Safeguarding
The questions you are entitled to ask, answered before you have to ask them.
Government guidance for parents lists what to check before booking a club, tutor or coach who works on their own — and tells you to expect a straight answer. Here are those answers.
If anything below is not enough, ring Raj on 07845 120 832 and ask him directly. A question about your child deserves a voice, not a form.
Is Raj DBS checked?
Yes — an Enhanced DBS check including a search of the children's barred list, which is the level required for someone coaching children unsupervised. It was issued in the summer of 2025. Ask to see it and he will show you.
Has he had safeguarding training?
Yes. Raj holds the Safeguarding and Protecting Children qualification and keeps a current First Aid certificate. He spent sixteen years as Director of Cricket in a school and eleven years running county age-group programmes, so working to a safeguarding policy is not new to him.
Can I stay and watch the session?
Yes, at certain times, and from a distance. Watching from the boundary or the back of the nets is fine; standing at your child's shoulder is not, because most players coach differently when a parent is within earshot.
If there is something worth you seeing, Raj will call you in and explain it himself.
What will you know about my child?
Before a first session you will fill in a consent form covering your child's details, emergency contacts, any medical conditions, allergies or access needs, who is allowed to collect them, and what should happen in an emergency.
That information is used to run sessions safely and for nothing else. It is not shared with anyone outside coaching, except with paramedics or doctors in an emergency, or with safeguarding authorities where the law requires it. It is kept until your child turns 18, plus six years, and then deleted.
Will my child be photographed?
Only if you say so, and you choose separately for each use — a video for coaching review only, a photo shared in a parents' group, or an image on this website or social media. You can say yes to one and no to the others, and you can change your mind at any time.
No photograph of a child appears on this website without written consent for that specific use. That is why there are none here yet.
Is there insurance?
Raj holds public liability insurance. Ask him for the insurer and the level of cover and he will give you the certificate details — clubs and schools usually want these on file before a booking, and he is used to being asked.
What if I have a concern?
Raise it with Raj directly on 07845 120 832. He would far rather hear about something small than have you sit on it.
If you would rather not raise it with him, or you are not happy with how he has dealt with it, go to the County Safeguarding Officer at the Hampshire Cricket Board. You do not need Raj's permission and you do not have to tell him first.
The County Safeguarding Officer for Hampshire is John Cook, on 07766 838779. The Hampshire Cricket Board keeps its safeguarding contacts and the ECB’s Safe Hands policy on its safeguarding page.
If it is not about cricket, or you would rather talk to someone outside the sport entirely, the NSPCC helpline is 0808 800 5000, open to any adult worried about a child.
Qualifications
Child safety
- Enhanced DBS check
- Safeguarding and Protecting Children
- First Aid
Coaching
- ECB Level III
- NCA Advanced Coach
Still want to ask something?
Ring Raj. If he is coaching he will call you back.