The club takes child safety extremely seriously. It is both our genuine commitment and our formal
obligation to foster a culture that prioritises the safety and wellbeing of all children, ensuring that at
Budokan, they can learn and practise Judo in a secure, supportive, and comfortable environment. There are
no compromises in this area, and we rely on your cooperation to help us build and maintain the culture our
young athletes deserve.

To demonstrate our commitment to child safety, the Budokan website homepage features a child-safe
logo below which has a link (called “Read More”) directly to our policies.

We have also placed a Child-Safe folder at the club, hanging from the trophy cabinet. It contains all
relevant policies and a contact list so you know exactly who to approach if you have any concerns or
suggestions.

Our aim in each Newsletter is to reinforce this message, provide clear reminders and clarifications of
important existing club rules and policies, and communicate any new requirements as they arise. Some of
these are listed below:

• Mat-related concerns — If your children raise any concerns about issues on the mat, please
bring these directly to the Head Coach of that class at the time. Addressing matters promptly
helps avoid complications and ensures they can be resolved quickly and effectively. Parents must
not approach other children, nor the parents of other children, regarding these concerns under
any circumstances.
• Junior athlete concerns — We now have four Junior Child-Safe Representatives available to
support junior athletes. Any junior athlete may speak with one of these representatives if they
feel more comfortable doing so rather than approaching a coach. Our Junior Representatives are:
Abbey Cook, Milica Dobric, Alice Lee, and Leon Park.
• Member Protection and Information (MPIO) / Child-Safe / Risk Management Contacts:
MPIO - Kenny Park
Assistant MPIO - Jarrod Cook
Club President - Rob Katz
Junior Child Safe Representatives – As above
• Requirements for Budokan Programs:
Budokan’s classes/programs are structured by age and in some cases by skill level and
competition readiness. This is done deliberately to provide the most effective learning and
training experience and considers safety and participant numbers. There are occasional
exceptions to this and the head coach of each program considers a number of factors whenever
exceptions are made. A summary of programs follows:

Dinos (Pre-school): currently 4 or 5yo (Wednesday 5.15-6.00pm)
Mons (School-aged): Turning 5, 6, 7, or 8yo in 2026 (Wednesday 6.00-7.15pm)
Junior Fundamental/Advanced: Turning 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14yo in 2026; Belt level is usually
Yellow minimum (Tuesday 6.00-7.30pm).
Note: When the Tuesday 5.00-6.00pm Junior Beginner/Fundamental class eventually
commences, the 6.00-7.30pm class will become a Junior Advanced class.
Junior Beginner/Fundamental: Turning 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14yo in 2026; Belt level is white,
white-yellow, white-yellow-black tip, yellow, yellow-black tip, yellow-orange (Thursday 5.00-
6.00pm)
Junior Advanced: Turning 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14yo in 2026 (Thursday 6.00-7.30pm)
Belt level is usually Yellow-orange minimum and competition orientated athletes
Senior Fundamentals and Recreation: Seniors turning 15, 16, 17 in 2026 (Cadets), 18, 19, 20
(Junior M/W), or 21yo and older (Senior M/W) in 2026 – for beginners and recreation (noncompetition)
senior players (Monday 8.00-9.30pm and Wednesday 7.15-8.45pm)
Senior Competition: Seniors turning 15, 16, 17 in 2026 (Cadets), 18, 19, 20 (Junior M/W), or
21yo and older (Senior M/W) in 2026 – for senior players who currently compete, have
competed or intend to compete at State Open level or higher (Tuesday and Thursday 7.30-
9.00pm)
Junior Technique: For higher-level Junior Advanced athletes currently or intending to compete
at Nationals (Saturday 2.30-3.30pm)
Senior Technique: For higher-level Senior Competition athletes currently or intending to
compete at Nationals (Friday 4.30-6pm)

The above points will be incorporated in the club’s Child-Safe / Risk Management policies and procedures.
A reminder of a couple of club policies:
• Car Parking. Of concern is that from time to time we are still seeing a few cars either parking in
front of the building or stopping right in front of the building allowing parents to drop off or pick
up their children. Please do not do this as it is a safety risk. Juniors should be accompanied into
the building and picked up from the building and cars should not stop out the front of the club
building.
• Photos / Video. Photos and filming of athletes may be taken by club committee members or
coaches from time to time and these images may be used by Budokan in social media and in club
promotions. If you object to your child being included in this media, please advise a club coach,
committee member or one of our MPIO representatives. Please do not take photos or video of
classes unless approved by the class coach at the time.

Thanks to all the parents who are complying with our safety requirements regarding parking, child
pick-up and drop-off, accompanying children to the bathrooms etc. This is very much appreciated.
THIS IS YOUR CLUB AND THESE ARE YOUR CHILDREN – LET’S KEEP THE CLUB A SAFE PLACE
FOR EVERYONE.