Introduction

The UAE Pro League is committed to safeguarding children. Promoting and protecting the safety and welfare of children is extremely important to us; we believe that everyone has the right to enjoy football in a safe and inclusive environment.

The efforts made by the UAE Pro League are in collaboration with Ministry of Interior Child Protection Centre (MOI CPC) and by working with recommended specialists, the AFC & FIFA.
This document sets out the Pro Leagues vision, core objectives and strategic measures to effectively safeguard children.

Vision
The UAE Pro League intends to be a leading light in Asia to adopt a clear policy in Child Safeguarding, a step towards a brighter future of Football and all of its stakeholders.

Core Objectives
UAE Pro League’s core objectives are to:

• Implement preventative safeguarding measures and create safe football environments for all children in all UAE Professional Football Clubs.
• Make any reporting of concerns as easy as possible; and
• Ensure safeguarding and child protection concerns are investigated swiftly and thoroughly in conjunction with the relevant local Authorities; UAE Ministry of Interior, the UAE FA or other organisations as and where appropriate
• To ensure all club staff have an increased awareness of the safety and protection of children in their care.

Strategic Measures
In order to achieve maximum effectiveness for child safety the UAE Pro League commits to (4) Main areas:

1. Mandatory Education on Child protection Regulations & Misconduct for all staff in contact with children at the clubs, those deemed high risk.

2. A  Child Protection Specialist’s will be assigned & trained in all Pro League Clubs as  per Federal Law .3  of 2016 on Child Rights (Wadeema’s Law). These individuals are to act as main point of contact for welfare issues and deliver internal training to wider club staff.  There will be supported training & welfare assessment tools provided by the ministry of Interior and UAE PL.

3. Communication & Awareness drive a comprehensive awareness campaign through Pro League channels which detail; identifying misconduct, effective social responsibility and awareness of direct reporting systems to the MOI.

4. A set of mandatory protocols and processes to follow with regards child protection, reporting, club environment and risk assessment. These will be administered through Club Licensing and involve:

• Background Check’s – for all staff, including third party, part time or project staff.
• Detailed Safeguarding operations measures including Delivery of games/events (transport, accommodation, changing rooms etc.).
• Monitoring Internal club education including parent interaction techniques, child wellbeing, school support & lifestyle support.
• Reporting of concerns.