Appointment of Judges at Limited, Open and Championship Shows Without CCs from 2019 Onwards

Following a number of enquiries from judges and inviting societies, the Kennel Club would like to clarify the matter of the appointment of judges at limited and open shows and for non CC classes at championship shows as of 1st January 2019 when the Judges Competency Framework (JCF) begins.

At shows held on or after 1st January 2019, no person should be appointed who has never judged before, unless they have undertaken the new Kennel Club mandatory requirements. All aspiring judges must have completed the introductory education and training. Anyone hoping to judge for the first time in 2019, and those with some judging experience but not yet on a breed club B list, should now work towards meeting all of the Level 1 requirements, which can be found at www.thekennelclub.org.uk/media/1128987/jcf_guide_to_being_a_dog_show_judge.pdf.

Eligibility to judge will be as follows:

• For up to 3 (5) classes of a breed at a general canine society/breed club limited or open show the judge should be at Level 1.
• For more than 3 (5) classes of a breed at a general canine society/breed club limited or open show the judge should be at least at Level 2 or on a club B list or above.
• For any number of classes for non CC breeds at championship shows the judge should be at least at Level 2 or on a club B list or above.
• For stakes and variety classes, groups and BIS at a general canine society limited or open show the judge should be at Level 4 (ie approved to award CCs) for at least one breed. Details of a CC judge’s experience can be found on the Find a Judge facility at www.thekennelclub.org.uk/services/public/judge/.

Now that the JCF criteria have been announced, show societies should be working towards selecting judges using the JCF criteria.  However, recognising that the Kennel Club Academy and Find a Judge programming is being designed with a ‘go live’ date no later than January 2019, show societies may continue to refer to club lists.  The further into the transition period we get, and as soon as the JCF goes live and the Find a Judge information is available on the Kennel Club website, the selection of judges must be under the JCF criteria.

It is strongly recommended that as part of each show society’s judging contract the judge is asked to confirm they will be registered as a member of the Kennel Club Academy at the time of the appointment and have received confirmation of their status under the JCF.  The transition document to assist judges in identifying their judging level is available at www.thekennelclub.org.uk/media/1128983/jcf_transition_table_from_judges_lists_to_jcf_levels.pdf.

Judges are strongly encouraged to register on the Kennel Club Academy, as many have already done so, in preparation for their account to be transferred across when the JCF goes live and then have their judging level(s) verified.  By so doing they will be the first to be featured on the revised Find a Judge facility and consequently available for show societies to select.

The Kennel Club Academy costs just £26 for one year’s access to all of the Judges Education resources, including new resources which the Kennel Club will continue to add over the next 12 months. Please visit www.kcacademy.org.uk/shop/all-courses/judges-education-bundle/.

City of Birmingham Canine Association is kindly offering breed club officials and other interested parties the opportunity to ask questions about the JCF at its championship show at Stoneleigh Park, near Coventry, Warwickshire on the weekend of 2nd and 3rd September 2017.

The Vice Chairman of the Kennel Club Judges Committee, Jeff Horswell, will be on hand along with Kennel Club staff at the show where informal ‘drop in’ sessions will be held at noon and 2.30pm on both the Saturday and Sunday. The noon session is designed for breed club officials, while the 2.30pm one is aimed at a more general audience, although people are welcome to attend whichever time slot suits them best. The venue will be the Strollers restaurant, between halls 1 and 2, which will be well sign-posted within the halls of the show.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said “With under two years to go until the JCF begins, it is very important that societies know which levels apply to the judge they are inviting for shows being held from 1st January 2019 onwards.  Equally, it is important that judges understand their obligations so that they are not disadvantaged by not being featured on Find a Judge – and so that the transition period is as smooth as we all wish it to be.”

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Posted by chesliepickett on Aug 16 2017. Filed under World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.