Notts County Football Club

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Click here to view our safeguarding children policy.

Introduction

Notts County Football Club is committed to providing a caring, friendly and safe environment for all players so that they can participate in football in a relaxed and secure atmosphere.

Bullying or any form of peer on peer abuse is unacceptable and is regarded in football and in Keeping Children Safe in Education 2018 as abuse. If bullying or peer on peer abuse does occur, players or their parents should be able to recognise this and know that incidents will be dealt with promptly and effectively. All incidents will be approached with equal thoroughness and consistency.

Notts County Football Club expects that anyone who knows that bullying or peer on peer abuse is happening should report it to the Designated Safeguarding Officer or other appropriate member of staff, who will then in turn report it to the Designated Safeguarding Officer.

Principles and Objectives regarding Bullying & Peer on Peer Abuse

• Players have a right to play and study at Notts County free from intimidation and fear.
• The needs of the victim are paramount.
• Notts County will not tolerate bullying or abusive behaviour.
• All players will be listened to.
• Reported incidents will be taken seriously and thoroughly investigated
• Sexual violence and sexual harassment is not acceptable and will not be tolerated
• Sexual harassment or violence is not ‘banter’ or ‘a laugh’ or ‘boys being boys’
• All inappropriate sexual behaviour will be challenged including initiation ceremonies, grabbing body parts, inappropriate behaviour in changing rooms
• Sexual harassment/ bullying due to sexuality, real or perceived will not be tolerated

• Every player is responsible for their own behaviour and expected to treat everyone with respect.
• All players, parents/carers, staff and volunteers should have an understanding of what bullying or peer on peer abuse is.
• All players, parents/carers, staff and volunteers should know what Notts County Football Club’s policy is on both issues and follow it when bullying is reported.
• Notts County Football Club takes bullying and abuse very seriously. Players and their parents/carers should be assured that they will be supported when bullying is reported.

3. What is bullying?

• Bullying is the deliberate use of aggression with the intention of hurting, causing embarrassment or pain another person.
• Bullying results in pain and distress to the victim.
• Bullying is unprovoked and repetitive.
• Bullying may be carried out by one person or by a group and gives the bully or bullies a perceived position of power.

Bullying can be any of the following:

Emotional:

Being unfriendly, excluding (emotionally and physically), sending hurtful  text messages and tormenting, (e.g. hiding football boots/shin guards, threatening gestures), when ‘banter’ becomes insulting and derogatory.

Physical:

Includes but is not limited to pushing, kicking, hitting, punching, or any other use of violence.

Verbal:

Includes but is not limited to name-calling, spreading rumours, sarcasm or teasing.

Racist:

Bullying because of, or focusing on the issue of race.

Sexual:

Includes but is not limited to unwanted physical contact or sexually abusive comments.

Cyber

Cyberbullying takes place over digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets. Cyberbullying can occur through SMS, Text, and apps, or online in social media, forums, or gaming where players can view, participate in, or share content. Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation.

Homophobic:

Bullying because of, or focusing on, the issue of sexuality.

Victims of bullying may be smaller/weaker than their peers, larger than their peers, lacking in confidence, hardworking, or not conform to the group ‘norm’.

Bullies may be bigger/stronger than their victim, confident, less able, enjoy conflict and aggression, also be a victim of bullying, be trying to raise their self-esteem, be seeking attention, or be experiencing problems at home.

Why is it important to respond to bullying?

Bullying hurts and no one deserves to be a victim of bullying. Everybody has the right to be treated with respect. Individuals who are bullying need to learn different ways of behaving. The impact upon a child or young person can be devastating and in some cases, affect all aspects of their life. In extreme circumstances, it can lead to suicide threats or even attempts.

Notts County Football Club has a responsibility to respond promptly and effectively to issues of bullying.

Notts County's equality statement can be found here.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 imposes a statutory duty on employers to ensure in so far as is reasonable practicable the health and safety of their employees whilst at work. This duty also extends to others who may be affected by that work.

Employees also have a statutory duty to take care of themselves and others who may be affected by their acts or omissions.

To enable these duties to be carried out, it is our intent to ensure that responsibilities for health and safety matters are effectively assigned, accepted, and fulfilled at all levels within our organisational structure.

1. We will, so far as is reasonably practicable, ensure that:

• Adequate resources are provided to ensure that proper provision can be made for health and safety
• Risk assessments are carried out and periodically reviewed
• Systems of work are provided and maintained that are safe and without risks to health
• Arrangements for use, handling, storage and transport of articles and substances for use at work are safe and without risks to health
• All employees are provided with such information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to secure their safety and health at work and the safety of others who may be affected by their actions
• Where appropriate, health surveillance will be provided for employees
• The provision and maintenance of all plant, machinery and equipment is safe and without risk to health
• The working environment of all employees is safe and without risks to health and that adequate provision is made with regard to the facilities and arrangements for their welfare at work
• The place of work is safe and that there is safe access to and egress from the work place
• Monitoring activities are undertaken to maintain agreed standards

2. It is the duty of all employees at work:

• To take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and of other persons who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work and co-operate with us in fulfilling our statutory duties
• Not to interfere with or misuse anything provided in the interest of health and safety

3. General:

• This Health and Safety Policy will be reviewed at least annually, amended and updated as and when necessary. Communication of any such changes will be made to all employees

• The club cannot take responsibility for the damage to any personal items caused by flying footballs within the stadium bowl. Supporters are advised to remain for vigilant at all times when players on the pitch.

• There are established and maintained effective procedures for consultation and communication between all levels of management and employees on all matters relating to health, safety and welfare
• Detailed reference information for employees can be found in the Employee Information Manual, which is kept in the Head of Safety and Security's office.

Version 1

This policy is written and should be read in conjunction with the Notts County Football Club policy on the Late Collection of Children.

Coaches must be aware, at all times, of the players they have in their care during both training sessions, matches and especially on trips and tours. The coach should ensure the safety of those in their charge by adopting the following procedures: -

For training sessions and home matches:

• Coaches should arrive at least 15 minutes before the time the players have been told to arrive

• If parents arrive early they should not leave the players on their own. Parents must wait until a member of staff and at least one other player arrives before they leave the venue. At the end of the session two members of staff should remain with the players until the parents arrive to collect the players. Under no circumstances must coaches leave a player alone to wait for a parent/ guardian who may be late.

• At each session coaches must take a register of the players who have arrived.

• If parents are going to be late they must inform one of the coaches by mobile phone. Parents should also inform the coach if they are unable to collect their child and are sending someone else to collect the player. Text messages are not acceptable as a means of communication.

• Players should be encouraged to go to the toilet before the training session or match so that they do not have to go during the activity. If a toilet visit is necessary during, players should go as pairs with one member of staff. The member of staff should stay just outside the changing rooms whilst waiting for the player

For away matches:

• Members of staff must report at least 15 minutes before the players

• The member of staff in charge must carry a copy of the list of players travelling and know the total number of players in their charge

• One member of staff from each travelling team must count each member of the team on the coach via a register of names, as opposed to a head count.

• If stopping en route players should be instructed to remain in pairs and at least one member of staff should escort them

• Players should be given clear instructions about the length of the stop and the rules of the break

• If any player is not back on time it must be a member of staff who searches for that player and not another player.

• Before re-starting the journey, each player must be counted back on to the coach and a final register must be taken to ensure that all players are safely on board

• If a player is to travel home with a parent/guardian after the match, that parents must inform the player’s coach so an amendment can be made to the travel list.

• Staff should ensure that players are back on the coach via a register of names, before departure at the end of the game.

• Upon arrival back at the pickup point, at least two members of staff should remain with the players until the parents/guardian collects the

• Staff mobiles should be switched on during each journey

Missing players:

If a player goes missing at any time the following procedures should be followed:

• A member of staff should look for the player

• If the problem is not resolved within 15 minutes, a full-time member of staff should be contacted

• The full-time member of staff should then contact the parent

• If the player is not found after 30 minutes, staff and parents should inform the police

• If a full-time member of staff is not available, the coach who is responsible for the player will inform the parent directly

 Investigations:

When a missing child has been located and safely returned to training/the game, the child’s family or the police, the club Designated Safeguarding Officer will conduct an investigation into the circumstances of the child going missing.

This is in order to identify any factors that need to be addressed by the Club or communicated to the parents to prevent a recurrence of the child going missing.

Children Missing from Training/Education

Keeping Children Safe in Education 2018, states that when children and young people go missing from education repeatedly it can be a warning sign of deeper safeguarding issues.  Early intervention is therefore necessary to stop these issues becoming even more serious. If a child or young person repeatedly does not attend training without any good reason the welfare officer should be contacted.

Introduction:

Recruiting and selecting the right people is significantly important to the success of Notts County Football Club (The Club). This recruitment policy aims to set out how to ensure, so far as possible, that the best people are recruited, children and adults at risk are safeguarded and that the club’s recruitment process is free from bias and discrimination.

By following this policy, and in addition to fulfilling employment law requirements, the Club will also ensure that it continues to uphold its commitment to equal opportunities, including compliance with the Equality Act 2010 and the Data Protection Act 1998 whilst recognising and fulfilling all UK immigration legislation.

The policy also includes all the relevant FA and EFL guidance is followed to recruit all staff and volunteers who have contact with children and adults at risk. It also no complies with statutory guidance for recruitment in education contained in Keeping Children Safe in Education 2018.

It is the responsibility of each Head of Department to ensure that this policy is carefully followed within their department. All Heads of Departments should make members of their staff aware of the obligation to familiarise themselves with and to follow this policy.

Safer Recruitment:

The aim of the recruitment policy is to help deter, reject or identify people who might abuse children and vulnerable adults, or who are otherwise unsuited to working with them, by having appropriate procedures in place for appointing staff.

Staff will not be recruited solely by word of mouth and this process should be followed at all times. Additionally, all roles will be advertised internally as well as externally, although the process itself remains the same with the exception of documentation validation which will previously have taken place.

The policy objectives are to operate this procedure consistently and thoroughly while obtaining, collating, analysing and evaluating information from and about applicants applying for job vacancies at Notts County Football Club.

Roles and Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of The Club to:

• Ensure the club has effective policies and procedures in place for recruitment of all staff and volunteers in accordance with EFL guidance and statutory requirements.
• Monitor the club’s compliance with them.

It is the responsibility of the Designated Safeguarding Officer and other Managers involved in recruitment to:

• Ensure that the club operates safe recruitment procedures and makes sure all appropriate checks are carried out on all staff and volunteers who work at the club.
• To monitor contractors’ and agencies’ compliance with this document.
• Promote the safe welfare of children and young people at every stage of the procedure.

In accordance with the EFL regulations, the club has delegated responsibility to the Group HR Director to lead in all appointments. Other Heads of Department may be involved in staff appointments but the final decision will rest with the Chief Executive.

Pre-Employment and Recruitment Process:

Job Description

A job description is a key document in the recruitment process, and must be finalised prior to taking any other steps in the process. It should clearly and accurately set out the duties and responsibilities of the job and must include:

• Job title
• Location of the post
• Grade of the post
• The post to whom the post holder is responsible
• Main purpose of the job
• Main duties and responsibilities
• The level of DBS/CRC check required for the role
• Salary and package

Details for Applicants

The details for the applications must include the job description and person specification together with any other important information that a potential applicant needs to decide whether to apply:

• Main terms and conditions of employment: package, holiday, working hours, etc.
• Standard information about The Club.
• Equality statement.

Processing Applications

All staff should be aware that when dealing with enquiries about vacancies it is unlawful to state or imply that applications from one sex or from a racial or ethnic group would be preferred. These may lead to a complaint of discrimination. In addition, staff should be mindful of age and disability discrimination.

The confidentiality of applications must be respected by all of those involved in the selection process.

Selecting the Interview Panel

All interviews regardless of the nature of the role must be conducted by either an experienced interviewer(s) or a panel. The Heads of Departments / Line Manager should select interview panel members prior to the closing date. This allows panel members to assist in the shortlist process.

Shortlist

An interview panel should assess all applications to determine which applicants are to be called for interview. Shortlist decisions should be based on evidence that the applicant has met the requirements of the person specification. This process will be completed by the Group HR Director and a member of the departmental management team.
The original applications for all applicants, together with a written note of reasons for shortlist or rejecting applicants must be retained for a minimum of 12 months from the date that an appointment decision is notified, in case of complaint to an Employment Tribunal and to satisfy UK Border Agency requirements to keep records for 12 months where a certificate of sponsorship is required.

To assist with this all CVs, correspondence and criteria information should be forwarded to and retained by HR throughout and by the end of any interview process.

Arrangements for Interviews

Letters or emails inviting candidates for interviews should include:

• Date, time and place of their interview
• Instructions on how to find their way to the interview venue
• If appropriate, details of any test or presentation
• Qualification certificates that are essential to the post
• Any special arrangements required by the applicant to be able to attend or complete the interview

Interviews

It is advisable that The Group HR Director joins the interview panel, and should be advised of this in advance.

The structure of interviews should be decided in advance by determining who will chair the panel and what areas of questioning are required to be covered.

The same areas of questioning should be covered with all candidates and assumptions should not be made regarding the expertise or abilities of candidates because of their employment history. Interview questions should be phrased so that they do not favour any one candidate or group of candidates. Supplementary questions should be used to probe for further information or clarification where answers are incomplete or ambiguous.

Care must be taken to avoid questions that could be construed as discriminatory (e.g. questions about personal circumstances that are unrelated to the job).

ALL interviews for All Staff and those who will work with children and adults at risk MUST include a generic safeguarding question and failure to answer this sufficiently will seriously make the panel question their suitability for any role.

Interview notes must be taken by each panellist to help the panel to make a decision based on the content of the interviews. Such notes must relate to how candidates demonstrate their knowledge, skills, experience and abilities in relation to the person specification. The General Data Protection Regulations allows applicants to request disclosure of such notes in the event of a complaint.

Making a Decision after Interview

The information obtained in the CV, the interview, and in references will allow candidates to be assessed against the person specification and a selection decision to be made.

Interview proceedings are confidential and interviewers are free to divulge to others the decision reached only once the appointee has accepted the post.

Pre- Employment

Pre- employment checks including academic qualifications, professional registration, the right to work and any other specifics considered essential for the post must be verified by the Club before any formal employment offer or before actual date of employment.

All employees, casual employees or volunteers who will be taking part in a regulatory activity as defined by Schedule 4 of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 will have to complete an Enhanced DBS check unless they have a current one completed by the FA.

Regulated activities include

• Teaching, instructing, caring for or supervising children if the person is unsupervised or providing guidance on physical emotional or educational well-being, or driving vehicle only for children;
• Work for a limited range of establishments (known as ‘specified places’, which include schools and colleges), with the opportunity for contact with children, but not including work with supervised volunteers

New employees must declare any convictions, cautions or reprimands, warnings or order that may have been incurred. The Club reserves the right to carry out risk assessments where content has been disclosed on a DBS disclosure if it feels that it is relevant to the job requirements. Failure to satisfy the Club and the EFL’s safeguarding requirements WILL lead to the job offer being withdrawn or dismissal.

Academy workers will not be able to start a new role until all ID, certification, DBS and YD2 compliance is verified and two satisfactory references have been sent for. At this point they will be appropriately supervised and unable to be with players on a one to one basis until a DBS is physically reviewed and two satisfactory references received by the Designated Safeguarding Officer.

For other employees with close contact to children and vulnerable adults and enhanced DBS check must be reviewed, until then they will be appropriately supervised and unable to be with players/ children/ adults at risk on a one to one basis until all checks have been cleared.

It is an offence to employ anyone who does not have permission to be in, or work in, the UK. To avoid making assumptions about such permission, all new joiners will be required to provide evidence of eligibility to work in the UK before undertaking any works with the Club. Failure to provide appropriate right to work documents will prevent the new joiner from commencing employment until they are produced to HR. Certified photocopies of these documents should be kept in employee individual profiles by HR.

Provisional offers may be made, subject to provision of a certificate of sponsorship being issued and entry clearance or status extended being obtained. Failure to provide the appropriate paperwork will result in the job offer being withdrawn.

Where the successful candidate is disabled, reasonable adjustments may need to be considered depending on their disability in consultation with them. The Club has a duty to consider what reasonable adjustments can be made to working practices, or premises, or to enable access to goods, facilities and services by disabled people. Individuals who have a disability and who require support should notify HR in the first instance.

Employing overseas footballers

If an offer of employment were made by the club to non-EU nationals, the club will follow the guidance issued by The Football Association at that given point in time.

Before applying for a certificate of sponsorship, the club shall ensure that the player’s birth country will be listed on FIFA ranking list, taken at the date on which the club applies for the certificate of sponsorship, and that he has played the requisite number of international games as stated in The FA’s guidance.

Recruitment and Vetting Checks:

References

Two professional/character references must be provided. These will always be sought and obtained directly from the referee and their purpose is to provide objective and factual information to support appointment decisions. Any discrepancies or anomalies will be followed up. Direct contact, either by telephone, face-to-face, or by email will be made with each referee to verify the reference.

References from relatives or friends will not be accepted. Appropriate referees are those who have direct experience of a candidate’s work, education or training: preferably in a supervisory capacity and a reference must be obtained from the current or previous employer.

A reference form is available to be used for telephone or email request and should be chased until a reference is received. In cases where references have not been received the employee will be asked to provide another suitable referee.

References for All Staff will be requested by the Designated Safeguarding Officer and those for other staff will be completed by the Group HR director.

On receipt, references should be checked to ensure that all specific questions have been answered satisfactorily. The referee should be contacted to provide further clarification as appropriate, for example if the answers are vague. They should also be compared for consistency with the information provided by the candidate on their application form.

Telephone references are acceptable, where time pressures or the location of referees dictate that this may be appropriate.

References are confidential. References should only be used for the purpose for which they were intended and their confidentiality must be maintained.

Failure to provide or receive references within the first four weeks of employment, whether permanent, part time, fixed term or casual may result in the offer of employment being withdrawn. In cases of All Staff all work will cease until this is completed.

Previous Employment History

Complete information about previous employment must be provided along with satisfactory explanations for any gaps in employment.

Proof of identity / Eligibility to work

These checks will be carried out on all appointments to the Club's workforce before an appointment is made.

Acceptable proof of identity / eligibility may include (detailed list below in attachment 1):

A.) Proof of address in the form of a utility bill or bank statement and passport
B.) Proof of address as above and Birth certificate combined with either P60 or P45 from a previous employer and NI Card.

Single Central Record

All Football clubs have to maintain a single central record that records all pre-employment checks listed above for all staff with contact with children and adults at risk. This includes personal details, DBS data, ID checks and reference outcomes. It is submitted to the EFL every year and failure to remain up to date with certification or DBS will result in suspension.

Medical Fitness

The Club reserves the right to carry out independent medical assessments for roles that require a specific level of fitness associated with the role the individual is required to carry out. Health declarations should be completed on request.

Qualification Requirements

Candidates must be able to prove they have actually obtained any academic or vocational qualifications legally required for the post and claimed in their application.

Ex-Offenders

Notts County Football Club will therefore consider ex-offenders for employment on their individual merits. The organisation's approach towards employing ex-offenders differs, however, depending on whether the job is or is not exempt from the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

All staff employed who work in regulated activities with children and adults at risk are exempt from the provisions of the Rehabilitations of Offenders Act 1974. The Club will require these applicants to disclose all convictions, whether spent or unspent. Even in these circumstances, however, the Club will not refuse to employ a particular individual unless the nature of the conviction has some relevance to the job for which the individual has applied. For these roles a risk assessment will be completed by the designated safeguarding officer and the Group HR director prior to allowing the staff member to work alone with vulnerable groups.

Data protection

The Club processes information about an individual's criminal convictions in accordance with our data protection policy. In particular, data collected during recruitment is held securely and accessed by, and disclosed to, individuals only for the purposes of completing the recruitment process and safeguarding. Inappropriate access or disclosure of employee data constitutes a data breach and should be reported in accordance with the organisation's data protection policy immediately.

Once an individual is recruited, information about his/her criminal record gathered in the course of the vetting process will not be transferred to his/her personnel file.

For those who are employed by the Club working with children and adults at risk, a risk assessment will take place, the details of which will be stored securely. The fact there is a conviction and a risk assessment took place will be stored and submitted on the single central record but not the details of either.

Welfare Philosophy.pdf

Approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year.

EFL guides have been designed to offer support and advice to people in need of support. Working with the NHS, these self help guides provide information on types of Mental Health conditions and where to go for support.

You can access the guides HERE.

Click here to view our mental health policy.

Three points isn't the only priority on matchday. Making sure everyone goes home safely is the most important result.

Following the dreadful Manchester Arena bombing, stadium managers from clubs have been briefed by counter-terrorism police.

It is vital that everyone - players, staff and supporters - remain vigilant and report any concerns to stewards or police.

Attacks may be rare and the chance of you being caught up in one is unlikely, but the message is #ActionCountersTerrorism.

Here's what you can do to help keep yourself and others safe:

• Arrive early, allowing more time for security checks
• Minimise what you carry - fewer bag searches will speed up entry to the ground
• Be vigilant at all times and if you see anything suspicious, tell a steward immediately
• If you see anything that could pose an immediate threat to safety, call 999
• In an emergency, listen to the public address instructions and follow them
• If told to evacuate, do so immediately. Do not wait around to film events on your mobile
• Move away from the stadium as quickly as possible for your safety and to allow clear access for any emergency vehicles
• Once you are safe, follow the local police force on Twitter for updates

To view the ground regulations for Meadow Lane, please click here.

Introduction

Notts County Football Club strives to achieve the highest standards of customer service for all its spectators and customers who use the Club. The Club will take all complaints seriously and the following process is in place to deal with any issues or complaints.

Customer Service Contact

Where possible, initial contact regarding any query or complaint should, in the first instance, be made to the head of the appropriate department. However, should the customer be unable to contact the relevant head of department, or should they not be satisfied after so doing, the designated customer service contact at the club is:

Name:                 Jordan Worthington - Supporter Liaison Officer

Address:              Notts County FC, Meadow Lane Stadium, Meadow Lane, Nottingham, NG2 3HJ

Tel:                      0115 952 9000

Email:                  jordan.worthington@nottscountyfc.co.uk

Contact may be made by telephone, letter or email as detailed above.

Timeline of Response

The club undertakes to acknowledge receipt of any complaint or query within 24 hours, or one working day, of receiving any correspondence.  We endeavour to respond to any contact from any supporter, normally within a maximum of seven working days.

Every effort will be made to respond as soon as possible and particularly so if the nature of any communication warrants an urgent or early reply. Response may be by telephone, letter or email as deemed appropriate.

If you are not happy with the outcome of the response, you are welcome to appeal any decision and the complaint will be escalated higher and you can expect a response within 14 days.

The Independent Football Ombudsman

Should any correspondent be dissatisfied with the club's response after 28 days, they can refer the matter straight to the IFO.

The Independent Football Ombudsman

Suite 49, 33 Great George Street

Leeds

LS1 3AJ

Tel: 0800 588 4066

Email: contact@theifo.co.uk