Running junior sessions

This article explains what happens when juniors attend a club session - from the current-adult check that happens before the first junior is added, through check-in and walk-ins, to the sign-out handover record at the end of the night.

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The current-adult rule

Before any junior can be added to a session, the platform checks one thing: does the adult leading this session have a verified, in-date enhanced DBS check on record?

If the answer is yes, the session proceeds normally. If the answer is no, the platform blocks the junior from being added and says so. Safeguarding training is tracked separately and every junior-facing volunteer should hold it, but it does not gate the session.

This check applies to:

• Booked junior members checking in
• Under-18 walk-ins added through the peg board
• Junior taster visitors a guardian booked online (see below)
• Any session where a junior is present

A guardian can book their child a taster visit ahead of time from a bookable session on your public club page (when your posture admits juniors and visitor self-booking is on). The booking is held against the junior, and the current-adult rule is enforced at the moment the booking is brought into the running session, never before, so a child can never reach the floor without a current adult covering the session. The guardian confirms visit consent before the booking is made.

The check is per session, not per club. An adult who is DBS-current on Tuesday may not be the session lead on Thursday - the Thursday session checks the Thursday lead. To resolve a failed check, update and re-verify the DBS record in Admin > Safeguarding, then return to the session.

For more detail on DBS and training records, see Safeguarding and adult oversight.

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Checking in junior members

Junior members who are booked into a session are checked in the same way as adults: they appear in the session queue and can be confirmed as present.

The peg board shows the junior's name with an indicator that they are an under-18 member. The session lead does not need to do anything differently - the current-adult check has already been satisfied at the session level.

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Under-18 walk-ins

A junior who attends as a walk-in (not a booked member, brought along by a guardian on the night) is added through the peg board's Under 18 option in the add-player flow.

To add an under-18 walk-in:

1. On the peg board, select Add player.
2. Choose Under 18 from the player type options.
3. Enter the junior's name and the attending guardian's name.
4. Confirm. The junior appears in the session queue alongside booked members.

The current-adult check applies here too. If the session lead's credentials are not current, the Under 18 option will show the same block as for booked juniors.

For a dedicated guide to junior walk-ins, see Junior Walk-Ins (Under-18 Visitors).

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Junior applicants trying a session

A junior your club has invited to join (their application is in the invited state) can attend a taster session before completing membership. Add them from the Invited applicants tab in the add-player flow. The same protections apply automatically:

1. The current-adult check runs first, exactly as for walk-ins.
2. The platform checks whether the junior's guardian has an active session-attendance consent for your club. If they do (for example, recorded during registration or from an earlier visit), the junior joins the queue immediately.
3. If not, the platform offers to send a consent link to the guardian email already on the application, so there is nothing to re-type at the door. Add the junior again once the guardian has consented.

Applicant juniors appear in the junior register with an Applicant tag, and their guardian's contact details come from the application.

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Sign-out and the handover record

At the end of a session, you can record who collects each junior. This creates a simple safeguarding handover record for your committee files.

To record a handover at sign-out:

1. On the junior's peg-board entry, select Record collection at sign-out.
2. Enter the name of the adult collecting the junior (parent, carer, or any named adult responsible for the child).
3. Optionally, link the collector to a club member if they are one.
4. Select Record handover.

The handover records the collector's name and the time of collection. It signs the junior out of the session and is saved as an internal committee record. It is not shown on any public or member-facing page.

You do not have to record a handover for every junior at every session. It is a tool for when your club's safeguarding policy requires it or when the committee wants a record for a particular session.

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General session guidance

For general instructions on running a club session (opening, closing, peg board, court management), see Club Session. The junior-specific steps above sit on top of that standard flow - everything else works the same way.

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Related articles

• Running a Junior Club (overview)
• Safeguarding and adult oversight
• Junior Walk-Ins (Under-18 Visitors)
• Club Session
• Enrolling and managing juniors