Ten Safeguarding Questions to Ask Before You Enrol Your Child | WarinHari
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Ten Safeguarding Questions to Ask Before You Enrol Your Child
We happily ask a new club about fees, timetables and belt gradings. We rarely ask the questions that actually tell us whether our child will be safe there.
Choosing where to send your child is one of the most important safeguarding decisions you'll make — and it happens before anything can go wrong, which is exactly when you have the most power. A short list of direct questions tells you more than any website. Just as telling is how a club reacts to being asked.
The ten questions
- Do you have a safeguarding policy, and may I see it? A good club has one and will happily share it.
- Who is your designated safeguarding officer, and how do I reach them? A named, contactable person — not a vague "we all look out for the kids."
- Are coaches and volunteers background-checked? The answer should be a clear yes, with a process behind it.
- What child-protection training do your coaches have? Look for something real and recent, not "they're experienced."
- What's your policy on physical contact during coaching? Good clubs can explain when contact is used and how it's kept appropriate.
- How do you handle one-on-one sessions and changing areas? There should be clear rules that avoid an adult being alone and unobserved with a child.
- What's your policy on coaches contacting children by phone or social media? Communication should go through parents or open channels, not private messages.
- How can my child, or I, report a concern? A route that a child could actually use.
- What are your supervision ratios, and your arrangements for trips and camps? Especially anything involving overnight stays.
- How do you handle photography and video? There should be a consent-based approach, not a free-for-all.
It's not about the perfect answer
You're not grading a test. What you're really listening for is whether the club has thought about these things and welcomes the conversation. A club that answers openly — even to admit "we could do that better" — is far safer than one that gets defensive or brushes the questions off. Defensiveness is itself an answer.
The bottom line
Ten minutes of questions before you enrol can tell you more than a year of watching from the car park. Ask them of any club — including ours. At WarinHari, we'd rather you asked than wondered.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Where a child may be at immediate risk, contact the emergency services without delay. Report a concern any time at report.warinhari.online.