Our public safeguarding statement and reporting route for children, young people and adults at risk involved in Yorkshire Lifeguards, Yorkshire Lifeguard Academy, East Riding Surf Life Saving Club and Bluewatch Training activity.
Immediate safeguarding concern?
If a child, young person or adult at risk is in immediate danger, call 999 first. Do not wait to contact Yorkshire Lifeguards if someone is at immediate risk of harm.
For non-emergency safeguarding concerns related to Yorkshire Lifeguards, Yorkshire Lifeguard Academy, East Riding Surf Life Saving Club or Bluewatch Training, contact the Safeguarding Lead / Club Welfare Officer at: safeguarding@yorkshirelifeguards.co.uk
Unsure whether something needs reporting or not sure what to do? The NSPCC Helpline offers advice. Call 0808 800 5000 or email help@nspcc.org.uk.
Yorkshire Lifeguards works with children from age 7 and young people up to and including age 18 through the Yorkshire Lifeguard Academy and East Riding Surf Life Saving Club programmes. The safety and welfare of every participant is the first priority in all activity.
Yorkshire Lifeguards is committed to:
Yorkshire Lifeguards appoints and maintains a Safeguarding Lead / Club Welfare Officer for activity involving children, young people and adults at risk. This person is responsible for receiving concerns, maintaining safeguarding records, supporting instructors and volunteers, and escalating concerns through the appropriate route.
Safeguarding concerns should be sent directly to the Safeguarding Lead / Club Welfare Officer at: safeguarding@yorkshirelifeguards.co.uk
If your concern relates to the Safeguarding Lead, or you do not feel able to raise it through Yorkshire Lifeguards, you may contact the relevant venue safeguarding lead, the RLSS UK safeguarding route, the SLSGB safeguarding route, your local authority safeguarding service, the police, or in an emergency, 999. If you are worried about a child and are not sure what to do, the NSPCC Helpline can provide advice: call 0808 800 5000 or email help@nspcc.org.uk.
Yorkshire Lifeguard Academy operates as an RLSS UK Accredited Club. East Riding Surf Life Saving Club is affiliated to Surf Life Saving Great Britain (SLSGB). Both awarding bodies require affiliated clubs and programmes to operate within defined safeguarding and child protection frameworks. Yorkshire Lifeguards works within the safeguarding requirements and guidance of both organisations and maintains programme arrangements in line with those frameworks.
When a safeguarding concern is raised, Yorkshire Lifeguards will:
Information will only be shared with those who need to know in order to protect welfare and respond appropriately.
Instructors and coaches working with children and young people through Yorkshire Lifeguards programmes hold:
People working with children and young people are selected, checked, briefed and supervised in line with the nature of their role and the relevant safeguarding framework.
All instructors, coaches, volunteers and participants are expected to:
Any concern about the conduct of an instructor, coach or volunteer should be reported to the Safeguarding Lead / Club Welfare Officer or, if appropriate, to the relevant awarding body, venue or statutory authority.
Allegations or concerns about the behaviour of instructors, coaches or volunteers will be taken seriously and handled in accordance with the relevant safeguarding procedures. Where an allegation relates to the behaviour of an adult working or volunteering with children, Yorkshire Lifeguards will follow the relevant safeguarding procedures and refer to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) where required. Concerns relating to adults at risk will be escalated through the appropriate adult safeguarding route.
Yorkshire Lifeguards delivers all activity in alignment with the safeguarding and child protection policies of the venues and partner organisations where sessions take place. No activity is delivered at a venue without agreement and alignment with that venue’s operating procedures and safeguarding requirements.
Before activity begins, safeguarding responsibilities, supervision expectations, emergency arrangements, photography rules, changing-area arrangements and reporting routes should be agreed with the venue or partner organisation, in writing where appropriate.
No photographs or recordings of children or young people are taken or used by Yorkshire Lifeguards without appropriate parental or guardian consent. Photography by participants or parents during sessions is managed in accordance with venue policies.
If you have a safeguarding concern related to any Yorkshire Lifeguards programme, session or activity, contact the Safeguarding Lead / Club Welfare Officer directly at safeguarding@yorkshirelifeguards.co.uk. Concerns will be taken seriously, recorded appropriately and escalated where necessary.
Include as much relevant information as you safely can. You do not need every detail before raising a concern — do not delay reporting because information is incomplete.
Concerns do not need to reach the threshold of serious harm before they are worth raising. Low-level concerns about behaviour, boundaries, communication, favouritism, language, photography, changing-area conduct or one-to-one contact should also be reported to the Safeguarding Lead / Club Welfare Officer. Early reporting helps maintain safe environments and supports good safeguarding culture across Yorkshire Lifeguards, Yorkshire Lifeguard Academy, East Riding Surf Life Saving Club and Bluewatch Training activity.
Safeguarding contact routes
This page sets out Yorkshire Lifeguards’ public safeguarding commitment and how to raise a concern. Detailed safeguarding procedures, role descriptions, safer recruitment records, incident recording, escalation arrangements and review records are maintained separately and reviewed at least annually.
This safeguarding commitment is reviewed at least annually and updated in line with changes to awarding body requirements, legislation and best practice.
Last updated: June 2026
Safeguarding contact
For safeguarding concerns or questions, contact the Safeguarding Lead directly at safeguarding@yorkshirelifeguards.co.uk — or call 999 if someone is in immediate danger.