Nominated FIFA Learners 

What is the FIFA Guardians™ Safeguarding in Football Diploma?

This FIFA Guardians Safeguarding in Football Diploma is a series of five online courses designed to support the work of Safeguarding Officers in FIFA Member Associations: it aims to develop a group of trained safeguarding professionals within football.  These Safeguarding Officers must be nominated by their respective Football Association and, once their nomination has been approved by FIFA, they will be referred to as ‘Nominated FIFA Learners’. Nominated FIFA Learners will participate in 70 hours of online learning across the five courses. They will also benefit from additional support that includes:

• A series of programme-wide webinars delivered on specific themes.
• An online discussion forum led by experts.
• Feedback for online quiz assessments for each course.
• Feedback on written assessment tasks for Courses 3 and 5.
• Mandatory participation in a FIFA Guardians residential safeguarding workshop.

As a Safeguarding Officer you can collect up to five ‘Digital Badges’, one for each of the five courses you successfully complete. FIFA will award the FIFA Guardians Safeguarding in Football Diploma qualification to those who complete all five courses, the assessments, and fulfil the requirements of the additional face-to-face residential workshop. 

Course 1 of the Diploma – the FIFA Guardians Safeguarding Essentials – is your first step. This short 90-minute course gets you started and your first ‘FIFA Guardians Safeguarding Essentials Digital Badge’ will be awarded when you complete the course.

Course 1

FIFA Guardians™ Safeguarding Essentials

Are you involved in football in a voluntary or paid role either for FIFA, a FIFA Member Association, a club, or as a Safeguarding Officer, a coach, manager, agent, referee, or through another important role such as an Academy Director, Technical Director,  physiotherapist or medic? Then this short course is designed to support people like you. The course is divided into three 30-minute sessions for you to study at your own pace.

As a Nominated FIFA Learner your registration will be approved by FIFA and you will receive personal sign-in details to Course 1 – the FIFA Guardians Safeguarding Essentials – via email. The ‘Get started’ button below takes you to the same sign-in place provided in your confirmation email.

Course 2

FIFA Guardians™ Starting your Safeguarding Journey

As a Nominated FIFA Learner you must successfully complete Course 1 before starting Course 2. Course 2 supports those who are new to their safeguarding role or wish to build on their knowledge. It is approximately 12 hours of online learning to be completed at your own pace over the months explained in the ‘study plan’ (available at the start of the programme). Course 2 helps you continue your safeguarding journey, exploring key safeguarding principles and includes:

• Building support for your early work in safeguarding.
• Assessing and prioritising safeguarding risks.
• Developing your organisation’s safeguarding policy, procedures and guidance.
• Safeguarding reporting and your organisation’s response to concerns.

As a Nominated FIFA Learner, your registration will have been approved by FIFA and you were sent personal sign-in details via email including an enrolment key. You will need to use the same enrolment key code for Course 2 – FIFA Guardians Starting your Safeguarding Journey.

The ‘Get started’ button below takes you to the course homepage where you will need to sign in. If you have forgotten your sign-in details then use the ‘Reset password’ link which you can find on the sign-in page.

Course 3

FIFA Guardians™ Developing your Safeguarding Effectiveness

As a Nominated FIFA Learner you must successfully complete Course 1 and 2 before starting Course 3 (the longest course in the programme). Course 3 continues to build the knowledge of those who are new to their safeguarding role including clarifying recommended ways of working. It is approximately 30 hours of online learning and an assignment to be completed at your own pace over the months explained in the ‘study plan’. Course 3 helps you develop your safeguarding effectiveness, exploring key safeguarding working practices and knowledge, and includes:

• How you can influence others.
• Processes, such as developing risk assessments, codes of conduct and policy.
• How to develop your organisation’s approach to safer recruitment and preventing grooming.
• Your evaluation of the organisation’s response to safeguarding concerns and reporting processes.

As a Nominated FIFA Learner, your registration will have been approved by FIFA and you were sent personal sign-in details via email including an enrolment key. Once you have completed Course 1 and 2, you will be sent your unique enrolment key for Course 3. Please use this key to enrol on the course.

The ‘Get started’ button below takes you to the course homepage where you will need to sign in. If you have forgotten your sign-in details, then use the ‘Reset password’ link which you can find on the sign-in page.

Course 4

FIFA Guardians™ Embedding Safeguarding Practice

As a Nominated FIFA Learner you must successfully complete Courses 1–3 before starting Course 4. Course 4 continues to extend your knowledge of key safeguarding topics and explains some new principles to help you embed safeguarding practice across your organisation. It is approximately 20 hours of online learning and quizzes, which can be completed at your own pace over the months explained in the ‘study plan’. Course 4 helps you develop your safeguarding effectiveness, and:

• Explores personal qualities and how you can support your own self-care.
• Explains the first steps for how to develop safeguarding learning opportunities across your organisation.
• Builds your understanding of safeguarding policy, guidance and processes for competitions and tournaments.
• Enhances your knowledge of managing safeguarding cases.

As a Nominated FIFA Learner, your registration will have been approved by FIFA and you were sent personal sign-in details via email including an enrolment key. Please use this key to enrol on Course 4.

The ‘Get started’ button below takes you to the course homepage where you will need to sign in. If you have forgotten your sign-in details, then use the ‘Reset password’ link which you can find on the sign-in page.

COURSE 5

FIFA Guardians™ Promoting Wider Safeguarding Change

As a Nominated FIFA Learner you must successfully complete Courses 1–4 before starting Course 5. Course 5 introduces a new topic, safeguarding in the digital world, and helps you think about how your organisation might learn from safeguarding experiences and develop a positive safeguarding culture. It is approximately 7 hours of online learning and a final assignment, which can be completed at your own pace over the period explained in the ‘study plan’. Course 5 helps you to identify organisational strengths and weaknesses, and to:

• Recognise some of the specific safeguarding risks in the digital world and start to develop plans to manage these risks.
• Identify how you can support your organisation to learn from safeguarding experiences and to develop a positive safeguarding culture.
• Describe your future plans in your role whatever level of safeguarding experience you may have.

As a Nominated FIFA Learner, your registration will have been approved by FIFA and you were sent personal sign-in details via email including an enrolment key. Please use this key to enrol on Course 5.

The ‘Get started’ button below takes you to the course homepage where you will need to sign in. If you have forgotten your sign-in details, then use the ‘Reset password’ link which you can find on the sign-in page.