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 Course Information:

• Course Duration: 3 hours 
• Course Prerequisites: None
• Who is it for: This course is mandatory for all coaches, welfare officers, referees (over 16 years). Anyone else, over the age of 16 years, who is interested to learn about safeguarding is welcome to participate.
• Course aims and objectives: The course is designed to raise awareness of best practice in safeguarding children in football and to ensure that everyone recognises their moral and legal responsibilities when working with children. It supports participants to create fun, safe and positive football environments, ensuring that people know how to report a concern about a child's welfare. The course supports The FA's strategic goals to raise standards across the game and demonstrates our capacity to be trusted to lead.

Course Content:

This is a workshop designed to answer questions such as:

• What is best practice when working with youngsters in football?
• What is poor practice?
• How would I recognise the signs, indicators and forms of abuse?
• What kind of behaviour and abuse affect our own feelings?
• How does poor practice and abuse affect our own feelings?
• When and how should I act if you have concerns about a child's welfare?

The workshop is interactive and informal; tutors draw on participant's experiences and knowledge as well as developing learning through presentation and small group activities.

Practical Involvement: There is no practical (i.e. on-field) aspect to the workshop.

Assessment: There is no formal assessment; the progress of learners is monitored through the group activities and discussions.

Re-assessment: It is recommended that individuals renew their Safeguarding Children certificate approximately three years after attending a workshop. However, Welfare Officers will be required to complete the Welfare Officer Workshop as their next step.

Refresher: Ongoing information and good practice examples are available on www.TheFA.com/FootballSafe

Suggested additional learning opportunities:

• FAL Welfare Officer Workshop (Welfare Officers only)
• FAL Online Coaching Children module
• FAL Online Psychology for Soccer Level 1
• FAL Online Respect module (available January 2009)

Equality: FA Learning will ensure that it treats people fairly and with respect and that it will provide access and opportunities for all members of the community to take part in, and enjoy, it's activities in an atmosphere free from harassment, bullying, discrimination or abuse. FA Learning will seek to provide a service which is appropriate to the needs of an individual and to make reasonable adjustments or provide support, where appropriate, to cater for those needs.