Find out more about Club Welfare Officers in our FAQs.

British Taekwondo has a clear responsibility towards young people and a Welfare Officer is vital for our member clubs.

Appointing a Club Welfare Officer is a really good way of doing this as it means there is a dedicated individual who the young people, coaches and parents can go to.

From the 1st June 2024 it will be a requirement for your club or organisation to have a registered Club Welfare Officer in order to affiliate with British Taekwondo.

The requirement comes into effect on 1st June 2024 – however you will have until your club affiliation renewal date to have a trained and registered Club Welfare Officer in place.

It not only helps protect young people against abuse of any kind, but aids in educating coaches, volunteers and committee members on good practice, processes & procedures, what to do if they have any concerns about a young person’s safety and helps embed good practice within the club.

Club Welfare Officers don’t have to be safeguarding experts, they just need to be someone who is passionate about protecting children and ensure that club’s adhere to British Taekwondo’s policies.

We know our members have several questions about appointing a Welfare Officer and we’ve created these FAQs to answer them.

Club Welfare Officers FAQs

The requirement comes into effect on 1st June 2024 – however you will have until your club affiliation renewal date to have a trained and registered Club Welfare Officer in place.

All sports have a responsibility to ensure they provide a safe and fun environment for children and adults at risk.

Through the Whyte Review, Sport England and UK Sport make it very clear that sport has to put safeguards in place. British Taekwondo, along with many other sports believe the best way to do this is to appoint a Club Welfare Officer.

For more information on what is expected of sport in terms of safeguarding children, please visit NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit | CPSU (thecpsu.org.uk)

British Taekwondo accepts it has a clear responsibility towards young people. Making sure everyone knows how to report concerns about an individual’s welfare is essential.

Knowing how to deal with poor practice issues is also vital. Lots can be done very simply – but British Taekwondo needs clubs to appoint a Club Welfare Officer.

Club Welfare Officers have two key roles:

1. Be informed and aware of the club’s responsibilities when running Taekwondo activities for children. For example:

  • ensuring these responsibilities are well understood by others.
  • developing best practice processes.

2. Helping club instructors and volunteers understand their ‘duty of care’ towards children. For example:

  • ensuring all relevant people complete safeguarding training.
  • helping to make sure trips away are organised properly.
  • understanding how to recognise signs of abuse.

Someone who is over the age of 18 and:

  • Always puts children’s welfare first.
  • Is a good communicator.
  • Has a common-sense approach.
  • Is willing to learn and seek advice.

You might want to go for this role if:

  • You want children/youngsters to be safe and have fun.
  • You can see a number of ways your club could be improved.
  • You feel a bit more planning would make a huge difference.
  • You don’t wish to take on a coaching role, but you want to support your child’s club.
  • You enjoy working with young people and are willing to learn.
  • You have just the right skills.

Club Welfare Officers don’t need to have a professional background in safeguarding children, but they do need to:

  • Have the interests of the child at heart and the ability to maintain this perspective when dealing with situations that may arise.
  • Complete an introductory Safeguarding Children elearning course and the specific Time To Listen Welfare Officer training course.
  • Have an accepted British Taekwondo Enhanced Disclosure in place.

Yes – we welcome this in clubs with large numbers of venues. Why not get two or three people to share the responsibilities, learn together and support each other?

Yes – anyone who is suspended by British Taekwondo, or is barred from working with vulnerable groups by the relevant bodies.

The Club Welfare Officer should not be the Lead Instructor or be related to the Lead Instructor.

To explore the options available for your club please contact safeguarding@britishtaekwondo.org

Remember, to be a Welfare Officer you are required to be at least 18-years-old.

That’s easy, talk to your club’s Lead Instructor and let them know you want to take the role on. The club will need to nominate you for this position. You will then need to:

  • Apply for an Enhanced Criminal Record check via Membership Services (membership.services@britishtaekwondo.org)
  • Complete Child protection in sport and physical activity training | NSPCC Learning elearning course.
  • Attend the Time To Listen Welfare Officer training course delivered by either UK Coaching or Sport Structures (either is acceptable).

This will depend on where your club is at now such as:

  • How many members there are.
  • If there anyone else willing to act as a welfare officer to support you.
  • If you already have an up-to-date Safeguarding Children Policy.
  • How aware your club is to their responsibilities when running activities for children.

Ensuring you are on the committee is a good starting point. Make sure your name is included in the club handbook or features on the website.

British Taekwondo believes it is best practice to hold an information evening/session once a year which is the ideal place to be introduced. Arrange to meet with the club’s coaches so they know who you are and can introduce you to the members over the coming weeks.

Find out when newsletters or other communications are sent to parents/carers – can you put some information into this?

The Time To Listen Welfare Officer training will help you to understand what you need to action and when it’s advisable to ask for some guidance from the British Taekwondo Safeguarding Manager.

If you have a serious concern about a person’s welfare, follow the British Taekwondo reporting procedures detailed in The Safeguarding Policy.

No – this will not be necessary.

Part of your role as the Club Welfare officer is about helping members in your club understand what their responsibilities are. Remember, safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. You will be expected to ensure everyone knows you are the Welfare Officer, what your role is and how you can be contacted.

Yes, we recommend all Club Welfare officers sit on their club committee. It’s important that you are in a position to influence decisions that are in line with the club’s safeguarding policy and develop an ‘aware environment’.

You won’t be able to renew your club affiliation with British Taekwondo.

You can contact British Taekwondo’s Safeguarding Manager. They will be able to give you further information about the role and perhaps direct you to someone who is currently holding that position locally.

You can contact safeguarding@britishtaekwondo.org

Absolutely! We understand that it can be a challenge for smaller clubs therefore we welcome this option. Please email safeguarding@britishtaekwondo.org to arrange this.

The criminal record check, if processed by British Taekwondo, will be valid for three years. This is the same for the Introduction to Safeguarding and Time To Listen certifications. The approximate cost per month to your club over the three years therefore is less than £3 per month.

Please contact safeguarding@britishtaekwondo.org and we will be happy to assess this for you!

The majority of the time, yes this is! Please contact safeguarding@britishtaekwondo.org and we will be happy to assess this for you!

Please contact safeguarding@britishtaekwondo.org to discuss.