Safeguarding

Find Me a Ref, operated by McTip IT Limited, is used to arrange referees for sport fixtures, including youth sport. Safeguarding children and young people matters to us. This page explains what we do to support safe practice, and, importantly, where responsibility for safeguarding decisions sits.

What we do to support safeguarding

• We hold verification details for referees, which may include grading and registration information.
• Organisers set the grade and requirements for each fixture, so youth fixtures can require appropriately qualified referees.
• We provide tools that keep a clear record of who has been assigned to each fixture.
• We support organisers in applying their own requirements before a referee is confirmed for youth sport.

What remains the organiser's responsibility

Clubs, leagues and governing bodies remain responsible for ensuring that anyone officiating youth fixtures meets the relevant requirements. This includes, where applicable:

• Confirming a valid Enhanced DBS check where required for the role.
• Confirming completion of relevant safeguarding and youth modules.
• Following the safeguarding policies of the relevant sport's governing body.
• Reporting and responding to any safeguarding concerns through the proper channels.

Reporting a concern

If you have an urgent concern that a child is at risk of harm, contact the police on 999. For non-emergency safeguarding concerns, contact your sport's Designated Safeguarding Officer or governing body safeguarding team. You can also contact the NSPCC.

If a concern relates specifically to conduct on the Find Me a Ref platform, please also tell us at [email protected] so we can take appropriate action on the account, while you pursue the concern through the official safeguarding routes above.

Referees

Referees are responsible for holding and maintaining the qualifications, DBS status and registrations required for the fixtures they accept, and for declaring these accurately. Accepting a youth fixture is a confirmation that you meet the requirements set for it.

Junior referees (under 18)

Referees can register from age 14. Where a referee is under 18, we require a parent or guardian to provide their contact details and confirm consent at sign-up, including for how fees are paid, before the account can be used. This is a checkbox confirmation at sign-up, we do not independently verify the guardian's identity or their relationship to the referee.

Clubs, leagues and governing bodies remain responsible for the wellbeing of junior referees at their fixtures, in the same way they are responsible for young players: for example, making sure a junior referee has a named adult contact at the venue, is not left to travel or wait unsupervised where that would be inappropriate for their age, and has a clear route to raise a concern. This is not something the platform can verify or enforce; it depends on the organisers at each fixture.

Getting this right

Safeguarding requirements change and vary by sport, competition and age group. Always follow the current guidance from your sport's governing body. If in doubt, do not proceed until requirements are confirmed.