Safeguarding and Welfare
At Cambridge Sword, the safety, welfare and wellbeing of everyone involved with the club is a priority. We want children, young people, adults, parents, carers, coaches and volunteers to feel safe, respected and able to raise a concern.
If something has worried you, made you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, or you are worried about somebody else, please tell someone. It does not have to be about fencing, and you do not need to decide whether it is “serious enough” first.
In immediate danger? Call 999.
Childline: 0800 1111
British Fencing 24-hour safeguarding line: 07526 003030
Our Welfare Officers
You can contact Hannah and Emily together at welfare@cambridgesword.co.uk. This shared club inbox is read by both Welfare Officers.
Get in touch about any welfare or safeguarding concern affecting a child, young person or adult at risk, whether it relates to fencing or to something happening elsewhere in their life. If you are not sure whether something is a safeguarding issue, you can still ask for advice.
At the club? Our Welfare Officers are not at every session. You can speak to Sarah Paveley (Club Director and Head Coach) or any trusted coach or member of staff, and they will pass your concern to a Welfare Officer.
Hannah Jones
Club Welfare Officer
Event Welfare Officer
Emily Lucas
Club Welfare Officer
Event Welfare Officer
If you are a child or young person
If anything is making you worried, unhappy, uncomfortable or unsafe, please tell someone you trust. It does not have to be about fencing. It might be something happening at home, at school, online, at fencing or somewhere else, and it might be happening to you or to somebody else.
You can talk to:
- a parent or carer
- a coach or another staff member at the club
- a teacher or another adult you trust
- Hannah or Emily, our Welfare Officers, at welfare@cambridgesword.co.uk
You do not need to know what kind of problem it is, or have proof, before you talk to someone. If you tell a coach or member of staff, they will make sure it reaches a Welfare Officer.
Who should I contact?
Someone is in immediate danger or at risk of serious harm
Call 999 first. Once the immediate danger has been dealt with, contact a Welfare Officer or British Fencing as soon as possible.
I have a general welfare worry or question
Email Hannah or Emily at welfare@cambridgesword.co.uk. It does not have to be about fencing. At the club, you can speak to Sarah Paveley or any trusted coach or member of staff instead.
I have a safeguarding concern about a child, young person or adult at risk
Contact a Welfare Officer as soon as possible, whether the concern is about home, school, online, fencing or anywhere else. If no Welfare Officer is present, tell Sarah Paveley or another trusted coach or member of staff. Do not investigate yourself, and do not wait until you are certain.
Something happened at a competition or event
Speak to the Event Welfare Officer if one has been appointed. You can also contact our Welfare Officers at welfare@cambridgesword.co.uk.
I don’t want to report it to the club, or it involves a Welfare Officer
Contact British Fencing’s Lead Safeguarding Officer, Liz Behnke, directly. Her details are below.
British Fencing safeguarding contact
You can contact British Fencing directly if you would rather not raise a fencing-related concern through the club, if the concern involves someone within the club, or if you need safeguarding advice connected with fencing.
Liz Behnke, Lead Safeguarding Officer
- safeguarding@britishfencing.com
- Non-emergency
- 07717 740125
- 24-hour emergency line
- 07526 003030
- Immediate danger
- Call 999 first
What happens when you raise a concern?
We will listen and take your concern seriously. Information is treated sensitively and shared only with the people who need it to respond and keep someone safe.
Depending on the concern, we may need to seek advice from, or share information with, British Fencing, a school or other organisation, the police, children’s or adults’ social care, or another safeguarding authority.
Please do not discuss safeguarding concerns in club WhatsApp groups or on social media.
Our safeguarding policies
These documents set out how Cambridge Sword keeps fencers safe. Each opens in a new tab.
See all club policies on our Key Info page.
Page last reviewed: October 2026