Poolside Accreditation

Coaches, team managers and chaperones requiring access to poolside must purchase a Poolside Accreditation pass in advance of the event.

All coaches, team managers and chaperones must fulfil the following criteria, as required by their role, when applying for a pass to attend any Swim England National events.

Before you apply

All coaches, team managers and chaperones must provide evidence of:

1. DBS
   You must have a valid Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) with Barred List check.
2. Safeguarding Certificate
   All coaches, team managers and chaperones are required to have an approved and in date safeguarding certificate recorded with the Swim England’s membership department.
3. Minimum Qualification/requirements (specific to the role)
   Coaches must have a qualification in line with the Swim England Coaching Policy. Team Managers must have the appropraite Team Manager module for the competition and Chaperones must only be in attendance on a 1:1 support basis for an athlete as per the Team Manager, Coach and Chaperone Policy. In the instance of para-swimmers, Tappers or Disability Support personnel would act in a 1:1 capacity with a specific athlete.

How to apply

• Log in to Membership Options on swimmingresults.org.
• After you have logged in, you can see instructions at the top of the page for checking your required documents are up to date.
• The system will display your eligibility for available events and highlight areas where further action is required.
• If the minimum requirements are met for a specific water polo event, you will see the option to apply for poolside accreditation.

Meeting the requirements

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)

Coaches, team managers and chaperones must hold a valid Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) with Barred List check, which is valid for three years, issued by Swim England/Swim Wales (Scottish Swimming – disclosure via Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme, PVG Scheme, which is less than three years old). Other DBS disclosures will be accepted subject to the individuals being willing to provide consent if their DBS is registered with the DBS Update Service.

The application process for a DBS with Swim England could take up to four weeks to complete and is valid for three years from the date of issue.

Individuals must submit proof of valid DBS certificates.

For any DBS queries, please vie the FAQs or use the following contact:

• Swim England DBS Office
  Tel: 01509 640738
  Email: [email protected]

Minimum Qualifications, Training, Requirements

In accordance with Wavepower guidance, coaches and team managers should hold the appropriate qualifications and training as required by their role.

Coaches must have a qualification in line with the Swim England Coaching Policy.

If your membership record is not showing your coaching qualification, please submit proof of the minimum required qualification (ensuring email is titled ‘Poolside Accreditation’) to [email protected]

Team Managers must have the appropriate Team Manager module for the competition as per the Team Manager, Coach and Chaperone Policy.

If your membership record is not showing your Team Manager certificate, please submit proof (ensuring email is titled ‘Poolside Accreditation’) to [email protected]

Chaperones will take on the role of a responsible parent / guardian for a member under 18 years of age who requires 1:1 support. The chaperone role is in addition to the supervisory roles of the Coach and Team Manager. Chaperones must be appointed and applying to do so on behalf of their club. Chaperones must not act in a coaching role at the same time.

To apply for a chaperone poolside accreditation pass, authorisation must be received directly from the club confirming the individual has been appointed as club chaperone for the specific event and a named athlete. Club authorisation must be emailed by the Club Chair or Club Secretary (ensuring email is titled ‘Chaperone Poolside Accreditation’) to:

• Swim England Memberships Team
  Email: [email protected]

In the instance of para-swimmers, Tappers or Disability Support personnel would act in a 1:1 capacity with a specific athlete.

Swim England Safeguarding

Swim England Safeguarding is valid for three years. For further information please visit Wavepower and to sign up for Swim England Safeguarding training, applicants should visit:

• Institute of Swimming safeguarding courses

Safeguarding is a mandatory requirement for poolside roles within Swim England affiliated clubs or activities.

From January 1 2024, anyone who holds a role which requires safeguarding training will need to complete the Swim England Safeguarding course. This is a bespoke course which covers the important and unique aspects of safeguarding in an aquatic environment. All current, approved safeguarding training will be valid until it expires. 

If your membership record is not showing the safeguarding certification, you must submit proof of a valid safeguarding certificate to the Swim England Memberships team. For any queries relating to updating individual membership records, please contact:

• Swim England Memberships Team
  Tel: 01509 640727
  Email: [email protected]

Photograph

All swimming poolside accreditation will require the individual’s photo for identification purposes. Swim England members can upload or update their headshot photo by logging into Membership Options.

Misuse Of A Pass

Any individual found to misuse the poolside accreditation pass, and/or if the individual does not meet the accreditation requirements as part of their role, Swim England reserve the right to not issue a refund, revoke the pass and/or prohibit future pass allocation.

If you have any further queries regarding the poolside accreditation process, please contact:

• Swim England Events Team
  Email: [email protected]