What is the DSL Service?
The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) Service allows your club to register BMABA as your official Designated Safeguarding Lead. This gives you direct access to our qualified, full-time compliance team for guidance, support and oversight on all safeguarding matters.
The service is completely free for all paying BMABA members.
Why use this service?
For many clubs, safeguarding responsibilities can feel overwhelming. This is especially true for smaller clubs where instructors wear multiple hats and may not have dedicated welfare staff.
By registering BMABA as your DSL, you benefit from:
Professional guidance on safeguarding concerns as they arise
Case management support for LADO investigations
An escalation route for parents, students and staff if concerns are not resolved at club level
Enhanced credibility when working with schools, community centres and other venues
Quality assurance through our oversight and compliance requirements
This service is particularly valuable if your club delivers sessions in schools or public venues, where demonstrating robust safeguarding arrangements is often a requirement.
How it works
When you activate the DSL Service, you must publish clear safeguarding information on your club website. This tells your members and the public that BMABA provides safeguarding oversight, and gives them a genuine route to escalate concerns if needed.
The required text is:
BMABA are our registered association and Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). If you have any concerns about safeguarding or conduct, please initially report concerns to [Your Welfare Contact] at [email]. If you do not receive a prompt response, have concerns about the club response, or if the concern relates to this person, you can escalate to BMABA's professional safeguarding team at [email protected].
This can be added to your website footer or a dedicated safeguarding page.
Your responsibilities
By activating this service, you agree to:
Promptly report in writing any safeguarding concern, complaint or query raised with you to [email protected], even if handled at club level.
Ensure your GDPR policies reflect the requirement to share safeguarding information with approved BMABA DSLs.
Act in a professional, compassionate and ethical way at all times.
Keep your membership, safeguarding qualification and enhanced DBS check up to date.
Remove all BMABA DSL references from your website if you discontinue the service or membership.
Accept that BMABA may report concerns meeting the legal threshold to appropriate authorities.
Allow BMABA's legal team to inspect your safeguarding policy without notice.
Stay up to date with DSL service guidelines from within MyBMABA.
How to activate
Activation is a simple one-step process. From your MyBMABA dashboard:
Navigate to the DSL Service activation page
Enter your club welfare contact details
Confirm you agree to the terms and conditions
Click Activate DSL Service
Your registration is processed instantly. Once activated, add the required safeguarding text to your website and you are ready to go.
Activation Is Not Avoidance!
Using BMABA as your DSL does not absolve the club of safeguarding responsibilities. You are still expected to have a designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) at club level, even if this is the sole instructor - and you must still meet safeguarding disclosure and escalation responsibilities. This service is, by all intents and purposes, the same support we already offer clubs but with the added assurance that parents and the public can come to us directly for support.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the DSL Service or need help with activation, contact us at [email protected].