FA: Anti-bullying Policy | Falmouth Community Youth FC

Statement of intent

We are committed to providing a caring, friendly and safe environment for all of our members so they can take part in football in a relaxed and secure atmosphere. Bullying of any kind is unacceptable at our club. If bullying does occur, all club members and parents should be able to tell, and know that incidents will be dealt with promptly. Anyone who knows that bullying is happening is expected to tell a coach or a member of the committee. This club is committed to playing its part to teach players to treat each other with respect.

What is bullying?

Bullying is the use of aggression with the intention of hurting another person. It results in pain and distress to the victim. Bullying can be:

Emotional – being unfriendly, excluding (emotionally and physically), sending hurtful messages, tormenting (for example hiding boots or shin guards, threatening gestures).
Physical – pushing, kicking, hitting, punching or any use of violence.
Sexual – unwanted physical contact or sexually abusive comments.
Discriminatory – comments or jokes about disabled people, sexist or racist comments.
Verbal – name-calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, teasing.

Cyberbullying is when a person uses technology – mobile phones or the internet, including social networking sites, chat rooms and instant messaging – to deliberately upset someone. Bullies often feel anonymous and distanced from the incident, and bystanders can easily become bullies by forwarding the information on. Trolling is posting deliberately offensive comments on someone's social media pages to cause upset and distress, and could result in legal action.

Why it is important to respond to bullying

Bullying hurts. No one deserves to be a victim of bullying, and everyone has the right to be treated with respect. This club has a responsibility to respond promptly and effectively to issues of bullying. We commit to ensuring our website and social networking pages are used appropriately, and that any online bullying is dealt with swiftly and appropriately in line with this policy.

Objectives of this policy

All coaches, officials, players and parents should have an understanding of what bullying is.
All coaches and officials should know what the club policy is on bullying, and follow it when bullying is reported.
All players and parents should know what the club policy is on bullying, and what they should do if bullying arises.
As a club we take bullying seriously. Players and parents should be assured they will be supported when bullying is reported.
Bullying will not be tolerated.

Signs and indicators

A child may show by signs or behaviour that they are being bullied. Adults should be aware of these possible signs and should investigate if a child:

says they are being bullied;
is unwilling to go to club sessions;
becomes withdrawn, anxious or lacking in confidence;
feels ill before training sessions;
comes home with clothes torn or equipment damaged, or has possessions go missing;
asks for money or starts stealing money (to pay the bully);
has unexplained cuts or bruises;
is frightened to say what is wrong, or gives improbable excuses.

In more extreme cases a child may start stammering, cry themselves to sleep or have nightmares, become aggressive or unreasonable, bully other children or siblings, stop eating, or attempt or threaten to run away or self-harm. These signs may indicate other problems, but bullying should be considered a possibility and investigated.

Bullying as a result of discrimination

Bullying because of discrimination occurs when it is motivated by prejudice against certain people or groups – because of gender, age, race, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, disability or ability. It generally looks like other bullying but can include derogatory remarks, using someone's skin colour or country of origin instead of their name, isolating someone because of their background, physical abuse, and cyberbullying. Discrimination is often driven by a lack of understanding that strengthens stereotypes. Club members must know that discriminatory language and behaviour will not be tolerated. If a member continues to make discriminatory comments they should be helped to understand the effect their words have; persistent remarks should lead to removal from the training setting and, if the problem continues, the sanctions set out in this policy. Parents or carers of a youth member may be invited to the club to discuss the member's attitudes.

Procedures

Report bullying incidents to a coach or a member of the club committee.
In cases of serious bullying, incidents will be referred to the FA Case Management Team.
Parents will be informed and asked to a meeting to discuss the problem.
If necessary and appropriate, the police will be consulted.
The bullying behaviour or threats of bullying must be investigated and the bullying stopped quickly.
An attempt will be made to help the bully or bullies change their behaviour.
If mediation fails and the bullying continues, the club will initiate disciplinary action under the club constitution.

Recommended club action

If the club decides it is appropriate to deal with the situation itself, it should follow this procedure:

Reconciliation by getting the parties together. A genuine apology may solve the problem.
If that fails or is not appropriate, a small panel of members meets the parent and child alleging bullying to get details. Minutes are taken and agreed by all as a true account.
The same three people meet the alleged bully and their parents, put the incident to them, and record their response. Minutes are again taken and agreed.
If bullying has taken place in their view, the individual is warned and put on notice of further action – temporary or permanent suspension – if it continues. Consideration is given to whether a reconciliation meeting is appropriate.
In some cases the parent of the bully or the bullied player may be asked to attend training sessions. The committee monitors the situation for a set period to ensure the bullying is not repeated.
All coaches involved with both individuals are made aware of the concerns and the outcome.

Adults bullying anyone under 18 within the club

The matter will be reported to the Club Welfare Officer, who will advise on the action to be taken, which may include action by the FA Safeguarding Team.
In most cases the FA's Safeguarding Children Education Programme may be recommended.
More serious cases may be referred to the police and/or Children's Social Care.

Prevention

The club has a written constitution which includes what is acceptable and proper behaviour for all members; the anti-bullying policy is one part of it.
All club members and parents sign to accept the constitution on joining the club.
The club will raise awareness of bullying and why it matters, and if issues arise will consider meeting with members to discuss the issue openly and constructively.

Further help

This policy is based on guidance provided to schools by Kidscape, a voluntary organisation committed to helping prevent child bullying (0207 730 3300, kidscape.org.uk). You may also wish to use: anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk, bullying.co.uk and childline.org.uk.

Source: The FA's recommended Anti-Bullying Policy for Football Clubs, adopted by Falmouth Community Youth Football Club.