Name: Paul Ratcliffe
Currently Employment: West Riding County FA
Current Role with West Riding FA: Designated Safeguarding Officer. 

Tell us about how and why you got involved in football? 

I was previously involved in Safeguarding and was working for Barnardo’s Intensive Family Support Team based in Little London, Leeds. This was a rolling Commissioned Service for Leeds City Council but the contract was running it course. A friend contacted me to say he had seen the County Welfare Officer (as it used to be) position been advertised and so been involved in Safeguarding and Football, it seemed like the perfect job to apply for…. The rest as they say is history and I’ve been here for almost 14 years.

What do you enjoy about your role within the West Riding FA? 

Interesting question, especially when you are asked what you enjoy in this particular role, as the majority of my work is dealing with safeguarding matters, poor practice issues and generally when things go wrong. Having said that I have a great bunch of colleagues, and we all have a united goal to help and support our amazing volunteer workforce.  I also enjoy working with our Leagues and Clubs, particularly the Welfare Network. We have some amazing people working at Leagues and Clubs in our County and I could not do my role without their support. I genuinely believe we have the best Welfare Officers within our clubs. These guys help put the enjoyment back into my role. 

What is your best memory of working for West Riding FA? 

I’ve been lucky to meet some great people along the way, but meeting Prince William, Gareth Southgate, Harry Kane and the England squad up at West Riding FA would take some beating. 

What do you want to achieve in your role with West Riding FA?

I want to ensure I do my best to help safeguarding the children and vulnerable adults within our County. I have a Duty of Care to act on all safeguarding and welfare concerns from clubs and that usually means working together with Welfare Officers, the FA Safeguarding Team and Statutory Agencies such as the Police, LADO’s and Social Care to bring about positive outcomes for children, and ensure that any perpetrators of abuse towards children are dealt with appropriately. We all have a Duty of Care to ensure Football is fun, safe and enjoyable for our children and vulnerable adults.     

What are the biggest obstacles you have faced while in your current role? 

This role can be incredibly stressful. A lot of what I deal with is way beyond the Poor Practice issues we see at matches on a weekend. DSOs within County FAs are dealing with abuse from adults against children and you are often dealing with very emotional situations, have to have difficult conversations, and are constantly worrying whether you have made correct decisions. When we have serious cases involving Police, Social Care etc..  the information provided from Statute agencies can be upsetting. It is a challenge to find coping mechanisms for this. Getting out for a walk, having a beer and chatting through how I’m feeling with my wife (who is also a safeguarding practitioner) help greatly. 

Who’s had the biggest influence in your career and why? 

Wherever I have worked, there have been great people. When I joined Sure Start Bramley, the Team I went into were crazy and bonkers. I soon realised you needed to be like this as an outlet for the emotional stress you deal with in this line of work. My boss also later became my wife! So I guess Sue has been one of the biggest influences in my career, she is certainly my sounding board for talking things through. I also had a Tutor at Leeds University called Andy Lloyd who made a massive impact on me, how to think about things, especially been a man in Safeguarding and Family Support which at the time was predominantly female orientated. I had particular remits in my Sure Start role to engage with fathers, including prison work and also facilitating groups for the NSPCC for men who were the perpetrators of domestic violence. Andy offered invaluable advice on working in this field.    

What advice would you give to people wishing to get involved in football? 

Give it a go, the grassroots football family is incredible, absolutely fantastic people throughout it. Even if you are a parent who gets roped into coaching because your child plays in the team, once you are involved you’ll get the bug. It could lead to bigger and better things. We have so many people who go on to careers within the grassroots game whether it be through coaching or refereeing for example. If you want to become a positive role model for children, help to make a difference in their lives, give them something to look forward to every weekend, then getting involved is for you.