Keeping children and young people safe
Safeguarding is not a policy document we keep in a drawer. It is how we run every session.
If a child is in immediate danger
Call the police on 999 now. Do not wait to contact us first, and do not use a form on this website.
If you are worried about a child but it is not an emergency
You do not need to be certain, and you do not need proof. You can contact any of these directly, whether or not the child has anything to do with Benzone.
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Rhondda Cynon Taf Children's Services
01443 425006Monday to Thursday, 8.30am to 5pm. Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm.
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Cwm Taf Morgannwg Emergency Duty Team
01443 743665Evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
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NSPCC Helpline
0808 800 5000For adults worried about a child. You do not have to give your name.
Raising a concern about a Benzone session
Every Benzone session has a named Designated Safeguarding Lead, and concerns about our own delivery go to them.
We are not publishing a direct contact for that person until we can confirm it reaches them reliably, because a safeguarding route nobody is monitoring is worse than none. In the meantime, use Rhondda Cynon Taf Children's Services on 01443 425006, or call us on +44 7388 178812 and ask for the safeguarding lead.
You can raise a concern about us to the local authority at any point. You do not need to come to us first, and nothing here asks you to.
How we work
- Everyone working with children and young people is recruited safely, with references taken up and identity checked before they start.
- Everyone in a role that requires it holds a current DBS check at the appropriate level.
- Everyone is trained in safeguarding and knows how to recognise a concern and exactly what to do with it.
- Sessions are staffed to a ratio set by the activity and the group, not by who happens to be available.
- Activities and venues are risk-assessed before we run anything in them.
- Concerns are recorded and referred on. We do not decide whether something is serious enough to pass on.
What we do not publish
This page sets out our commitment and how to reach us. It does not publish our operational safeguarding procedures.
That is deliberate. Publishing exactly how we respond to a concern, what triggers a referral and how our records work would tell anyone intending harm precisely what to work around.
Schools, commissioners and funders carrying out due diligence can request the full policy, and we will send it.
How we are governed →What we ask of parents and carers
Tell us anything that would help us keep your child safe and comfortable, whether that is a medical need, something they find difficult, or something happening at home. We do not need the whole story to be useful, and we will only share what we are told where a child's safety requires it.
We never ask children for personal details through this website. Registration is completed by a parent or carer, and it asks for a child's first name and age range only. Our privacy policy sets out exactly what we hold.