Safety card / read in two minutes
That is the whole rule. Below: what we check before a mentor is ever matched with someone, how every session is kept on the record, and exactly what happens after you report a concern.
If this, then this
Right now
End the session. You never need a reason and there is no penalty.
Then
Before anyone is matched
Identity
Every mentor confirms who they are and where they currently work before they are matched. Anyone we cannot verify is not matched.
Employer confirmation
Where a mentor comes through a partner organisation, that organisation confirms in writing that the person is theirs and may take part.
Code of conduct
No mentor reaches a mentee without accepting the code in writing. Accepting it is the condition of being matched, not a formality.
Briefing before the first session
Mentors are briefed on boundaries, what is out of scope, and how to raise a concern themselves, before their first mentee.
Extra checks for under 18s
Programmes involving under 18s are agreed with the school, college or university first, including any background checks and supervision they require.
Ongoing review
Feedback is read after sessions. A pattern of concerns removes a mentor from matching, even where no single report is decisive.
Always
Never
What a breach costs
01A written reminder
For a first, minor breach where no one was put at risk, such as running over time or drifting outside the agreed topic.
02Paused from matching
Applied as soon as there is doubt, not once there is proof. The mentor takes no new sessions while we look into it.
03Removed permanently
For asking for money or favours, pressuring anyone off the platform, discrimination, harassment, or any dishonesty about identity.
04Reported onwards
Where there is a risk of harm we contact the appropriate authorities, and we tell the partner organisation that put the person forward.
After you tell us
Within 1 working day
We acknowledge it
A named member of our team confirms we have your report and tells you who is handling it.
Same day, where needed
We can pause an account
If there is any doubt, the mentor is taken out of matching while we look into it. We do not wait for certainty.
Days 1 to 5
We look into it
We read the session record, speak to the people involved and, where a partner organisation is involved, tell them.
At the end
We act and we tell you
Anyone who breaches the code of conduct is removed. Where there is a risk of harm we contact the appropriate authorities.
Privacy, records and protection
Mentors are protected too
Safeguarding runs both ways. A mentor who is treated badly, pressured for favours, or asked for something outside the code reports it the same way and gets the same response.
What stays private
What is said in a session stays between the two people in it and, where relevant, the small team handling a report. We do not pass session content to employers, universities or anyone else as a matter of course.
Where confidentiality ends
We break confidence in one situation: where someone may be at risk of harm. Then we tell the people who need to know, and no one else.
Records we keep
We keep a record of every session and every report, so a pattern can be seen and a decision can be explained later. Reports are kept for as long as they are needed and no longer.
Anonymous reporting
You can report without giving your name. It can make some steps slower, but it never stops us acting.
No retaliation
Nobody loses access, standing or future sessions for raising a concern in good faith, including a concern that turns out to be mistaken.
People under 18
We only work with under 18s through a school, college or university, never directly.
The partner organisation agrees the extra checks and supervision with us before a single session is booked, and it stays the first point of contact for the young person throughout the programme.
In an emergency
We are not an emergency service. If someone is at immediate risk, contact your local emergency services first, then let us know.
We would far rather read a report that turns out to be nothing than miss one that was not.
Last updated 5 September 2026
In their words
I knew exactly what to do when something difficult came up, because it was written down before I needed it.
Clear boundaries are what let a stranger be honest with you in half an hour.
As a referring charity, the policy was the first thing we asked for and the first thing they sent.
The numbers so far
Before you ask
Report it through the route on this page. It is read quickly and acted on, and you will hear what happened next.
No. Sessions are not recorded, which is part of why the boundaries and reporting route matter so much.
Mentors are verified and briefed, and any work with under eighteens runs through the referring organisation.