Code of Conduct

Date: January 2026

Review: January 2027

1. Rotherham United Women’s Football Club acknowledges its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of every child, young person and vulnerable adult who has been entrusted to its care and is committed to working to provide a safe environment for all members.

2. Definitions

Child or young person: anyone under the age of 18 engaged in any club football activity. We subscribe to The Football Association’s (The FA) Safeguarding– Policy and Procedures and endorse and adopt the Policy Statement contained in that document.

Vulnerable adult: a person aged 18 or over who is or who may be in need of community care services by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness; and who is or who may be unable to take care of himself or herself, or unable to protect himself or herself against significant harm or exploitation.

Safeguarding concern – Any situation where a player (under 18 or an adult at risk) may be at risk of abuse or significant harm, including physical, emotional or sexual abuse, neglect, bullying, hazing or grooming. Requires immediate reporting via the DSO and, if necessary, to the police or social care.

Welfare concern (also referred to as ‘poor practice’ by the FA) – Anything that suggests a player’s wellbeing, safety or experience is being negatively affected, even if there is no immediate risk of harm. Usually reflects poor practice or behaviour that falls short of expected standards (e.g. supervision gaps, unfair treatment, uncomfortable situations).

General complaint – Dissatisfaction with decisions, actions or behaviours related to the running of the team or club that do not impact safety or welfare (e.g. communication, selection, facilities, administration). This is not covered by this policy and is managed via the standard complaints process (see appendix).

See appendix for procedure checklists.

3. The key principles of this Safeguarding Policy are that:

the child’s/ adult’s welfare is, and must always be, the paramount consideration
all children, young people and vulnerable adults have a right to be protected from abuse regardless of their age, gender, disability, race, sexual orientation, faith or belief
all suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately
working in partnership with other organisations, children and young people and their parents/carers is essential.

We acknowledge that every child, young person or vulnerable adult who plays or participates in football should be able to take part in an enjoyable and safe environment and be protected from poor practice and abuse.

Rotherham United Women’s Football Club recognises that this is the responsibility of every adult involved in our club.

4. Rotherham United Women’s Football Club has a role to play in safeguarding the welfare of all children, young people and vulnerable adults by protecting them from physical, sexual or emotional harm and from neglect or bullying.

It is noted and accepted that The Football Association’s Safeguarding Regulations (see The FA Handbook) applies to everyone in football whether in a paid or voluntary capacity. This means whether you are a volunteer, match ofﬁcial, helper on club tours, football coach, club ofﬁcial or medical staff.

5. We endorse and adopt The FA’s Responsible Recruitment guidelines for recruiting volunteers and we will:

specify what the role is and what tasks it involves
request identiﬁcation documents
as a minimum meet and chat with the applicant(s) and where possible interview people before appointing them
ask for and follow up with 2 references before appointing someone
where eligible require an FA accepted Enhanced Criminal Record Check (CRC) with Barring List Check in line with current FA policy and regulations.

All current Rotherham United Women’s Football Club members working in eligible roles, with children, young people and vulnerable adults – such as managers and coaches are required to hold an in-date FA accepted Enhanced CRC with Barring List check as part of responsible recruitment practice.

If there are concerns regarding the appropriateness of an individual who is already involved or who has approached us to become part of Rotherham United Women’s Football Club guidance will be sought from The Football Association.

It is noted and accepted that The FA will consider the relevance and signiﬁcance of the information obtained via the CRC Process and that all suitability decisions will be made in accordance with legislation and in the best interests of children and young people.

It is accepted that The FA aims to prevent people with a history of relevant and signiﬁcant offending from having contact with children or young people and the opportunity to inﬂuence policies or practice with children or young people. This is to prevent direct sexual or physical harm to children and to minimise the risk of ‘grooming’ within football.

6. Rotherham United Women’s Football Club supports The FA’s Whistle Blowing Policy. Any adult or young person with concerns about an adult in a position of trust with football can ‘whistle blow’ by contacting The FA Safeguarding Team on 0800 169 1863, by writing to The FA Case Manager at The Football Association, Wembley Stadium, PO Box 1966, London SW1P 9EQ, by emailing

Safeguarding@TheFA.com or alternatively by going direct to the Police, Children’s Social Care or the NSPCC.

Rotherham United Women’s Football Club encourages everyone to know about The FA’s Whistle Blowing Policy and to utilise it if necessary.

7. Rotherham United Women’s Football Club has appointed a Club Welfare Ofﬁcer in line with The FA’s role proﬁle and required completion of the Safeguarding Children and Welfare Ofﬁcers Workshop. The post holder will be involved with Welfare Ofﬁcer training provided by The FA and/or County FA. The Club Welfare Ofﬁcer is the ﬁrst point of contact for all club members regarding concerns about the welfare of any child or young person. The Club Welfare Ofﬁcer will liaise directly with the County FA (CFA) Welfare Ofﬁcer and will be familiar with the procedures for referring any concerns. They will also play a proactive role in increasing awareness of Respect , poor practice and abuse amongst club members.

8. We acknowledge and endorse The FA’s identiﬁcation of bullying as a category of abuse. Bullying of any kind is not acceptable at our club. If bullying does occur, all players or parents/carers should be able to tell and know that incidents will be dealt with promptly. Incidents need to be reported to the Club Welfare Ofﬁcer in cases of serious bullying the CFA Welfare Ofﬁcer may be contacted.

9. Respect codes of conduct for Players, Parents/ Spectators, Ofﬁcials and Coaches have been implemented by Rotherham United Women’s Football Club. In order to validate these Respect codes of conduct the club has clear actions it will take regarding repeated or serious misconduct at club level and acknowledges the possibility of potential sanctions which may be implemented by the County FA in more serious circumstances.

10. Rotherham United Women’s Football Club is committed to ensuring the safety of all players, staff, and spectators. Any new or invited adults must be DBS checked with relevant committee members (Club Secretary) informed prior to their appearance. If an unknown individual is observed at a match or training session and their presence raises concern, the following steps must be taken:

Immediate Action

Notify the Club Welfare Officer or the senior official present.
Approach the individual in a calm and respectful manner to confirm their identity and reason for attendance.

Verification

Check if the individual is a registered parent/carer, volunteer, or official.
If identity cannot be verified, politely request that they leave the premises.

Reporting

Record the incident, including date, time, and description of the individual.
Report the matter to the Club Welfare Officer for follow-up and, if necessary, escalate to the County FA or relevant authorities.

11. Player workload, training hours, and injury management. The club recognises the importance of balancing training demands with player welfare. To prevent overtraining and reduce injury risk:

Training Hours

Age-appropriate guidelines must be followed for the number of training sessions and match play per week.
Coaches should monitor cumulative workload, including external football activities.

Injury Management

Any injury must be reported immediately to the coach and Club Welfare Officer.
Players should not return to training or matches without clearance from a qualified medical professional.
Coaches must adapt sessions for players returning from injury to avoid re-injury.

Wellbeing Checks

Regular communication with players and parents/carers to identify fatigue or stress.
Encourage honest reporting of pain, discomfort, or mental health concerns.

12. Waivers for extra sessions outside insurance cover. Occasionally, players may request additional training sessions beyond those organised by the club. To manage risk:

Insurance Limitations

Club insurance only covers official sessions scheduled and delivered by RUWFC.
Any extra sessions outside this scope are not covered by club insurance.

Waiver Requirement

Parents/carers must sign a waiver acknowledging that additional sessions are voluntary and not under club liability.
The waiver must confirm understanding of risks and that the club is not responsible for injuries sustained during these sessions.

Coach Involvement

If a club coach is involved in extra sessions, they must ensure compliance with safeguarding standards and report the activity to the Club Welfare Officer.

13. Reporting your concerns about the welfare of a child, young person or vulnerable adult. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility if you are worried it is important that you report your concerns – no action is not an option. If you are not sure if your concern constitutes safeguarding, welfare or a general complaint, see the definitions in section (2) and follow the appropriate procedure below (also see appendix).

14. If you are worried about a child then you need to report your concerns to the Club Welfare Ofﬁcer. The club’s welfare email address is ruwfcwelfare@gmail.com (do not disclose any personal information or specific details about your concerns. This mailbox is monitored only by FA Welfare Trained club staff).

If the issue is one of poor practice the Club Welfare Ofﬁcer will either:

deal with the matter themselves or
seek advice from the CFA Welfare Ofﬁcer

iii. If the concern is more serious – possible child abuse, where possible, contact the CFA Welfare Ofﬁcer ﬁrst, then immediately contact the Police or Children’s Social Care.

If the child needs immediate medical treatment take them to a hospital or call an ambulance and tell them this is a child protection concern. Let your Club Welfare Ofﬁcer know what action you have taken, they in turn will inform the CFA Welfare Ofﬁcer.
If at any time you are not able to contact your Club Welfare Ofﬁcer or the matter is clearly serious then you can either:

contact your CFA Welfare Ofﬁcer directly
contact The FA Safeguarding Team on 0800 169 1863 or Safeguarding@TheFA.com
contact the Police or Children’s Social Care
call the NSPCC 24 hour Helpline for advice on 0808 800 5000 or text 88858 or email help@nspcc.org.uk

NB – The FA’s Safeguarding Children Policy and Procedures are available via – www.TheFA.com/football-rules-governance/safeguarding – click on ‘Raising Awareness – Best Practice Downloads’, the Policy and Procedures document is within the resources area. The policy outlines in detail what to do if you are concerned about the welfare of a child and includes ﬂow diagrams which describe this process. How to make a referral is also covered in the Safeguarding Children workshop.

Participants are given the opportunity to discuss how this feels and how best they can prepare themselves to deal with such a situation. For more information on this workshop contact your County Welfare Ofﬁcer.

15. Further advice on Safeguarding Children matters can be obtained from:

Sheffield & Hallamshire County FA’s Welfare Ofﬁcer: Sarah Pridmore

T: 07534 442015

E: safeguarding@SheffieldFA.com

Appendix

1. Safeguarding Concern – Process Checklist

(Used when a player is at risk of abuse, neglect, bullying, hazing, grooming or significant harm. FA guidance says immediate reporting is essential.)

Immediate actions

☐ Check for immediate risk. If someone is in danger, call Police or Social Care straight away.
☐ Ensure the person is safe in the moment (move to a safe area, stay with them if appropriate).

Report

☐ Contact the Club DSO immediately.
☐ Record the concern factually: who, what, when, where, exact words used (no interpretation).
☐ Do NOT investigate, question people, or promise confidentiality.
☐ Complete the FA Safeguarding Referral Form or provide details for the DSO to complete.
(FA guidance requires written recording and referral.)

Escalation (handled by DSO)

☐ DSO reviews the concern and determines the risk level.
☐ DSO escalates to County FA / FA Case Management / statutory agencies as required.
(FA approach: escalate through formal referral pathways.)

Follow-up

☐ Ensure the player receives appropriate support.
☐ Cooperate with any investigation.
☐ Maintain confidentiality on a need‑to‑know basis.
☐ Log all actions securely.

Welfare Concern – Process Checklist

(Used when something compromises a player’s wellbeing or environment but is not significant harm. This aligns with “poor practice” guidance from County FAs.)

Identify

☐ Notice behaviour or conditions that feel “not right”: unfair treatment, poor supervision, uncomfortable dynamics, unhealthy environment.

Record

☐ Write brief factual notes (who, what, when, where).
☐ Clarify whether this is a single incident or a pattern.

Report

☐ Share the concern with the Club DSO or Welfare Lead.
☐ Do not attempt to “fix” it by confronting individuals.

Review (DSO / Welfare Lead)

☐ Assess whether this is poor practice or early signs of something more serious.
☐ If needed, speak with relevant staff to understand context.
☐ Create an action plan to address issues (e.g., coaching changes, supervision changes, clarity of expectations).

Follow-up

☐ Monitor behaviour and environment over time.
☐ Check in with affected players or staff.
☐ Close the concern only once improvement is clear.

General Complaint – Process Checklist

(Used for issues unrelated to safety or wellbeing: communication, facilities, admin errors, selection disputes, behaviour concerns that don’t cross welfare thresholds.)

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