Safe Haven: Werder Presents a Holistic Child Protection System

Safe Haven: Werder Presents a Holistic Child Protection System

For children and young people, SV Werder Bremen has been far more than a club for over a century. In the “Werder family” young athletes have their emotional and sporting home. In order to protect these children and young people in the best possible way, a comprehensive child protection system developed together with Kindernothilfe will take effect at the Green-Whites in the future.

Whether it’s away tripped by youth teams, in the changing room after training, at events of the kids’ club or the diaper league, open offers on football pitches or the children running in on the home game day: Werder should be a safe haven for children and young people.

DR HESS-GRUNEWALD: “A REAL MILESTONE FOR WERDER”

A holistic child protection system was therefore developed in 2022. It applies to all six sports departments and offers of the club, all areas of SV Werder Bremen GmbH & Co KG aA, for example for the WERDER football school or the WERDER performance center and children and young people who, through the CSR commitment of the SVW such as SPIELRAUM, Windel -League or Kids Club can be set in motion. In short: wherever Werder comes into contact with children and young people. The concept includes, among other things, rules of conduct, a case management system, personnel measures and communication standards. For all employees who work with children and young people, it is an aid in which framework they can move.

“The present child protection concept is a real milestone for SV Werder,

We want to offer the best possible protection to children and young people entrusted to our care. We want to take preventive action against child endangerment and physical or psychological violence with the behavioural standards described and additional offers. At the same time, the concept ensures clarity and transparency should a complaint or an emergency arise.”

Dr. Hubertus Hess-Grunewald, President and Chairman of the Supervisory Board

MANY PERSPECTIVES FLOWED INTO THE DEVELOPMENT

Together with Werder’s head of sustainability, Michael Arends, “Kindernothilfe eV” and the association “in safe hands eV”, the two child protection officers have been in charge of developing the child protection concept over the past year. 

“We are very pleased that the concept has now been published and that everyone was actively involved. At this point, a big thank you goes to all the volunteers and full-time people involved in the process at SV Werder, who invested a lot of time and heart and soul.”

Michael Arends, Werder’s Head of Sustainability

“It was an exciting challenge to consider the perspectives from very different areas. It is noticeable in the result that many perspectives were incorporated into the development, not least those of the children and young people who, for example, were able to contribute extensively what concerns them during the potential and risk analysis.”

Anja Fabrizius, Youth Worker in the Athletics Department