Safeguarding Standards for Coaches working in LTA Registered Venues
Updated April 2023
Since October 2022, it is mandatory for the following coaches to hold a valid LTA Coach Accreditation membership if they are leading coaching sessions independently:
- Level 2-5 coaches
- Coaches with overseas coaching quallifications
- Coaches with external UK tennis coaching qualifications
- Anyone who is leading coaching activity at LTA Registered Venues
By holding a valid membership of LTA Coach Accreditation, coaches will have completed the required checks and training:
- Safeguarding training
- First aid training
- Criminal record check (DBS or PVG for Scotland)
Coach Accreditation is industry-recognised and lets players, parents and employers know that you have met the above.
It is coaches' responsibility to purchase and maintain their LTA Coach Accreditation.
If a padel coach is operating at a registered venue (either as a standalone padel venue, or one attached to a registered tennis venue), they should be actively working towards gaining their Accreditation. At this time they are okay to continue coaching without Accreditation as long as they are considered safe to practice, which means they will need to have the following:
- LTA DBS
- First aid training
- Safeguarding training
If the padel coach already has a padel qualification from another body, they can apply for their non-LTA padel qualification to be recognised, to enable them to become Accredited. To do this, please complete the form found on our LTA Qualifications page.
The requirement for padel coaches to be Accredited will become enforceable from January 2024. This means that if a padel coach is not Accredited from that time onwards, they will not be allowed to coach at a registered venue.
For more information on how to become Accredited, please see our Coach Accreditation page.
The LTA are conducting safeguarding support visits to venues on an ongoing basis to ensure safeguarding standards are being maintained.
Please note that coaches without a recognised coaching qualification cannot join LTA Coach Accreditation and therefore would not be able to deliver tennis sessions independently in registered venues. If coaches with an unrecognised qualification and no Accreditation are found to be delivering coaching activity, this would be in breach of Safeguarding Standards which could result in the withdrawal of a venue’s registered status and its benefits.
Read frequently asked questions and answers about safeguarding for coaches.
If you have concerns or want to report something, you can use our online form below. You can also email the Safeguarding Team at safeguarding@lta.org.uk and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.