This is a compulsory regulation, which means it is a condition of membership that all instructors, assistant instructors and volunteers must follow. Failure to uphold this standard could result in retrospective expulsion and the termination of any associated insurances without reimbursement.
As a teaching member within our association you have a real obligation to put safeguarding and professional standards at the heart of everything you do. There’s no excuses, and no exceptions.
BMABA has become renowned in martial arts because of our zero-tolerance approach to unsafe or unprofessional instructors and clubs. This in turn allows us to run some of the most game-changing policies, platforms and membership services in UK Martial Arts, off the back of our strong brand name and credibility.
It's with this in mind we need to ensure everyone - from instructors through to volunteers - uphold the same high standards.
INSTRUCTORS
An instructor or lead instructor are categorised to the same minimum standard in terms of what needs to be in place at all times to teach.
All instructors, regardless of audience taught, must hold;
A competent level of qualification or grade to instructor the discipline(s) being delivered in line with the styles listed on the instructor's national records.
Instructor insurance that has atleast £5,000,000 Public Liability Insurance.
A valid first aid qualification.
If teaching or supervising any child (a person under 18 years of age) and/or any adults at risk, instructors must also hold;
An enhanced DBS check issued within the past 3 years (or checked annually if on the update service) that includes the barred and referred children's check (box 3 on an enhanced DBS check, reading 'DBS Children Barred List information' which must show as 'NONE RECORDED' and not 'NOT REQUESTED').
An in-date safeguarding qualification.
Full understanding of your club's safeguarding policies and expectations.
Recommended;
All instructors should hold both a Level 1 and Level 2 BMABA Coaching Qualification.
All instructors should hold a DSL or other equivalent Lead Safeguarding Qualification
All instructors should hold a BMABA SENCO qualification or similar specifically relating to inclusive martial arts instruction.
A quick word on qualifications or grade;
If you're a registered instructor within BMABA, you or your lead instructor will have already been through full vetting of grade prior to any application being accepted. It's important to ensure you don't teach styles you aren't cleared or registered to teach. If in doubt, please check your instructor certificate or your instructor record and let us know if you need to make any changes.
ASSISTANT INSTRUCTORS
As an assistant instructor, the minimum requirements will vary hugely depending on the level of skill and supervision, age of the assistant and their role within the club.
All Assistant Instructors Must;
Be assisting exclusively under the supervision of an insured BMABA instructor at all times.
Be undertaking some instance of informal or formal club-level training on coaching or instructor specifics, including both technical understanding of the discipline(s) being taught as well as the methodology of coaching.
Not be left in sole supervision of a class under any circumstances.
If an Assistant Instructor has any access to a child (a person under 18 years of age) and/or an adults at risk, they must also hold;
An enhanced DBS check issued within the past 3 years (or checked annually if on the update service) that includes the barred and referred children's check (box 3 on an enhanced DBS check, reading 'DBS Children Barred List information' which must show as 'NONE RECORDED' and not 'NOT REQUESTED').
An in-date safeguarding qualification.
Full understanding of the club's safeguarding policies and expectations.
Recommended;
Assistant instructors should be working toward the BMABA Level 1 Coaching Qualification as a minimum standard.
Ideally, all Assistant Instructors should undertake suitable first aid training.
Ideally, all Assistant Instructors should undertake BMABA SENCO training.
VOLUNTEERS
The specific requirement of volunteers will vary based on the role being undertaken, the scope of their interaction with students and how/where they volunteer specifically.
There are no mandatory conditions imposed as a blanket rule for volunteers.
If a Volunteer has any access to a child (a person under 18 years of age) and/or an adults at risk, they must hold;
An enhanced DBS check issued within the past 3 years (or checked annually if on the update service) that includes the barred and referred children's check (box 3 on an enhanced DBS check, reading 'DBS Children Barred List information' which must show as 'NONE RECORDED' and not 'NOT REQUESTED').
An in-date safeguarding qualification.
Full understanding of the club's safeguarding policies and expectations.
Recommended;
We don't recommend any specific courses or checks for Volunteers outside of our compulsory safeguarding requirements however we would encourage all clubs to ensure Volunteers, regardless of access to children or adults at risk, undertake both SENCO and Safeguarding training.
CLUBS
We require every club to meet the following conditions. For the avoidance of doubt, a 'club' will either be the legal entity collectively running classes (in the case of more than one instructor/assistant/volunteer) or it could be one and the same as the instructor (in the instance of a solo-instructor led club).
Regardless of setup, it is important there is Club Level (branded and worded from the club's perspective, in additional to any instructor checks) policies and checks.
All Clubs Must;
Have a club complaint policy in place that provides BMABA as a point of escalation in the event of a dispute not being satisified in a reasonable time frame.
Have a compliant club website that makes clear the association to BMABA.
Risk assess all venues atleast once per year, or more often if there is a change in audience, style, class setup, type or other such variables.
If a club runs or advertises any lessons to children (persons under the age of 18) and/or adults at risk, they must;
Ensure the following is in place and refreshed or checked at least once per year;
A safeguarding policy
A safeguarding statement
A designated safeguarding lead (welfare officer)
A designated SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator)
A Risk Assessment For Each Venue Taught Within
Retain accurate records for all students, including medical disclosures, allergies, next of kin & other relevant records
For any additional instructors, assistant instructors or volunteers registered under the club, all must hold;
Satisfactory references of employment from prior employers, or some form of reference from other relevant clubs / experiences that have been checked
A satisfactory CV or martial arts history OR certification from a recognised UK association OR have their technical ability suitably assessed by the lead instructor
All of the above referenced conditions regarding DBS, insurance, first aid and so on must be satisfied at all times.
FOOTNOTES;
*Only one first aid trained instructor is required per class but it is of course recommended that all instructors are first aid trained. This notwithstanding, a non-first aid trained instructor can meet the essential standards checklist in theory provided they are in the presence of another supervising, first aid trained instructor.
These are basic standards only, and are to be considered the bare minimum. We know our industry is inclined to do only what is essential in terms of legal or compulsory standards but BMABA instructors are better than this, and we will help you be better than the other clubs in your area. Please consult our safeguarding section to ensure you understand all of your obligations and to find our range of tools and qualifications to help you get to grips with safeguarding at your club.
We can provide access to all the template documents and training resources needed to ensure you can meet these obligations quickly and without huge amounts of paperwork. Take a look at our safeguarding section to explore the available tools and resources.