The British Judo Association recognise the massive support and commitment that parents give their children in helping them to practice and compete in judo and we thank them for that. To that end, clubs must work with parents to develop shared goals and ideals.

The Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU), part of the NSPCC have produced a number of useful resources that clubs, coaches and Club Welfare Officers will find useful in developing those goals and working with parents of their members. One such useful feature can be found here :- https://thecpsu.org.uk/resource-library/2016/parents-in-sport-videos-for-coaches/

There are also a number of resources specially aimed at parents themselves and these can be found at https://thecpsu.org.uk/help-advice/related-information/information-for-parents-and-carers/

In the majority of cases, parental involvement in sport is an extremely positive experience for the club, the player and the parent. The BJA recognise however, that boundaries must be set and we recommend that clubs have a Code of Conduct for Parents that they should ask parents to sign up to when their children join the club.

An example of such a code can be found at Appendix 11 (page 104) in SafeLandings, the BJA Safeguarding Policy & Procedures document found by clicking here

As a final note, it is always interesting to hear the views of children and their parents involvement in sport is no different. The CPSU have put together a fascinating short film about their experiences called ‘My Magic Sports Kit’ and it can be found here:- https://thecpsu.org.uk/resource-library/2013/my-magic-sports-kit/

As always, do not hesitate to contact me if you have any concerns or questions.

Keith Eldridge,
BJA Safeguarding Manager,
keith.eldridge@britishjudo.org.uk