Safeguarding
Last updated: 26 October 2026
I coach athletes under 18: teenagers working towards selection, trials, or a university or scholarship place. This page sets out how those sessions run, so parents and guardians know what to expect before getting in touch.
My commitment
Every young person I coach has the right to train in an environment where they're safe, listened to, and treated with respect. That's not a policy statement copied from somewhere; it's the condition of doing this work at all.
What's in place
- Enhanced DBS check, including the children's barred list, issued October 2026, for working with under-18s as a personal trainer. Nothing recorded. I'm happy to show the certificate to any parent who asks, and to provide the certificate number so you can verify online that it's still current.
- Safeguarding training appropriate to coaching young people in sport.
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
- MSc Sports Performance and strength and conditioning credentials, which matter here because programming for a developing athlete isn't a scaled-down adult programme. Growth, maturation and training age all change what's appropriate.
How sessions with under-18s work
A parent or guardian holds the contract. They book, they pay, and they give written consent before the first session.
Health screening is completed together by the young athlete and their parent or guardian, so nothing relevant gets left out.
Parents are welcome to stay. Always, at every session, without needing a reason. Both studios have space to sit and the Chiswick studio has a coffee shop. Many parents stay for the first couple of sessions and then drop off. That's fine either way, and so is staying for all of them.
Sessions are never held behind a closed, private door. Both studios are shared working environments with other coaches and clients present.
Communication goes through the parent or guardian, not directly to the young person, unless the parent has specifically agreed otherwise in writing, and even then I'll copy them in.
Photographs and video. I take video to review technique; that's a normal coaching tool and it's deleted once reviewed. Nothing is published, posted or used in marketing without separate written consent from the parent or guardian, and consent can be withdrawn at any time.
Training age appropriately
Resistance training is safe and valuable for young athletes when it's coached properly. The evidence on that is settled. What it needs is technical competence before load, progression matched to maturation rather than age or ambition, and honesty with the athlete and the parent about the realistic timeline.
I'd rather tell a 15-year-old they need a year of patient work than sell them a programme they're not ready for. If a young athlete is being pushed harder than I think is sensible, whether by a club, a school or a parent, I'll say so.
Raising a concern
If you're worried about anything, whether it's something that happened in a session, something your child has said, or anything about how I work, please tell me first:
If your concern is about me, or you'd rather not raise it with me, contact:
- The NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000, or help@nspcc.org.uk
- Your local authority children's social care team, or the police on 101
- In an emergency: 999
If I had reason to believe a young person was at risk of harm, I would report it to the appropriate authority. I'd tell the parent or guardian I was doing so unless that would increase the risk.
Data
Records for athletes who were under 18 are kept until their 25th birthday, then deleted. Parents and guardians can see everything I hold at any time. Full detail is in the Privacy Policy.