A coach calls in sick half an hour before a junior session. The replacement knows the drills, but not which child is expected, who is authorized to collect them or whether an incident from last week needs follow-up. A handover is more than a timetable. It is the information the next responsible adult needs to run the session safely, without circulating private details to everyone at the club.
The exact process should follow your governing body's rules and your club's safeguarding policy. This is a practical way to think about the handover, not a replacement for that policy.
Start with the session facts
Record the venue, time, lead coach, assistant or volunteer, expected group and emergency procedure. Note whether the venue has changed, where the first-aid kit is and how to contact the person responsible for safeguarding. Check that the replacement has the right permissions and training for the role. A familiar coach from another age group may still need a briefing on this group's needs.
Make the attendance list current, rather than reusing last term's export. Know who should be present, who arrived and who left. Agree who updates the list and where it is stored after the session. If you have a sign-in or sign-out procedure, explain it to the replacement before parents arrive, not while a queue forms at the door.
Share only the welfare information the coach needs
A coach may need to know that a participant has a relevant medical or access need, what action to take in an emergency and who to contact. They rarely need a whole family history. Keep detailed records in the authorized system, and tell the replacement where to find the necessary instructions securely. Do not put sensitive notes in an open group chat or on a paper roster left in the venue.
The NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit explains that safeguarding information may need to be shared with the right people to protect a child. Data protection should not be used as a reason to withhold necessary safeguarding information. Equally, that does not mean copying every concern to every coach. Share what is necessary, with the people who need to act, through the club's established route.
Hand over boundaries and parent communication
Tell the replacement which parents or carers have been notified of the change, who handles questions and whether collection arrangements differ for anyone. Avoid making new promises about schedules or fees at the side of the pitch if another person owns those decisions. A clear handover includes the ordinary details: where children wait before and after the activity, whether photographs are permitted under the club's policy, and whom to call if a child is not collected.
If a parent raises a concern, the coach should know how to listen, make an accurate note and pass it on. They should not promise secrecy or conduct their own investigation. The club's designated safeguarding contact should be easy to find even when the usual lead coach is absent.
Separate the coaching note from a safeguarding record
After the session, a coaching note might say what activities were covered, who missed the session, what equipment needs replacing and what the next coach should adjust. A safeguarding concern requires a different route and appropriate restricted access. Do not bury a serious disclosure in a general session comment alongside 'bring more bibs'.
The CPSU's guidance on child-protection records discusses secure storage and retention. Clubs should use their own policy and governing-body advice for how long to keep records and who may see them. A chat history on one volunteer's phone is not a sensible long-term record.
Build a repeatable five-minute handover
For a multi-program venue, keep the checklist tied to a specific group and session, not a general note attached to the building. The coach covering a tennis group should not have to sort through football and holiday-camp records to find the right collection instructions. Review who can see each group, and remove access when a coach no longer covers it.
Keep a short checklist for the outgoing and incoming coach: session and venue, attendance, necessary access or medical instructions, safeguarding contact, collection arrangements and any changes communicated to parents. Ask the incoming coach to repeat back anything that would change their actions. If a critical detail is unavailable, resolve it before the session starts.
Afterwards, record the session outcome and any follow-up owner. If a coach needs to tell a parent something, specify who will do it and by when. A handover is complete only when the next person can act, not when somebody sends a long message that may never be read.
Good club administration should make these transfers easier, but no software can decide what is safe to share or substitute for a trained safeguarding lead. The goal is a calm session for children and coaches, with necessary information in the right hands and sensitive records out of the wrong ones.
Run the handover from the register → — Club Term keeps attendance, medical info and per-child notes on the session coaches actually open, so a covering coach sees who is expected and what they need to know without digging through a group chat. Pair it with our photography policy guide for the other permission coaches need on the day.