| Implementation Date: | 1 July 2024 |
| Agreed By: | Neil Coombs |
| Next Review Date: | 1 July 2025 |
Statement of Intent:
Ballon Dor is dedicated to fostering a welcoming, supportive, and safe space for all our members. We believe everyone should be able to enjoy participating in football in a relaxed and secure environment, free from bullying of any kind.
Bullying is unacceptable, and we have a zero-tolerance policy. If you experience or witness bullying, we encourage you to speak up. Everyone has a responsibility to report bullying incidents. This can be done by contacting the Club Welfare Officer, any committee member, or another trusted adult.
We are committed to playing our part in creating a culture of respect. We strive to teach all our members the importance of treating each other with dignity and consideration.
Our Anti-Bullying Policy Objectives
This policy aims to achieve several key objectives:
- Raising Awareness: We want all members, coaches, officials, and parents to have a clear understanding of what constitutes bullying.
- Promoting Consistent Action: Everyone involved with our organisation, including coaches, officials, and staff, should be familiar with this policy and follow its guidelines when responding to reported bullying incidents.
- Empowering Players and Parents: Players and parents should have a clear understanding of our anti-bullying policy and the reporting procedures. We want everyone to feel confident knowing how to address bullying if it arises.
- Providing Support: We take bullying seriously and are committed to supporting both players and parents who report bullying incidents.
- Zero Tolerance: Our organisation has a zero-tolerance approach to bullying. We will not tolerate any form of bullying behaviour.
Understanding Bullying
This policy defines bullying as the repeated behaviour that seeks to hurt or intimidate another person or group. An imbalance of power is often present in these situations. Bullying can occur in person or online, and it can manifest in various ways.
Recognizing Different Forms of Bullying
Bullying can manifest in various ways, and this policy addresses the following categories:
- Verbal Bullying: This includes name-calling, sarcasm, spreading rumors, and teasing.
- Physical Bullying: Any physical violence, intimidation, theft, or intentional damage to someone's belongings falls under this category. Examples include hitting, kicking, and punching.
- Emotional Bullying: Excluding someone, tormenting them, making them feel ridiculed or humiliated, setting them up, and spreading rumours are all forms of emotional bullying. This can also include racial taunts, graffiti, homophobic comments, jokes targeting people with disabilities, or sexist/misogynistic remarks.
- Cyberbullying: The misuse of technology or communication to bully a person or group online is considered cyberbullying. This can involve threatening messages, actions meant to cause offence, anxiety, or humiliation. Here are some specific examples:
- Abusive comments, rumours, gossip, and threats sent electronically, including internet trolling.
- Sharing pictures, videos, or personal information without permission with the intent to harm or humiliate someone.
- Hacking into someone's accounts to steal personal information or send hurtful messages while pretending to be them.
- Creating websites to bully, mock, or spread malicious rumours about someone.
- Pressuring someone online to do something they're uncomfortable with, such as sending explicit content.
It's important to note that some of these cyberbullying behaviours can also be considered criminal offences.
Our organisation is committed to ensuring our website(s), social media pages, and digital systems are used appropriately. We will take swift and appropriate action against any online bullying behaviour, following the procedures outlined in this policy.
Understanding the Causes of Bullying
Bullying can target anyone, but bullies often focus on perceived differences. This behaviour can be a form of wider discrimination and may manifest in various ways:
- Prejudice-Based Bullying: This includes racism (targeting ethnicity, skin colour, language, religious or cultural practices), homophobia/biphobia/transphobia (targeting actual or perceived sexual orientation and/or gender identity), sexism (behaviour intended to cause offence, humiliation, or intimidation based on gender), and disablism (targeting someone with an impairment or special educational need).
- Targeting Differences: Bullies may also target physical appearance (looks, weight, height, hair colour, glasses/braces, skin conditions, scars, body odour), socioeconomic status (poverty, possessions), or family situations (divorce, bereavement, homelessness).
It's important to remember that bullying can also be motivated by discrimination against certain groups of people based on their:
- Gender
- Age
- Race
- Nationality
- Ethnic origin
- Religion or belief
- Sexual orientation
- Gender reassignment
- Disability
- Ability
We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and respected, regardless of their background or differences.
The Importance of Addressing Bullying
Bullying can have lasting negative impacts on those who experience it. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and feel safe participating in our activities. Individuals who engage in bullying behaviour need to learn healthier ways of interacting with others.
That's why we take all reports of bullying seriously. We are committed to responding promptly and effectively to address any bullying incidents within our organisation.
Changes Made:
- Removed references to "Ballon Dor Football Club"
- Rephrased for a more positive and solution-oriented tone.
- Emphasised the importance of creating a safe and respectful environment.
Spotting Potential Bullying
Bullying can sometimes be difficult to detect, but there are signs that a child or young person might be experiencing it. Here are some things to look out for:
- Verbal Disclosures: A child may directly tell you they are being bullied.
- Changes in Attendance: They may become hesitant or unwilling to attend training sessions or club activities.
- Emotional Shifts: Withdrawal, anxiety, or a lack of confidence could be indicators of bullying.
- Physical Complaints: Feeling unwell before training sessions could be a sign of anxiety or avoidance.
- Damaged Belongings: Torn clothes, damaged training equipment, or missing possessions could be red flags.
- Changes in Financial Behavior: A child may ask for money or start stealing (potentially to appease a bully).
- Physical Injuries: Unexplained cuts or bruises can be a cause for concern.
- Withdrawal and Fear: A child who seems frightened to talk about what's wrong or gives unlikely excuses for their behaviour may be experiencing bullying.
It is important to take any of these signs seriously and investigate further.
Warning Signs Requiring Immediate Action
While the previous signs may indicate bullying, there are situations requiring more urgent attention. If a child or young person exhibits any of the following behaviours, it's crucial to seek help immediately:
- Serious Emotional Distress: This includes crying themselves to sleep regularly, experiencing nightmares, or displaying significant changes in eating habits (loss of appetite).
- Self-Harm or Suicidal Threats: Any threats of self-harm or suicide must be taken very seriously and require immediate intervention.
- Running Away: If a child attempts to run away from home, it's a significant indicator of distress and needs to be addressed promptly.
- Aggressive Outbursts: A sudden shift towards aggressive, disruptive, or unreasonable behaviour could be a sign of underlying issues. Bullying may be a contributing factor, but it's important to seek professional help to determine the cause.
- Bullying Others: While children who bully others may seem like the aggressors, their behaviour could also stem from being bullied themselves. Investigating the root cause is essential.
Remember, these signs may indicate other problems, but it's important to take them seriously and investigate the possibility of bullying.
How to Report Bullying
If you experience or witness bullying, we encourage you to report it promptly. Here's how you can do so:
- Report to a Trusted Adult: You can speak to the Club Welfare Officer, Assistant Welfare Officer, or any member of the Club Committee/Board. These individuals are trained to handle reports of bullying sensitively and effectively.
- Investigative Process: All reported incidents will be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly. In serious cases, the County FA Welfare Officer and The FA Case Management Team may be consulted for guidance.
- Parental Involvement: We believe in open communication with parents. If your child is involved in a bullying incident, we will keep you informed and schedule a meeting to discuss the situation.
- Collaboration with Authorities: If necessary and with due consideration, the police may be involved.
- Addressing the Behaviour: Our primary goal is to stop the bullying behaviour as quickly as possible. This involves investigating the incident and working with those involved to address the root cause. We aim to help the person who exhibited bullying behaviour understand the impact of their actions and encourage a positive change.
- Disciplinary Action: If mediation efforts are unsuccessful and the bullying persists, the organisation may initiate disciplinary action under the club's constitution.
Addressing Bullying Incidents
If we determine it's appropriate to handle a bullying situation internally, we will follow these steps:
- Mediation: Whenever possible, we will attempt to facilitate a mediation meeting between the parties involved. A sincere apology can often resolve the issue.
- Investigative Meetings: If mediation is unsuccessful or not deemed appropriate, a designated panel will be convened. This panel, typically consisting of the Chairperson, Club Welfare Officer, Secretary, and relevant committee members, will meet with the child who reported bullying and their parent/guardian to gather details of the incident. Minutes will be taken for clarity and agreed upon by all parties involved.
- Responding to the Allegations: The same panel will then meet with the alleged bully and their parent/guardian to discuss the reported incident and obtain their perspective. Once again, minutes will be documented and agreed upon.
- Consequences and Support: If the investigation concludes that bullying occurred, the individual will receive a formal warning and be informed of potential consequences for continued bullying behaviour, which could include temporary or permanent suspension. We will also consider whether a reconciliation meeting between the parties is still appropriate at this stage.
- Parental Involvement: In some cases, with the consent of all parties involved, the parent of the child who bullied or the child who was bullied may be invited to observe training sessions.
- Monitoring and Support: The Club Committee will closely monitor the situation for a designated period to ensure the bullying behaviour has ceased. Additionally, coaches working with both individuals will be informed of the situation and its outcome.
Our primary goal is to resolve bullying incidents swiftly and effectively while providing support to everyone involved.
Reporting Adult Misconduct
If you suspect that an adult within the organisation is bullying someone under 18, it's crucial to report it immediately. The County Welfare Officer should always be informed and will advise on the appropriate course of action. This may involve intervention by The FA Safeguarding Team.
For allegations involving team managers, officials, or coaches, The FA's Safeguarding Children Education Programme may be recommended to address the behaviour.
In more serious cases, the matter may be referred to the police and/or Children's Social Care to ensure the safety and well-being of the child.
We take all allegations of bullying seriously, and we are committed to protecting children within our organisation.
Preventing Bullying
We are committed to creating a culture of respect and fair play. Our comprehensive Code of Conduct outlines acceptable behaviour for all members, including players, coaches, parents, and officials. This anti-bullying policy is a key component of that code.
By signing the Code of Conduct upon joining our organisation, everyone acknowledges their responsibility to uphold these standards.
The Club Welfare Officer plays a vital role in raising awareness about bullying. We conduct educational sessions to explain the impact of bullying and promote positive interactions. Additionally, the Welfare Officer is available to meet with members and facilitate open discussions if bullying incidents arise within the organisation.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Welfare Officers
Nina Carter 07884881513
Neil Coombs 07476485115
Email Address
support@ballondorfootballacademy.com
welfare@ballondorfootballacademy.com
If at any time you are not able to contact your Club Welfare Officer, or the matter is clearly serious then you can contact your CFA Welfare Officer directly:
Address
For additional resources and support, you can visit the following websites:
For Parents/ Carers
www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk
For Young People