with current affairs, serious case reviews and other relevant issues. It’s important that children and young people feel happy with their achievements and have photographs and films of their special moments. Family and friends also want to be able to share the successes of their children when they have been part of a special event or activity. However, some children, parents or carers may not be comfortable with images of themselves or their children being shared. It is important to be aware of child protection and safeguarding issues when people are taking photos or filming at events. The potential for misuse of images can be reduced when we are aware of the potential dangers and put appropriate measures in place. These are set out in the policy below: Safer Systems - The Club and FFCF understand that risk can only be mitigated not eradicated. Therefore it is critical that the Club and FFCF work within a culture of continuous learning in order to ensure a high quality of service provided to all. Where an incident or accident occurs or a complaint is received, the Club and FFCF are committed to investigating, reviewing and evaluating the circumstance and/or event in order to understand what has happened and most importantly what controls can be implemented in order to mitigate the risk of the incident, accident or complaint occurring again. If the report involves an allegation against a member of Club or FFCF staff and we believe that the individual has behaved in a way that has harmed a child or young person, committed an offence against a child or young person and/or has demonstrated that they are unsuitable to work with children. The Head of Safeguarding will immediately inform the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) for consultation and advice on any further investigation. For more information please see ‘Allegations of abuse against a member of Fulham staff’ within the Safeguarding policy. Whistleblowing If you have concerns regarding the Head of Safeguarding, the Senior Safeguarding Manager should be contacted as appropriate. If the concerns are also with the Senior Safeguarding Manager or the individual considers all routes taken have been ineffective whistleblowing procedures are in place for such concerns to be raised. supporter social media guidance