Safeguarding questions every UK parent should ask before signing their child up to a club, team, or one-to-one coach.
Your child wants to join a football team, dance class, martial arts school, gymnastics club, swimming squad, or take one-to-one lessons with a coach. Most UK clubs are well-run by people who genuinely care about children. A minority — especially smaller private setups, one-to-one coaching, and informal groups — operate with weaker safeguarding. The point of this checklist is not to be suspicious of every coach, but to confirm the basics before you hand over a child to adults you do not know.
Historical inquiries into UK sport (football, gymnastics, swimming) have shown that abuse in clubs is rare but real, and it thrives where adults have unsupervised access to children, where complaints are not taken seriously, and where parents feel they cannot ask questions. Asking the questions below is not rude — any well-run club expects them and will have answers ready.
Ask the club directly: "Do all adults have an enhanced DBS check?" Every coach, volunteer, or assistant who has regular contact with children should have a current enhanced DBS through the Disclosure and Barring Service. A good club will not be offended by the question.
Ask to see the club's safeguarding policy and the name of the designated welfare officer. Every club affiliated to a UK national governing body (the FA, England Gymnastics, Swim England, British Judo, etc.) must have both. If they cannot produce them, that is a red flag.
Check that the club is affiliated to its national governing body. Affiliation usually means the coaches hold a recognised qualification and the club follows the body's safeguarding standards.
Visit at least one session before committing. Watch how coaches speak to children, whether changing rooms and toilets are supervised, and whether parents are welcome to stay.
Talk to your child about what is and is not normal coaching contact. Spotting in gymnastics, holding pads in martial arts, and demonstrating positions are fine. Massages, private lifts home, private messaging, and sessions with no other adult present are not.
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If your child discloses inappropriate touching, sexual conversation, secret messaging, or private contact with a coach, contact the club's welfare officer in writing and also report directly to the NSPCC helpline (0808 800 5000) or the Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU, 0116 366 5590). Do not rely on the club alone to investigate. If a criminal offence may have happened, call 101 or 999. For sexual content sent online, also report to CEOP (https://www.ceop.police.uk).
ตรวจสอบล่าสุด: 2026-05-16
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