Alastair Keatinge says the ramifications about abuse in youth football go far beyond the beautiful game. The entire third sector should examine their governance arrangements for protecting the vulnerable

The spate of media stories about child abuse in football has highlighted the need for clubs at all levels to prioritise child protection. The issues raised by these stories go far beyond sport, reminding all clubs, charities and not-for-profit groups to be vigilant about the protection they offer to vulnerable groups.

These groups include any people vulnerable to abuse because of their age, health, physical or mental abilities.

Most of the football stories emerging in the media involve historical allegations, and nowadays organisations generally have more robust procedures in place to protect children and vulnerable adults. But setting up such procedures is not a one-off task; organisations must continually scrutinise their practices.

Our experience with charities and sports clubs indicates that most organisations have safeguarding procedures in place. Local sports clubs will require them in order to affiliate with national governing bodies. And Scottish charities working with vulnerable people are required by regulators to take steps to safeguard them, such as doing disclosure checks on people in certain roles.

Nevertheless, all organisations would be well advised to revisit, review and stress-test their procedures. Key questions for trustees, staff, volunteers, parents and carers to ask include:

• Is there a named contact who coordinates protection of vulnerable people, and how do you ensure they can carry out their role effectively?
• Do you have a code of conduct for working with young or vulnerable people?
• Do all your trustees, staff and volunteers understand what abuse is, and what to do if they have concerns?
• What training is in place for those who deal with vulnerable people, and is it appropriate?
• What checks are done on new recruits or volunteers? Do trustees/committee members see documental evidence of the checks carried out and obtain the Disclosure Scotland PVG Certificates?
• What are your procedures for responding to, and investigating, concerns raised by young people, parents or carers; and for reviewing your overall procedures and practices?
• How do you communicate with users, parents and carers about any of these issues?
• Are you aware of any historical incidents or concerns involving your organisation, and do you have procedures for handling allegations that arise?
• Do your trustees, volunteers and staff know who else should be notified in the event of concerns or complaints – from sports national bodies to the Office of the Scottish Charities Regulator (OSCR) to the police?

Critical with all policies and procedures is that they have life beyond the paper they are written on - that they are fully understood, fully implemented and fully fit-for-purpose.

On the last point, fitness-for-purpose includes what steps will be taken if their resolution procedures reach a dead-end, without actually resolving the issue. Policies may need to include procedures for appeals, or resolving stalemate situations, and must take into account the needs and rights of all the different parties potentially affected by them.

The vast majority of charities, sports clubs and other groups are naturally keen to protect children and other users, and it’s important that the current stories do not deter people from becoming trustees, volunteers, or members of clubs.

Without local clubs and activity groups - from sports clubs to church groups - children and vulnerable adults would lose out on enrichment, social interaction and opportunity, so it’s important they can flourish. Reviewing and stress-testing your policies and practices is one way to ensure that, providing high levels of protection and peace of mind for all involved.

Alastair Keatinge is a partner and head of charities at Lindsays.