Safeguarding and Licensing for Jog Leaders

Important information for Jog Leaders, June 2019

UK Athletics, (of which jogscotland and scottishathletics are part), recently introduced a mandatory online safeguarding qualification for coaches and jog leaders.

This is a very positive move for the sport – everyone working and leading sports groups must be – and be seen to be – absolutely above board in terms of safeguarding everyone who takes part in their activities. The course includes details on safeguarding children (under 18s) and includes information on safeguarding vulnerable adults too. Introducing this course is a way of making sure leaders are educated and covered from a safeguarding point of view, and is intended to be of benefit to leaders as well as to the joggers you’re leading.

Red licence cards

We are also aware that jog leaders who have qualified since 2015 have been added to the UK Athletics coaching database as they qualified, and have been issued a red UKA licence card as part of that process. Earlier-qualified Jog Leaders don’t have those licences, and we know many of you would like them.

We’re delighted to say that we’re now in a position to issue red UKA licence cards to all our jog leaders.

With your card, you’ll receive a number known as your URN (unique reference number) which will enable you to log on to UKA’s online learning system, uLearn, and access a wide range of useful resources to help you in your jog leading.

We’d like to tell you more about how this will happen, and what the implications are in terms of taking the safeguarding qualification.

What will happen:

• We’re going to add all the earlier-qualified jog leaders, who have up-to-date memberships, to the UKA database*, and you’ll all receive a red UKA licence card. To receive your card, you’ll need to fill out an online self-declaration form that we’ll send you, to declare any relevant offences; then you’ll take the online safguarding course and upload a photograph for your licence. Although carrying out this transfer to the UKA database and creating/posting out cards will incur a significant cost, jogscotland will meet these costs – jog leaders will not pay for it. We will contact all earlier-qualified jog leaders in due course to start this process. *See our privacy notices.

• The red UKA licence needs to be renewed every three years by everyone who holds it. Everybody who receives or renews their licence from now on will be required by UKA to complete the online safeguarding course at a cost (to the jog leader) of £10. This amounts to a sum of £10 once every three years, for all jog leaders. This includes the earlier-qualified jog leaders who are being added to the UKA database now. Those who already hold a red licence card will be required to complete the safeguarding course when their card comes up for renewal.

Please note that the online safeguarding course is not optional: It is now a mandatory part of your operation as a jog leader.

What do you need to do?

• If you already have a red licence card – Nothing. You’ll be contacted when your card is up for renewal, and will need to complete the safeguarding course before it is reissued.
• If you don’t already have a red licence card – Please log on to our membership portal and ensure that your jogscotland membership is up-to-date, and all the details we have for you are correct – particularly your email and postal address. Please do this by 7 July. We will then contact you with details of the next steps.

We thank all our jog leaders in advance for their help and cooperation in helping ensure our sport and our community are safe for all to enjoy.