Criminal Records & Past Convictions
As you can no doubt understand, we’re committed to safeguarding our members and as such we need to set certain standards surrounding criminal records and past convictions.
The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 gives people with spent convictions and cautions the right not to disclose them when applying for most jobs or professional memberships, and for other products/services like when buying insurance. Apart from those given prison sentences of more than 4 years, most people with convictions will benefit from it at some point in their lives.
Whilst we recognise the importance of convictions becoming spent as we deem all of our members to be in a position of working with children and other vulnerable groups we must request details of spent convictions as well as those currently not classed as spent.
We’re proud to hold an ethical and balanced approach to criminal histories and convictions, understanding that many of the best martial arts instructors have themselves faced discrimination and difficult lives – hence inspiring them to instill change in others. Whilst this may be the case, our duty to safeguard our members and the general public must be considered.
You will be asked when applying for membership to disclose all spent and unspent convictions. If you fail to disclose any such spent or unspent convictions at the point of applying, and subsequently this should be uncovered through DBS checks or any other future enquiries, we reserve the right to withdraw (without notice) your membership without compensation.
Our advice is to speak with our office in confidence before applying. Everybody is afforded complete privacy and confidentiality, and the compassion of experienced members of our martial arts community when querying whether or not their criminal history may be a bar to entry. We will not discriminate against you because you have a criminal record – only where applicable under law to safeguard effectively.
Whilst it does depend on the nature and circumstance of your crime, we’re generally able to pass-off any minor offences, or those that have been spent a considerable amount of time ago. That said, if it’s likely to show up on a DBS check, you must remember to inform us before applying.
If you prefer, you can view our eligibility criteria in full via an official printed document.
Click here to view the most recent online hard copy.