Safeguarding
Every young person has the right to be safe, heard and respected at Rising Stars. This page explains how we do that, and exactly what to do if you are ever worried about a child — whether the concern involves our club or not.
Worried about a young person right now?
If a child is in immediate danger, call 999. If you are worried about a child's welfare, contact Luton Borough Council's First Response team on 01582 547653 (out of hours: 01582 433787). If your concern involves this club, please also tell our Safeguarding Lead straight away — you can use the contact details below, and you do not need to be certain to raise a concern.
Our policies
We follow the safeguarding standards expected of youth provision in England, including government guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children and Luton's local safeguarding procedures. Our written policies cover:
- Child protection — recognising and responding to abuse and neglect
- Safe recruitment — references, interviews and DBS checks for every volunteer
- Code of conduct for adults working with young people
- Photography and sharing images — only with written parent or carer consent
- Health, safety and risk assessment at every session
- Anti-bullying and online safety
- Responding to concerns about a child's mental health or wellbeing
- Missing-from-session and collection procedures
Parents and carers can ask to see any of our policies at any time — just email hello@risingstarsyouthclub.org.uk.
Our people
Every volunteer completes a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check before they work unsupervised with young people, provides references, and receives safeguarding induction and ongoing training. Two DBS-checked adults are always present at sessions, and volunteers never work one-to-one with a young person out of sight of others.
Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is the person responsible for handling any concern about a young person or an adult at the club. Until we appoint a permanent lead, concerns go to the club coordinator at the contact details below.
What happens when a concern is raised
- The person with the concern tells the Safeguarding Lead as soon as possible — the same session where they can.
- The lead listens, takes the concern seriously and writes down what was said in the young person's own words. We never promise to keep a concern secret.
- The lead assesses whether the young person is at risk of harm and, where needed, refers the concern to Luton's First Response team or the police.
- If the concern involves a volunteer, that person is stood back from duties while the matter is looked into, and we follow the Luton Safeguarding Children Board allegations procedure.
- Concerns and actions are recorded and kept confidentially, shared only with people who need to know to keep the child safe.
How to report a concern
You can raise a concern with us in person at any session, or by phone or email. Tell us what you saw or heard, when it happened, and who was involved — in your own words, and don't worry about getting everything right. We will listen, never judge, and take it from there.
Club sessions run Fridays, 6pm–8pm at Hockwell Ring Community Centre, Mayne Avenue, Leagrave, Luton LU4 9LB.
If your concern is about us
If you would rather not speak to the club directly — for example, if your concern involves one of our volunteers — you can contact Luton Borough Council's Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) team on 01582 547060, or report a concern about a child to First Response on 01582 547653. Concerns about a crime can be reported to Bedfordshire Police on 101 (or 999 in an emergency).
Related information: our privacy policy explains how we handle the details you share with us, and our get involved page covers how volunteers are recruited and checked.