As of 1st May 2022, we introduced a mandatory check on an instructor’s suitability to teach children and/or adults at risk. This is part of our enhanced safeguarding standards which no longer allow instructors to provide ‘utmost good faith’ of their suitability and instead require every club to provide confirmation of the audience’s being taught and the checks in place to keep people safe.
IMPORTANT: This process has a direct impact on any BMABA instructor insurances, per the 'managing your instructor insurance' article here. Failing to declare the suitable audience to whom you are teaching within 28 days of joining, or failing to provide the required evidence / checks for the appropriate audience could invalidate any active cover.
Pending Confirmation
For the first 28 days post registration, we’ll leave this pending confirmation. This provides you with some time to get everything updated and speak with us if you have any questions. If you fail to make a declaration within your first 28 days, we will automatically move you to ‘not currently teaching’.
This could have an impact on any BMABA led insurances, if you fail to specify the correct audience and provide the required evidence after the 28 day period.
Not Currently Teaching
If you’re yet to start teaching with a new club or if you’re not currently delivering classes for any reason, you can set your account to not yet teaching. This just ensures you don’t need to provide evidence to us as you’re not undertaking any instructor or sensei duties. Its important that during this time, you do not undertake any supervision of classes or similar activities. Failure to adhere to this is an automatic membership termination - known as a 'red card'.
During this time, any included insurance allocations for instructors are paused.
Non At-Risk Adults Only
If you teach exclusively adult classes (to those aged 18+ who are not at risk) you may specify teaching non at-risk adults only. This is confirmed on your national records, too. If you do work exclusively with this group, you won’t be hounded to provide DBS checks, safeguarding qualifications and other vetting documents. Your only two major requirements will be a first aid check and suitable insurance. Please ensure you upload copies of your first aid qualification to ensure any BMABA held instructor insurance is active.
Make sure you verify your first aid qualification within 28 days of setting this status if you use BMABA for your instructor insurance. Failure to do so could invalidate cover.
Children, At-Risk & Adults
If you work with anyone under the age of 18 and/or any at risk adults, you must specify this. This is confirmed on your national records, too. If you do select this category we expect you to be able to produce an enhanced DBS check issued within the last 3 years or registered to the update service, first aid, insurance and a safeguarding qualification. You will need to complete these checks through us or provide proof of suitability if you’ve obtained the qualifications / checks elsewhere within 28 days in order to have any BMABA instructor insurances remain active.
Make sure you verify your first aid qualification and DBS/PVG check within 28 days of setting this status if you use BMABA for your instructor insurance. Failure to do so could invalidate cover.
Updating Your Audience & Providing Evidence
Update Your Audience Setting
Verify Essential Checks On Your Account
You can upload documents securely for processing at any time from the above button or via mybmaba.org.uk/verify. In order to ensure you specify who you’re working with, or to update this if you change your audience, please click here or use the first button above.
Updating Instructors, Volunteers Or Assistants Under Your Care
We can set the correct classification for you if you have more than one instructor, volunteer or assistant instructor if they don’t have access to MyBMABA. You can also make changes to an instructor's suitability via the instructor portal, or you can ask them to do it themselves whilst logged into MyBMABA.
Please contact us via your preferred method (in writing by email or messenger, if possible) to confirm the full names of any team members and the correct classification.
Remember, you as the lead instructor are ultimately responsible for safer recruitment, and the proper vetting of instructors, volunteers and assistants under your account. You must not confuse the teaching status with BMABA as an excuse or reason not to conduct full DBS checks and other relevant checks on your team prior to them actively coaching.
Reminders & Updates
At all times, the homepage of MyBMABA and the MyBMABA app shall show the current teaching status you have selected. You may also see and change your suitability vetting status, and that of your team, from the instructor portal.
Questions & Issues
If you hit any roadblocks, need more time to specify your audience or are in need of any further help, please reach out to our team. We’re here to help and assist in anyway we can.