A blog from Sarah Howard, British Taekwondo’s Safeguarding, HR & Compliance Manager.

It has been great to speak with so many of you since I joined British Taekwondo in February this year. The welcome that I received was a warm one and it is fantastic to work with a community that is so passionate about the sport – I have certainly learnt a lot about Taekwondo (I have also discovered a love for Korean food – thank you Ian!).

This weekend we host the British International Open, taking place at the newly refurbished National Cycling Centre in Manchester. I am excited to be a part of this international event as it gives me the opportunity to meet so many of you and put faces to names.

I would like to thank those Club Welfare Officers who have volunteered to help over the weekend – your assistance really is invaluable. You really are my eyes and ears!

Club Welfare Officers

While we are on the topic of Club Welfare Officers, if you have a safeguarding issue in your club who do your members approach? Hopefully, your answer will be “Well, our Club Welfare Officer of course!”. However, since joining British Taekwondo it has become apparent that there are still many clubs out there teaching under 18s and do not have a Club Welfare Officer in place.

I am heavily involved in running a grassroots sport club outside of work myself – and I know that having a Club Welfare Officer is invaluable. It not only ensures that children and young people have someone to speak to in confidence, but it also frees up a great deal of time for those running clubs. There are only so many hats that one person can wear after all!

With this in mind, it will be mandatory for all clubs who teach under 18s to have a Club Welfare Officer in place by June 2024. This is in line with many other National Governing Bodies.

We are able to help you with your disclosure checks (e.g. DBS) and provide access to full training, including the NSPCC Safeguarding Children In Sport course and the Time To Listen course.

Training

The next Time To Listen course will be held on Thursday 6th July at 6pm – why not get ahead of the game and book a place? You can do so by emailing me at safeguarding@britishtaekwondo.org

If you are heading to the British International Open this weekend, I wish you every success. Let’s support each other and remember that the welfare of all under 18s is paramount.

Together we can make this event memorable for all the right reasons.

Sarah

Sarah Howard

Safeguarding, HR and Compliance Manager