Parents and Carers
Safeguarding children is everyone's responsibility
Play your part in creating a safe, inclusive and positive football environment For All!
How can you play your part?
To further understand your role in facilitating a positive matchday environment and for advice on making an informed choice about the football setting you enrol your child in, please consider the free online Safeguarding Awareness for Parents & Carers course. All FA Safeguarding Courses can be found at England Football Learning.
Club Ethos
It is not always easy to know if a certain Football Club is going to be right for you and your child. We at Essex County FA have a few suggestions for parents and carers to consider when deciding where to enrol a child. It can be extremely helpful to arrange trial sessions at a few clubs, this can help you and your child understand what you want from a Football Club and find a Club that best suits you. It is also worth asking about a Club’s ethos around playing time and team selection. Some Clubs choose to focus more on competition and will select players based on performance, while others will prioritise equal playing time for all players. We recommend enquiring about this early on.
finding a club
Essex County FA’s Football Development Officers can signpost parents and carers to potential clubs in your area. Parents and carers can also use our #SquadBooster Online Portal to search through clubs who are advertising for players within their local area. Use the buttons below to contact your local Football Development Officer or to visit our Squad Booster Portal.
Found a club?
Once you've found a club, we encourage you to...
- Know who your child's Coach/Manager is, how they will communicate with you and how you can contact them for feedback on your child
- Understand the role of the Club's Welfare Officer and have their contact information saved
- Be clear about the acceptable and unacceptable behaviour at your child's club
- Sign up and adhere to the Player and Spectator Codes of Conduct
- Ask your child what they enjoy about playing and remember this when supporting them
- Ensure you and your child know how to report a concern
- Encourage your child to speak to you about anything that worries them, no matter how big or small
Further information
If you're looking for further information, you can click below to visit the FA's Parent and Carer pages.