A blog from Sarah Howard, British Taekwondo’s Safeguarding, HR & Compliance Manager.
It’s been a while since my last blog post! I hope that you are all well, excited about the summer holidays (trust me, it’s coming at some point!) and for the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.
Club Welfare Officers
I’m delighted that so many clubs have now appointed a Club Welfare Officer and it has been wonderful getting to know you all. From 1st June 2024 all British Taekwondo member clubs who work with under 18s will need to have a Club Welfare Officer in place.
The benefits that this will bring to your young British Taekwondo members are that they will feel safe within your club and will know who to approach should they have any concerns or need advice.
As a British Taekwondo member club, your Club Welfare Officer will benefit from dedicated support and advice from myself as Safeguarding, HR and Compliance Manager. In the unfortunate event that a serious issue does arise, I am on hand to liaise with the appropriate authorities and give direction to your Club Welfare Officer. This will leave you safe in the knowledge that all the correct protocols are being followed and the young person’s wellbeing and safety is the main focus.
For information on how to appoint, or become, a Club Welfare Officer, please visit the Welfare Officer section of the website.
If you already have a Club Welfare Officer in place and you haven’t yet let me know then please do so by emailing safeguarding@britishtaekwondo.org
Sport England Safeguarding in Martial Arts Code
The Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts recognises clubs or providers in England who have demonstrated that they have reached and maintained good safeguarding standards.
The scheme empowers parents/carers and educational establishments to make informed decisions when selecting a club or provider for their child/children, young people or adults in their care.
The most recent British Taekwondo club to achieve the mark was Whiston Taekwondo who completed the process in just a couple of weeks!
It really is straightforward. The required policies are all available on our website for you to use to complete your application and the team at the Safeguarding Code at Martial Arts and myself are on hand to guide you through the process.
Once completed you will be able to display the quality mark on any of your promotional material, you will be placed on a digital club finder map, and you will also receive a media pack which will allow you to put together an article for your local media outlets!
To get started, follow this link.
Disciplinary Code
Last week, we launched the new British Taekwondo Disciplinary Code which can be found here.
The Disciplinary Code is a commitment to strengthening the integrity of Taekwondo to make it as fair, safe and enjoyable as possible for everyone involved. The Code underpins the rules and policies governing all participants – athletes, coaches, officials, staff, and volunteers, setting out a fair and transparent process to be followed where there is a potential breach of rules, policy, or Code of Conduct.
The Code aims to reset the standards of acceptable conduct outlined in the Code of Conduct and build trust in British Taekwondo to take action when behaviour falls below the standard expected by the Taekwondo community. The Disciplinary Code came into effect on the 27th June 2024 and will be applicable to any incidents committed on or after this date.
An overview of the policy can be found here.
National Championships
I will once again be looking for volunteers to join our Safeguarding team at the Sport National Championships in Sheffield this year from Friday 4th until Sunday 6th October, so if you are interested then please do get in touch by emailing safeguarding@britishtaekwondo.org
It is a great way to get up close to the action on the mats, network with fellow British Taekwondo members and staff, and of course you will receive the coveted purple t-shirt and plenty of refreshments!
Give your Club Welfare Officer a shout out!
If you know a Welfare Officer who you think should receive some special thanks, let us know. Please email safeguarding@britishtaekwondo.org and tell us why your Club Welfare Officer deserves some praise, and we will be in touch for more details.
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