Information & requirements

• RDA Senior Instructor or Instructor certificates 
• Endurance Instructor certificates 
• Light Harness Horse Instructor certificates 
• Vaulting Instructor certificates 
• Mounted police trainers 
• Jockey coaches 
• BSPS/BHS Trainers 
• BET Centre Manager 
• Ride Leader and Assistant Ride Leader certificates 
• Side Saddle Association (SSA) Grades A, B and C 
• S/NVQ Level 3 coaching qualification. 
• All equestrian UKCC level 2, 3 & 4 

We also accept recommendations from British Dressage, British Eventing and British Showjumping for their top level training specialists. Evidence of these accreditation must be submitted upon application. 

The revised DBS process does not require self-employed individuals to DBS themselves. However, individuals, such as Accredited Professionals, who are engaged in regulated activity under the affiliation of an organisation, must be DBS checked.  

Regulated activity includes work that involves close and unsupervised contact with vulnerable groups, including children. There are two types of regulated activity; Regulated activity relating to children and regulated activity relating to adults. If an individual falls within either of these categories an organisation may request an Enhanced Check against the respective DBS barred list.  

The BHS feels that all coaches are potentially undertaking regulated activity with children; under the definition of regulated activity relating to adults, it's unlikely that a coach would actually fall into this category, even if they never teach children. The BHS, as a responsible organisation who is committed to safeguarding, will continue to require all professional coaches to undergo DBS checks. They will also need to update their safeguarding training every three years to maintain their registered status. In simple terms, this means that if you are a Accredited Professional Coach you will need to hold a current DBS certificate, which has been sent to the BHS offices so we can ensure you are safe to work with children.  

Please Note: The BHS are only able to accept DBS certificates that are linked to the DBS update service. This is due to DBS checks being role specific and they may be interpreted differently depending on the organisation that has requested the check. Please contact the BHS if you have signed up to the DBS Update Service.  

As a freelance coach you need to decide whether the work you are doing is considered to be 'regulated work' and requires a PVG Check. If you are working with private clients under the age of 18 in their own homes, on a freelance basis you will be required to complete a PVG check. Freelance instructors who have not yet joined the PVG Scheme but need to can obtain a scheme membership statement directly from disclosure Scotland at a cost of £59. Under the PVG scheme parents may choose to check whether you are barred from working with children, this is through their right to be able to access a disclosure as personal employers.

If you work in ‘regulated work’ for another organisation, as well as your freelance work, you will be able to access a scheme record or scheme record update through your employer. This is a higher level check and in most instances will be easier than applying for a scheme membership statement as an individual. It will also provide a link between you and your employer. If your employer would like further information please ask them to contact the BHS using the details below.  

For more information please see the BHS guide on  Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme information for Accredited Professional Coaches.  

Don’t forget to let us know once you are a PVG scheme member, so we can keep the details with your Accredited Professional Coach record.  

Access NI checks for Accredited Professional Coaches in Northern Ireland

Each applicant will need to complete:

• BHS Pre-application form (link to doc)
• Pin Notification and ID validation form (link to doc)
• Identity Documents

Checking Documents

Please Email or WhatsAPP a copy of each document. WhatsAPP is secure. 

BHS Ireland will then arrange a face to face chat – WhatsApp is the preferred option or an online meeting via Microsoft Teams.

Payment

Before you apply online there is a cost of £33 which goes to the Pony Club Area 17 as they are acting as an Umbrella Body and processing the applications for the BHS.

The BHS Ireland Paypal account is s.irwin@bhs.org.uk or pay directly to The British Horse Society NI Region Bank Account – Sort Code 95-01-22 and Account No: 82792184

Next steps

Once that is all done then you get the pin number to apply online.  The current Access NI turnaround time seems to be around 3 to 4 days.

Apply online for an enhanced check through a registered body | nidirect

For more information please contact:

Susan Spratt

BHS Manager for Northern Ireland & Republic of Ireland

+44(0)7808141079

For the purpose of the BHS Accredited Professional Coach membership, BHS assessments and the UKCC taken through the BHS, we accept the following: 

• A three-day initial FAW course that meets the HSE criteria and guidelines as specified above 
• A two-day refresher FAW course that meets the HSE criteria and guidelines as specified above 
• A two-day initial BHS First Aid course presented by Skillbase and booked through the BHS 
• A one-day refresher BHS First Aid course presented by Skillbase and booked through the BHS 
• An Ofqual accredited Level 3 certificate where the course has been run over three days. 
• A First Aid Response Exam run under the Pre Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) 

Please note: in order to ensure that our customers are receiving the necessary first aid training for working within the equestrian industry and for the Professional Coach membership and our qualifications, if the certificate you provide does not provide enough detail about the course you have attended we may contact you for further information. 

• The one-day emergency first aid certificate or any one-day first aid courses.
• Any first aid courses that do not match the above criteria or any other industry specific courses.