Marlborough Rovers takes safeguarding seriously and welcomes any comments regarding the management of its safeguarding responsibilities.

It aims to ensure children, young people, coaches, referees and adults in a position of trust are not subjected to improper behaviour or improper allegations. This includes online behaviour and if you have any concerns over content of the website please use the contact us page.

The club has appropriately trained adults to monitor the content of the websites who have an understanding of both the technology used and of safeguarding. These individuals include a Club Welfare Officer (CWO - see contacts page) who will have attended The FA's Safeguarding Children Workshop.

The Club is responsible for ensuring all content hosted on the websites, social network areas and any associated message boards or blogs abide by the Rules and Regulations of The Football Association.

It is against FA rules to post comments that are or maybe conceived as;

• Offensive • Insulting • Abusive • Threatening • Racist • Discriminatory • Any other reference that may cause offensive or harm to others

Children and young people should be advised by their coaches, parents/carers and CWO to always tell an adult they trust about communications that make them feel uncomfortable or where they’ve been asked not to tell their parent/carer about the communication.

What we do’s and don’t:

We Do:

• appoint an appropriate adult(s) to monitor the content of the website

• make sure everyone within your club knows who is responsible for monitoring the content of the club website and social networking areas and how to contact them

• apply the principles given within The FA’s photography guidelines; Celebrating Football Thorough Photographs and Video

• place the CEOP, ‘Report Abuse’ app on your web site and the link to the www.ThinkUKnow.co.uk internet safety site provided by CEOP which gives highly effective and age appropriate advice to children, young people, parents and carers

• provide links to www.TheFA.com ‘Staying Safe Online’ pages

• consider what benefits you feel hosting message boards, forums or blogs will bring to the running and organisation of your club/ league against the potential risks. If you decide to use these methods of communication ensure that they are password protected and only allow comments to be posted by individuals known and permitted access by the club/league

• remember that the club is responsible for all content contained within websites, forums blogs, tweets or social networking areas maintained by the club/teams

• regularly monitor the content of the above and use The FA’s Respect Codes of Conduct as a guide to acceptable behaviours both on and off field including behaviour online.

We Don’t:

• host children’s or young people’s details where they can be seen or used by others to contact them. Any details hosted should only be done with written parental/carer consent

• place pictures of individuals on WebPages without the express permission of parents/carers

• post irrelevant detail of individuals which may lead them to be identified e.g. school class/year, player profiles detailing personal information e.g. favourite foods, movies, teams etc.

• with regard to development football - no information published that reveal the result to the reader.

• post or host items which may be considered to be hurtful, insulting, offensive, abusive, threatening, racist or discriminatory or otherwise may cause offence or harm to another or might incite such behaviour in others.

If you have questions, concerns on any safeguarding issues please contact us via the contact us page or contact our Chief Welfare Officer directly (contact details on the contacts page)