03 External bodies

For those dojos requiring their own insurance and or certification products the following organisations have been investigated to some extent and we offer them for consideration in good faith. Most if not all of these organisations we believe have aikido dojo or instructors using their services. It should be noted that many of these dojos claim to be government accredited and/or to be the peak body. Neither of these statements is completely true or completely false in most cases. Accreditation to these bodies in conjunction with Aikido Yuishinkai International may be useful to those dojos with a specific need for external accreditation from an Australian based training organisation.

Some example organisations:

MAIA – Martial Arts Industry Association http://maia.org.au

SMA - Sports Medicine Australia, http://sma.org.au

JJA – Australian Jujitsu Federation, http://www.jujitsu.com.au/ (Recognised by the Australian Government through the Australian Sports Commission)

These bodies offer insurance products to members of their association. Membership is usually available to individuals or dojos following completion of training courses and first aid qualifications. 

Training courses may be government recognised and carry titles such as Cert IV in workplace training, martial arts trainer, sports trainer. Some courses are NCAS approved, which is recognised by the Australia sports commission. Others are certificate, diploma or degree recognised by Australia’s education system. Many courses are at minimum weekend-long with costs beginning at a few hundred dollars.

First Aid certificates are mandatory for most sporting certifications in Australia. Certificates are valid for three years, CPR for one year. Under Qld act of parliament 2002 those applying first aid are indemnified from prosecution. Similar laws may exist in other states.

If you work with minors you may need to have a child safety check. In Queensland this is mandatory, requirements in other states will vary. In Qld your dojo also needs detailed risk management policies. It is illegal not to have these things and fines up to $30,000 apply. Other states may have similar requirements.