bbc5Live Sportsweek 4/12/16 - Sue Ravenlaw of the @FA informs audience: child protection 'it's different now'

Sue Ravenlaw used a flurry statistics to support her claim 'its different now.' CRB's are being undertaken by the thousands, and (Club) Welfare Officers exist and trained (by the thousand). It must be said that none of this is any different to what is happening (by the tens of thousands) in all other Regulated Activities such as schools, healthcare, faith groups and other sports organisations because this is what the easy end of child protection 'guidance' requests. Nonetheless, utterly porous child protection, on which no reliance can be placed continues across the board in regulated activities including sport.

Ms Ravenlaw believes there has been a 'culture change' in child protection at the FA. Awareness of the crime has certainly been awakened - but 'culture change?' Has the culture change delivered greater reliance to child protection in FA affiliated clubs? Where is the data to support the claim of transformation within the last 15 years, particularly when there is still no legal obligation to report known or suspected abuse in 'Regulated Activities.' These settings remain Petri dishes for those with an unhealthy interest in the young? This 15 year claim coincides with the 2005 'cut off' date of the FA's announced review. Perhaps, not coincidentally, a report by the Independent Football Commission was published in August 2005 titled : Child Protection in Football - which reached this 'top line' conclusion : "The achievement is impressive. Now it may be time to slow down a little. The guidance, training, regulation, information have been very professional, comprehensive and manifold but there is a real sense of overload."

However, reporting known or suspected abuse is still nothing more than a 'value judgement,' The reporter has to be a whistleblower because of the absence of law and therefore legal protection for the reporter. The UK (excl NI) is out of step with the vast majority of developed nations in RoW where MR exists. No reliance can be placed on a child protection 'framework' that has non existent legal foundations. To suggest otherwise is wrong.

Our review of the FA's child protection policy was published on 15/12/12 under the title : 'Confused Football Association Safeguarding Policy Fails Children' https://goo.gl/cozrF2 , It coincided with the debate in the House of Lords: 'Child Sexual Abuse within Football Clubs' https://goo.gl/2N7rnq during which Baroness Brinton mentioned the Mandate Now assessment of the FA's policy: https://goo.gl/uQjbpH