What changed on 1 September 2026 for assistant coaches and supervised volunteers?

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Accepted Answer

The supervision exemption was removed from the legal definition of regulated activity with children, through amendments to the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (England and Wales) and the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007. Before: an unpaid helper who taught, trained, instructed, cared for or supervised children was not in regulated activity if someone else (such as a lead coach) supervised them. Now: if you do any of those things often enough, you are in regulated activity even if you are supervised. "Often enough" means: on more than 3 days in any 30-day period, or overnight between 2am and 6am (for example on a residential camp or tour). A weekly session always meets the frequency test, so a regular assistant coach at weekly training is now in regulated activity. Someone who helps once a month is not. The change applies to paid staff and volunteers, and the government names sports clubs among the organisations affected. What it means for clubs: Affected roles are now eligible for an enhanced DBS check with children's barred list, rather than an enhanced check without the barred list. The law doesn't itself require new checks. Clubs should identify affected roles, see whether existing certificates included a barred list check, and decide whether new checks are needed, following their NGB's requirements. Nobody has to be stood down by law while a check is pending; the club decides what safeguards to apply. Occasional parent helpers who don't meet the frequency or overnight test aren't affected. Regulated activity with adults has not changed.