Table Tennis England removes 'supervision exemption' in DBS rules: September 29 webinar helps clubs adapt

Starting September 1, 2026, table tennis clubs in England face a quiet but significant regulatory shift. The Crime and Policing Act 2026 removes the supervision exemption from the legal definition of Regulated Activity. In practice, coaches and volunteers who work with children under supervision can no longer rely on someone else's DBS check as a reason to avoid their own. Supervised roles are now treated like unsupervised ones. Table Tennis England has organized an online webinar on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, from 6pm to 7pm UK time. Kyhl Daly, the organization's Designated Safeguarding Officer, will guide the session. The webinar is designed for Club Welfare Officers, committee members, club volunteers, and anyone who regularly works with children. It will cover the regulatory change, DBS processes, and the importance of DBS checks in safeguarding children. The new law closes a longstanding gap. Previously, a volunteer standing next to a DBS-cleared coach was considered safe by assumption. From now, each adult in a regulated role must be checked individually. This creates administrative work for small clubs, but it also prevents a dangerous loophole. Clubs should register in advance and treat the webinar as a practical briefing. The official DBS page from Table Tennis England offers further guidance. For countries building their own youth table tennis pathways, this is a reminder that child protection systems should be built before problems appear, not after them.