It is proposed to introduce in England some of the elements of club affiliation that we have had in place in Scotland for some time. These include the requirement for each club member to be registered in the online membership system and having tiered bands of club affiliation fees according to the number of club associates in each club.

The SCA requirement for SCA Affiliated Clubs to have a constitution, risk assessment and operating procedures has been in place since 2017 and no changes are planned or proposed to this.  The definition of club activities, within the English consultation, is broadly consistent with the advice given by the SCA to its affiliated clubs. 

    

Several people have contacted the SCA about Question 9 in the consultation, in which it is proposed that: “all coaches, leaders and instructors will be required to hold a certified British Canoeing qualification and be currently qualified with all necessary updates undertaken”.

BC, CW, CANI and SCA are covered by the same insurance policy. On the BC website Insurance FAQ page it states:

“Q:    The policy schedule says all coaches must hold a qualification, does this mean as an experienced volunteer I am not covered for helping at club sessions anymore? 

A:    Under the terms of the policy both "experience" and formal qualification is included. British Canoeing recognises the important work that goes on in clubs via experienced personnel. We would recommend that clubs ensure they audit these volunteers against their experience.

The types of activities being run by experienced individuals will typically include running basic and improvers skills sessions, competitive training events, time trials or club trips or journeys.”

BC are requesting feedback from English clubs about the proposal in Question 9 in order to gauge the potential impact of the proposed changes and to assess how to mitigate their impact. For example, if the change outlined in Question 9 were to be implemented, this would need to be phased in over a period of time and consideration given as to how best to assist clubs.

It is worth noting that our current coaching qualifications, and the anticipated changes this year to our leadership qualifications, offer many streamlined options for experienced, but unqualified, coaches and leaders to be assessed and achieve the required qualification with minimal time and cost.