Safeguarding Policy

Our Commitment

Gaffer HQ Ltd is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and young people involved in grassroots youth football. We recognise that the wellbeing of children is paramount and take all reasonable steps to protect children from harm.

Who We Are

GAFFER HQ is a platform that connects grassroots youth football managers, referees, and pitch providers. We do not directly work with children but our platform is used by adults who organise and administer youth football teams.

Child Data Protection

• Accounts on GAFFER HQ are strictly for adults aged 18 and over.
• Any player data (names, squad information) entered by managers is accessible only to the authorised manager of that team and relevant club administrators.
• Child player data is never publicly visible on the platform.
• Data access is enforced at the database level using Row Level Security (RLS) policies.
• We do not share child player data with third parties.

Reporting Concerns

If you have concerns about the welfare of a child, or about how data relating to a child is being used on this platform, please contact us immediately:

For urgent concerns about a child's immediate safety, contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or call 999.

Manager Responsibilities

Managers using GAFFER HQ are responsible for:

• Ensuring they hold valid FA safeguarding qualifications appropriate to their role.
• Only uploading player data for players whose parents/guardians have consented.
• Not sharing access to their GAFFER HQ account with unauthorised persons.
• Reporting any safeguarding concerns to their club's designated safeguarding officer and to the relevant County FA.

Related Policies

Policy Review

This policy is reviewed annually or following any significant incident. For questions about this policy, contact: [email protected]