Table Tennis England Hosts Webinar on DBS Changes Effective from September 1, 2026

Table Tennis England has announced an important online webinar to help table tennis clubs in England understand the new DBS requirements. The webinar will take place on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. It will be led by Kyhl Daly, Table Tennis England’s Designated Safeguarding Officer. This is part of a broader effort to strengthen child safety in table tennis, especially as the legal framework has just undergone a major change. From September 1, 2026, the Crime and Policing Act 2026 removed the “supervision exemption” from the legal definition of Regulated Activity. Previously, many volunteers and coaches working with children under the supervision of someone who already held a DBS check were not required to undergo their own check. This created a gap in the safeguarding system, because the line between supervised and unsupervised roles is often blurred in day-to-day club operations. The new law closes that gap. Every role involving regular contact with children in table tennis will now be examined under the same standard. This means clubs, leagues and training centres need to review their lists of volunteers, coaches and support staff to determine who needs a new DBS check or a renewal of an existing check. The Table Tennis England webinar is aimed at three main audiences. The first is Club Welfare Officers, who have primary responsibility for child protection policies at each club. The second is members of club or league committees, who need to understand their legal duties when recruiting or coordinating volunteers. The third is volunteers who regularly work with children, because they are the people directly present at training tables, changing rooms and competition areas. During the webinar, Kyhl Daly will explain Table Tennis England’s DBS processes and the role of DBS checks in safeguarding children. Key topics will include the regulatory change effective from September 1, 2026, how to identify who needs a check, the application process and important considerations when managing volunteer DBS records. Registration is available through the online form provided by Table Tennis England, and the webinar is open to all who wish to attend. This change does not exist in isolation. For anyone who has followed community sport across different table tennis cultures, it is clear that major organisations are increasingly placing child safety above administrative convenience. In the past, a new coach or a young volunteer could help at a training session simply because another DBS-checked adult was present. But as the number of children in clubs grows, the old supervision model shows a weakness: one supervisor cannot simultaneously monitor multiple training tables, changing rooms and outdoor activities. Club operations show that volunteers are not always within the supervisor’s sight. Emergencies such as an injured child, broken equipment or an urgent phone call can pull a supervisor away for a few minutes. Those few minutes are exactly when risk is highest. The new law reflects an important principle: a child’s safety should not depend on whether another adult happens to be standing nearby. Every adult with a regular role involving children must take responsibility and be independently checked. The immediate effect may make table tennis clubs feel a heavier administrative burden. DBS costs, waiting times and paperwork are likely to increase. Small clubs with little dedicated staff may struggle to update records for their entire team. But from a safeguarding perspective, this is a necessary investment. A child joining table tennis needs not only technical coaching but also an environment where every adult has been screened and understands professional boundaries. It is important to note that a DBS check is not the only shield. It only answers the question of whether a person has a criminal record. But child protection is not limited to criminal history. A person with a clean record may still lack the skills to recognise signs of abuse or may not know how to respond when a child looks uncomfortable. The webinar led by Kyhl Daly should therefore be seen as an opportunity for clubs to build a broader safeguarding culture, not simply to complete DBS paperwork. Another blind spot many clubs overlook is regular DBS renewal. A person whose DBS check was valid at the time of recruitment is not necessarily still suitable five years later. Volunteers move from one club to another and change roles from technical support to youth team management or travelling with teams to away competitions. Each change requires fresh consideration. Without a centralised record-tracking system, it is very difficult to ensure no one is missed. The Table Tennis England story carries a lesson for youth sport in general. In many developing table tennis nations, training centres still rely on the enthusiasm of parents and volunteers without a proper screening framework. Enthusiasm is necessary, but it cannot replace a clear vetting process. If child protection policies are not built in advance, a single incident can harm a child and destroy the trust of the entire parent community. From September 1, 2026, anyone working with children in English table tennis must review their position. Those previously exempt because their role was supervised are no longer in that category. They must begin the DBS process if they do not already have a check, or renew an old one. The September 29 webinar will help them understand exactly what to do, what procedures to follow and which common mistakes to avoid. For professional table tennis people, keeping up to date with child protection rules is never unnecessary. Sport only becomes truly meaningful when young players are allowed to grow up in safety, feel respected and are protected by reliable adults. Table Tennis England is sending a clear signal: no convenience can be placed above the safety of children. For clubs, this is the moment to review their systems, not only to comply with the new law but also to create an environment that is genuinely safer for the next generation of athletes. The online webinar led by Kyhl Daly should give Club Welfare Officers and volunteers a detailed picture of the DBS process. Questions such as who needs a check, how long a check takes, and how DBS results are used in recruitment will be answered. More importantly, the webinar creates a space for clubs to learn from one another and share practical experience instead of working alone through the transition. As youth competitions and community table tennis continue to grow, updating child protection policies has become essential to building sustainable trust. Every club should have a clear volunteer recruitment process that includes a DBS check, an orientation interview and a signed code of conduct. At the same time, there must be a safe reporting channel so that children or parents can share concerns without fear of stigma or being dismissed. The change brought by the Crime and Policing Act 2026 does not affect only England. It is part of a global trend that emphasises the responsibility of sports organisations to protect young players from any form of harm. National table tennis federations may consider adopting similar principles, even if their legal systems do not yet have specific rules. Taking the lead in child safety helps sport preserve its core human values. For those attending the webinar, this is a chance to prepare for the period beginning September 1, 2026. Child protection policy should not exist only on paper. It must be implemented every day, through each training session, each competition tour and each hiring decision. The conversation opened by Kyhl Daly will help clubs move through the legal changes smoothly and turn them into motivation for building a safer sporting environment for all children. The journey to protect children in sport has never been easy, but it is exactly these steady steps that create lasting change. A club that understands the rules, actively updates records and builds a safety culture from today will be a place where parents confidently send their children, not only to play table tennis but also to grow up in a healthy environment. When a child first walks into a table tennis club, every parent hopes that their child will be fully protected. The new DBS requirement cannot solve every problem, but it sends a very clear message: the safety of children is non-negotiable. The webinar on September 29, 2026 is the starting point for the English table tennis community to act more responsibly toward the next generation of this sport.