Welfare Officers in British Taekwondo Clubs.

All clubs who work with Under 18’s must have a Club Welfare Officer to look after, protect children and deal with safeguarding concerns within their club.

As from 1st June 2024, all clubs who work with Under 18’s require a Club Welfare Officer to look after, protect children and deal with safeguarding concerns within their club. A Club Welfare Officer will be a mandatory requirement in order to affiliate your club from this date. As a member club, your Club Welfare Officer will benefit from ongoing support from British Taekwondo’s Safeguarding, HR and Compliance Manager.

The role of a Club Welfare Officer

If you’re a club who has young people under the age of 18, it’s your responsibility to make sure those people are in a safe and welcoming environment.

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.

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. The specific roles and responsibilities of a welfare officer can be found in our Club Welfare Officer Role Description document in our Policies & Documents section.

They also need to be someone who can assist British Taekwondo in any investigation/concern that is raised against the club, this involves:

  • Being a point of contact between the club and NGB for when concerns are raised against the club
  • Being able to collate evidence/information regarding concerns
  • Being able to collect statements/witness accounts of any concern
  • Being able to compile any evidence in a suitable manner that can be submitted to British Taekwondo

A great way to support your position as Club Welfare Officer is to display a poster, available from The Child Protection in Sport Unit, at training and competitions to get the message out and get people taking action to keep young people safe in Taekwondo.  The aim of the poster is to provide information to all young people about who to contact if they have any concerns over their safety.

If you’re a club looking to appoint a Welfare Officer, or an individual at a club who is considering if the role is for them, it’s important to know what is expected.

View a Club Welfare Officer role description

The person should be approachable, be comfortable talking to young people and hold a clear, valid, enhanced DBS check. Don’t worry, we’re not expecting a child protection expert, as there are specific authorities which are there for this, but if you’re passionate about making sure every child is in a safe environment within your club this may be the role for you.

Once an individual has been chosen, the club will need to provide support and the officer should be put through the following training:

  • An introductory safeguarding children course. We recommend the NSPCC Safeguarding children in sport and physical activity elearning course which you can book directly with the NSPCC, however we do have a further list of British Taekwondo approved courses which can be found here.
  • Time To Listen training. You can book a place on the Time to Listen course via UK Coaching or Sports Structures. This is an online classroom where you will meet fellow Club Welfare Officers.

You can also get support from your local Active Partnerships and the NSPCC has lots of information which can support you in your role in safeguarding children at your club. You may also want to familiarise yourselves with our FAQs, Parental Guidance and Advice for Children pages.

Once you have appointed your Club Welfare Officer, let us know who they are by emailing safeguarding@britishtaekwondo.org to ensure we are contacting the correct person.

Each Club Welfare Officer should hold information on their local points for contact with regards to safeguarding concerns and training. Below are good places to look for more information around safeguarding.

Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) or Safeguarding Children Partnership.

To help ensure that young people are properly protected, Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) or Safeguarding Children Partnerships have been put in place as another organisation to raise a concern with.  Membership includes local authorities, health bodies and the police.

Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) or Designated Officer.

The role of the LADO is set out in the HM Government guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children. LADOs are involved in the management and oversight of individual cases where it is alleged that a person working with children has:

  • behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child;
  • possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child:
  • behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates s/he is unsuitable to work with children

The LADO role applies to paid workers, unpaid workers, volunteers, foster carers, casual workers, agency or anyone self-employed. The procedures for managing allegations includes concerns, allegations or offences that may arise in someone’s personal life as well as at work.

Active Partnerships (AP) – England Only

One of the crucial roles of Active Partnership is to act as a ‘hub’ in promoting safeguarding, and providing information, guidance and signposting to partners across their areas. To find your local AP click here.

Children’s Services – Local Authorities

The Local Authority in the area where the child lives is responsible for making provision for the child, so long as it is necessary. The Children Act 1989 places a duty on Local Authorities to take reasonable steps to identify a child in need. Once a referral has been made to the Local Authority, they will decide within one working day whether or not to take action. The local authority can provide a range of services for children in need. These can include:-

  • after-school and holiday care or activities for school age children
  • advice, guidance and counselling
  • occupational, social, cultural or recreational activities
  • home helps
  • assistance with travelling to and from home in order to use any services provided by the local authority
  • assistance for the child and family to have a holiday
  • family centres
  • financial assistance
  • respite care

The Citizen’s Advice Bureau provides further information on local authorities’ children’s services on their website.

The Child Protection in Sport Unit has two posters available for use in your Taekwondo club.

The posters can be printed and displayed within your Taekwondo club. There are blank spaces on each to allow you to add the details of your club’s Welfare Officer.

Download the Welfare Officer Posters here.

Find out more about Club Welfare Officers in our FAQs.

If a child is in immediate danger or there is a serious threat towards a child please contact the police immediately on 999.

Other Useful Links