Can we run a session with an unqualified coach?

England Hockey recommends that no coach except those at UKCC Level 2/England Hockey Sessional Coach/England Hockey Coach, or above, should coach independently (which means that the coach is delivering entirely by themselves, with sole responsibility for the safety of the group, and with no additional adults in attendance to help monitor and control risk and safety)

For coaches who need to lead sessions but are not qualified to deliver as an independent coach, the following should be in place to ensure a safe, engaging session:

• The lead coach should have attended a Coaching Workshop or Course related to the population they are coaching (i.e. Engaging Games for Children if coaching children)
• Have a current and maintained First Aid Certificate, Safeguarding Certificate and DBS, in addition to relevant body or personal insurance cover.
• Deliver against recommended ratios and not alone if coaching children
• The coach is supported by the organising club or Player Pathway Centre through appropriate risk management processes, and incident management frameworks.

Remember, that in order for sessions to be insurable, safety is the key element, and not any specific qualification that anyone delivering has.  You can find all the guidance around Planning Safe Hockey on our website – Governance > Safe Hockey > Planning Safe Hockey.  Our courses do cover most of the required learning to meet these guidelines, hence why we recommend people should attend these (as well as these helping to make them better coaches), but elements such as DBS checks, Safeguarding training and player to coach ratios are totally independent of any coaching specific workshop or course attendance.