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https://www.laliga.com/en-ES/transparency/compliance/child-adolescent-protection-system

LALIGA, La Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional (the Spanish National Professional Football League), organises sports activities in Spain and around the world, with the highest quality standards. Besides, it has developed LALIGA GENUINE, a football league for people with intelectual disabilities (including adolescent players), and with diverse programmes addessed to children and young people (LALIGA Academy, LALIGA FC Futures, LALIGA Futura Afición…).

With the implementation in Spain of the Organic Act 8/2021 of 4 June 2021 on the Comprehensive Protection of Children and Adolescents Against Violence (Ley Orgánica 8/2021, de 4 de junio, de protección integral a la infancia y la adolescencia frente a la violencia (LOPIVI) en junio de 2021) LALIGA mobilised to update and reorganise its Child Safeguarding System, counting with F. Javier Romeo-Biedma and Pepa Horno from Espirales CI in the assessment and development of the materials.

During the 2022-2023 season we worked intensively with a team of their professionals (over thirty people) in order to enlist their long experience working for the wellbeing of their children and young people. De ese modo, intentamos ajustar entre todas las partes unas herramientas que se adecuasen a las buenas prácticas de protección de infancia en el deporte, incluyendo sus aprendizajes propios en sus distintos programas con niños, niñas y adolescentes. As a result of this work, these new documents are available on their website, in the spirit of transparency and accountability that informs the Child Rights Approach:

• Child Safeguarding Policy.
• Child Safeguarding Code of Conduct.
• Child Safeguarding Action Protocol.

The documents are also available in Spanish on their website:

• Política de Protección de la Infancia y Adolescencia.
• Código de Conducta de Protección de la Infancia y Adolescencia.
• Protocolo de Actuación para la Protección de la Infancia y Adolescencia.

For us, it has been an honour working with such a committed team. On the one hand, we have learnt a lot about the safeguarding of children and young people in the diverse LALIGA sports, educational and social environments. On the other hand, they have pushed us to find approaches and methodologies useful for all those environments, so that they can really be safe and protective. And last, we always admire the generosity with which they share the documents online for free download: it gives legitimacy to their work, and it can inspire other sports, educational and social organisations.

We hope that you will find them interesting and inspiring.

F. Javier Romeo-Biedma and Pepa Horno