If a child is in immediate danger, call 999 (UK) or 112 / 999 (Ireland) now. Don't wait to report it in the app.
If you're worried about a child
- Tell your club's Children's Officer (sometimes called the Designated Liaison Person). Each club sets its own Children's Officer contact details in the app; you'll find them in your club's contacts.
- You can also contact the police or social services directly. In Northern Ireland, contact your local Gateway Team; in Ireland, contact Tusla. The NSPCC helpline (0808 800 5000) can give advice in the UK.
- For concerns about how the app itself is being used, email hello@clubgael.com. We'll act quickly, but we can't replace your club's safeguarding process or the authorities.
How the app helps
- Parents and guardians manage children's profiles. Children don't need their own account. A parent or guardian adds their child, chooses what details to share, and can change or remove them at any time.
- Club communication, not private chats with children. The app is built for club and team communication with members and with parents and guardians. Coaches and officers should contact parents and guardians, not children directly, in line with GAA guidance.
- Access by role. Clubs decide who is a coach, officer or member, and each role only sees what it needs. Children's details are only shown to the people the club allows.
- Coach records. Clubs can keep coaches' vetting and safeguarding training records in one place, so they can see when something is due for renewal.
- Photos. Members should only share photos of children with their parent's or guardian's permission. Clubs can remove any photo.
Reporting content
If you see a message, post or photo in the app that worries you, use the report option on it, or tell your club. Reports go to the club's officers so they can review and remove the content. Clubs and ClubGael can remove content and suspend accounts that break our acceptable use rules.
The club's role
Each club stays responsible for its own safeguarding. That includes appointing a Children's Officer and adding their contact details in the app, making sure coaches are vetted and trained, and following GAA child welfare guidance. ClubGael provides the tools; it does not take on the club's safeguarding duties.
GAA guidance
Everyone involved with children in a GAA club should follow the GAA Code of Behaviour (Underage) and the GAA's child welfare and safeguarding guidance:
GAA Child Welfare and Safeguarding, including the Code of Behaviour