Child protection: who is actually covered

A duty of function, not of status

The question is never "is this person a volunteer?" but "what function do they perform?". A volunteer coach is covered exactly like a paid one. A volunteer who does not supervise is not.

France — what the code du sport says

Article L. 212-9 of the code du sport sets the rule: "Nul ne peut exercer les fonctions mentionnées au premier alinéa de l'article L. 212-1 à titre rémunéré ou bénévole, ou aux articles L. 223-1 et L. 322-7, ni intervenir auprès de mineurs au sein des établissements d'activités physiques et sportives" while disqualified.

In practice that covers:

• Sports educators — the functions of the first paragraph of article L. 212-1: teaching, leading, supervising a physical or sporting activity or training its participants, as a main or secondary occupation, on a regular, seasonal or occasional basis. The Ministry of Sports' briefing note puts it plainly: "Qu'ils soient bénévoles ou professionnels, les éducateurs et les exploitants sont soumis aux dispositions de l'article L. 212-9 du code du sport."
• Referees and judges — article L. 223-1, picked up by the cross-reference above.
• Operators of sports establishments (EAPS) — which the same ministerial note attaches "notamment" to association officers. That is what brings a president, treasurer or secretary into scope: not because they are volunteers, but because they operate the establishment.
• Anyone working with minors inside a sports establishment, the final limb of the article.

The law of 8 March 2024 (loi n° 2024-201) did not widen that list: it inserted into article L. 212-9 the annual check mechanism, organising delivery of bulletin no. 2 of the criminal record (article 776 of the code de procédure pénale) and access to the national judicial file of sexual and violent offenders (article 706-53-7).

Who is not covered

None of the functions above describes:

• the parent running the bar during a tournament;
• the parent on the scoring table;
• the parent doing an occasional supervised drive;
• the person putting up the stand, handing out bibs or packing kit away.

Asking them for a criminal-record extract adds no safety and brings a record of criminal convictions into the club's files — a category governed by Article 10 GDPR. Data minimisation applies in full: what the club has no need to know, it must not collect.

Who runs the check

Neither the club nor Paak. The French Ministry of Sports describes it as follows: "Le dispositif repose sur la transmission automatisée par les fédérations des données permettant aux services de l'État de procéder à ce contrôle." It is the State services that query bulletin no. 2 of the criminal record and the FIJAIS file, and the préfet who notifies any disqualification.

The club's part is to pass its licensees' full identity to its federation and keep the result up to date. Paak's part is to prepare that file, track each supervisor's status and warn you before an expiry — see Background checks for instructors. Paak performs no verification and certifies nothing.

Switzerland, Germany, Belgium

Paak recognises the document expected in your club's country. The exact scope should be confirmed with your federation: each country defines the covered functions its own way.

Switzerland — Sonderprivatauszug

The special criminal-record extract (article 371a of the penal code) shows activity bans and contact bans imposed by a court. The decisive point: it can only be ordered by someone carrying out an activity — professional, or organised outside professional life — involving regular contact with minors or other particularly vulnerable people, and ordering it requires a form signed by the employer, club or organisation confirming exactly that. In other words: a bar volunteer cannot even obtain one. The question does not arise.

Germany — erweitertes Führungszeugnis

The extended certificate (§ 30a BZRG, alongside § 72a SGB VIII on child protection) exists for people who, professionally or voluntarily, supervise, care for, educate or train minors, or have comparable contact with them. It is issued on a written request from the organisation confirming those conditions are met. The renewal cadence comes from the agreement between the club and its Jugendamt.

Belgium — criminal-record extract "modèle 2"

The "modèle 2" is the extract issued under article 596, paragraph 2, of the Code d'instruction criminelle. It is intended for activities involving education, psycho-medico-social guidance, youth assistance, child protection, youth work or the supervision of minors — and it must state the activity it is requested for.

How Paak applies the rule

• When you create a slot, the "This slot supervises minors" box is unticked. Nothing triggers until you tick it.
• The same setting exists at role level (Roles tab), for functions that always supervise — a role marked that way arms the check on every slot carrying it.
• Ticked, it makes signup conditional on holding a valid attestation in the club's country. A member without one is refused the slot and pointed at the club — without their file being exposed to them.
• That block requires your club to have automated background-check tracking (Paak One and above). On the free plan the tick remains a visible flag on the slot.
• A qualification you marked as blocking that has expired prevents signup to any slot, ticked or not.
• The rule is identical on the club side and in the member portal: someone refused on one screen cannot get through the other.

FAQ