Safeguarding Statement

Advance Football School ("AFS") treats the safety and wellbeing of every child in our care as an absolute priority. This statement sets out the standards we hold ourselves to, and how to raise a concern.

Last reviewed: [DATE] by [DESIGNATED SAFEGUARDING LEAD NAME].

Our standards

• Every coach holds an Enhanced DBS check (including the Children's Barred List), renewed at least every 3 years, before working unsupervised with children.
• Every coach holds FA-recognised safeguarding certification (the FA's Safeguarding Children workshop or equivalent), refreshed every 3 years.
• A first-aid-trained coach is present at every session.
• Sessions are run at a minimum coach-to-child ratio in line with FA guidance for the age band being coached.
• AFS holds public liability insurance with [INSURER] (policy number [POLICY NUMBER]).
• No coach is ever left alone with a single child; changing/toilet visits are supervised in line with our code of conduct, not 1:1.

Designated Safeguarding Lead

AFS's Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is [DSL NAME], reachable at [DSL EMAIL/PHONE]. The DSL is responsible for handling and escalating any concern raised about a child at AFS, and for keeping our safeguarding policy and coach training current.

Coach code of conduct

• Coaches treat every child with respect, regardless of ability, background, or circumstances, and do not use physical punishment or humiliation.
• Physical contact with a child is limited to what is necessary for coaching a technique or administering first aid, is proportionate, and is never in private.
• Coaches do not contact children or share personal contact details with them outside of AFS sessions and the AFS platform.
• Any injury, incident, or disclosure involving a child is recorded and reported to the DSL the same day.

Photography & images

We only photograph or film a child at a session with the parent's consent, given per-child when their profile is created. Coaches and registers show a clear "do not photograph" flag for any child without consent. To change a consent decision after signup, email help@afs.football. Consented images may be used on the AFS website and social media for promotional purposes; children are never named alongside a photo without separate, explicit consent.

Collection & attendance

A child is only released to the parent/guardian on their account, or to another adult the parent has named in advance. If a child has not been collected and a coach cannot reach a parent, our lost-child/uncollected-child procedure is followed and, if necessary, local authority children's services or the police are contacted.

Online safety

Parent and child accounts are protected by passwordless, one-time-code sign-in (see our Privacy Policy) — AFS never asks a child directly for account credentials. Medical and welfare information is encrypted at rest and visible only to staff running that child's session.

Reporting a concern

If you have a safeguarding concern about a child at AFS, contact our Designated Safeguarding Lead immediately at [DSL EMAIL/PHONE], or help@afs.football if urgent contact with the DSL isn't possible. All concerns are treated seriously and confidentially, and handled in line with FA safeguarding guidance and, where a child may be at risk of harm, statutory local authority children's services procedures. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.