Sharing Concerns 

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Anyone in rugby can report a concern to either their Club Safeguarding Officer, or the RFU, via safeguarding@rfu.com.  

It is natural to feel a little nervous about sharing concerns, but it is important to remember that it is not your responsibility to decide if abuse or neglect is happening, it is your responsibility to share your concerns. Doing nothing is not an option. 

How to share a concern 

There are several ways people can share their concerns: 

• If the child whom you have concerns about is in immediate danger or needs medical attention, call 999 as soon as possible
• If you’re a parent or volunteer, you should share your concerns with your Club Safeguarding Officer
• If you’re a Club Safeguarding Officer, you should share your concerns with your Constituent Body Safeguarding Manager
• If neither of those options is available, you should contact the RFU Safeguarding team, via safeguarding@rfu.com as soon as possible 
• If you are ever unsure of who you need to contact, you can call the NSPCCon 0808 800 5000, which operates between 10:00 AM and 16:00 PM Monday to Friday
• Or you can contact the unmanned RFU Safeguarding line on 0208 831 6655 and a member of the Safeguarding team will respond to you within 24 hours

For more information on how to share concerns regarding children, please see our Sharing Concerns flowchart.

RFU Safeguarding Referral Form 

The RFU Safeguarding Referral Form should be completed regarding any concerns you have or have been disclosed to you, relating to the behaviour of any child or adult involved in or spectating at your club. These may include general concerns about a child’s welfare, concerns about bullying or poor practice, suspicions or allegations of misconduct, or allegations of abuse. To report concerns to the RFU Safeguarding team, please fill the form out and send it to safeguarding@rfu.com as soon as possible.  

RFU Safeguarding Referral Form

Receiving Concerns 

When someone shares a concern with you, whether this is about something that has happened to them or someone else, it is important to: 

• Stay calm, but don’t delay
• If a child or adult at risk has disclosed to you directly, re-assure them that they are not to blame
• Do not make any promises of confidentiality or outcome. It is almost certain that you will have to share this information with someone
• Keep questions to a minimum and try not to interrupt the child or adult
• Make brief notes, as accurately as you can, at the earliest opportunity 

For further details, see our Sharing Concerns Guidance. 

Safeguarding Complaints 

If you have a complaint relating to a safeguarding process undertaken by the RFU, please refer to the RFU’s Safeguarding Complaints Policy.  

Speak Up 

The RFU is committed to developing a culture where it is safe and acceptable for everyone involved in rugby union to raise concerns about any unacceptable practice, behaviour, wrongdoing or misconduct. 

If you have a concern about unacceptable behaviours or misconduct, you can speak up. Speaking up will enable concerns to be investigated and dealt with for the benefit of all involved and for that of the wider game. Anyone speaking up can be confident that the matter will be handled appropriately and with an appropriate level of confidentiality. 

You can speak up via emailing the Speak up Hotline via, speakup@rfu.com.  

For more information, please visit the Speak Up page on the RFU website.