Safeguarding Policy

Child Therapy Service CIC & Child Therapy Practitioners Limited

Child Therapy Service CIC
Company No. 12067820

Child Therapy Practitioners Limited
Company No. 13945877

Registered address: 14 St. Gregory Close, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN20 7JL

Policy owner: Tracy Elizabeth Chadwick, Director of both entities

Contact: [email protected] | 01323 749434

Date adopted: June 2026
Last reviewed: June 2026
Next review due: June 2027
Review frequency: Annually as a minimum, or sooner following any safeguarding incident, significant organisational change, or update to relevant legislation or statutory guidance.

Statement of Commitment

Child Therapy Service CIC and Child Therapy Practitioners Limited are wholly committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. The protection of children is central to the work of both organisations.

Both organisations operate a safeguarding culture in which concerns are welcomed, acted upon promptly, recorded appropriately, and understood to be the responsibility of everyone connected with the organisation.

This policy applies to all staff, directors, contractors, consultants, volunteers, placement students, and any person acting on behalf of either Child Therapy Service CIC or Child Therapy Practitioners Limited.

Children’s safety and welfare must always come first.

Corporate Structure and Safeguarding Responsibility

Child Therapy Practitioners Limited owns the BOUNCE Approach® framework, intellectual property, training content, digital resources, trademarks, and related platforms.

Child Therapy Service CIC delivers services, training, family support, professional support, and community-facing provision using licensed resources and systems.

Where the activities of both organisations overlap, safeguarding responsibility applies to both organisations. Neither organisation can discharge its safeguarding duties by reference to the other.

For the purposes of this policy, references to “both organisations” mean Child Therapy Service CIC and Child Therapy Practitioners Limited.

Scope of This Policy

This policy applies across all activities and services provided by either organisation, including:

• online training, CPD courses, webinars, and practitioner programmes
• the Learning Portal, live drop-ins, Q&A support, and live chat
• family coaching sessions delivered remotely or in person
• the BOUNCE Approach® framework, resources, and licensed content
• the Child Therapy Service Directory
• the Snapshots wellbeing assessment platform
• live events, workshops, and professional development sessions
• contracted work with schools, local authorities, NHS bodies, or other organisations
• content creation, resource development, consultancy, and commissioned work

This policy applies wherever a safeguarding concern arises in connection with either organisation, including concerns about children directly accessing services, children discussed by adults or professionals, children represented in case material, or children affected by the conduct of a person connected to either organisation.

Legal and Regulatory Framework

This policy has been written with regard to the following legislation and statutory guidance:

• Children Act 1989
• Children Act 2004
• Children and Social Work Act 2017
• Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023
• Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024, where applicable to work with schools
• What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused, Department for Education, 2015
• Information sharing: advice for practitioners, HM Government, 2024
• UK General Data Protection Regulation
• Data Protection Act 2018
• Human Rights Act 1998

Both organisations will review and update this policy whenever relevant legislation or statutory guidance changes.

Definitions

For the purposes of this policy, a child is any person under the age of 18.

Safeguarding means protecting children from maltreatment, preventing impairment of children’s health or development, ensuring children grow up in circumstances consistent with safe and effective care, and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

Child protection is part of safeguarding and refers to activity undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm.

Both organisations recognise the following categories of abuse:

• Physical abuse – including hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm.
• Emotional abuse – persistent emotional maltreatment that causes severe and persistent adverse effects on a child’s emotional development.
• Sexual abuse – involving a child in sexual activity, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening.
• Neglect – persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs.

Both organisations also recognise wider forms of harm, including domestic abuse, online abuse, child sexual exploitation, child criminal exploitation, county lines, radicalisation, honour-based abuse, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, bullying, discriminatory abuse, and exploitation.

Designated Safeguarding Lead

Name: Tracy Elizabeth Chadwick
Role: Director and Founder of both entities
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 01323 749434

The Designated Safeguarding Lead is responsible for:

• receiving and managing safeguarding concerns connected to either organisation
• making referrals to children’s social care, the police, the LADO, or other statutory agencies where appropriate
• maintaining a confidential safeguarding log across both organisations
• ensuring safeguarding records are accurate, secure, and appropriately retained
• ensuring this policy is reviewed and updated
• ensuring staff, contractors, volunteers, and relevant third parties understand and follow this policy
• liaising with local authorities, commissioners, schools, and statutory agencies where required
• maintaining appropriate safeguarding training and knowledge for the DSL role

Deputy Safeguarding Arrangements

Where the Designated Safeguarding Lead is unavailable, safeguarding concerns must not be delayed.

If a child is at immediate risk of harm, the person receiving the concern must contact the police on 999 immediately.

If the matter is urgent but not an emergency, advice or referral must be sought from the relevant local authority children’s social care team or the Local Authority Designated Officer where the concern relates to an adult working with children.

Where a formal Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead is appointed, their name, role, email address, and telephone number will be added to this policy and shared with all relevant staff, contractors, and partners.

Safer Recruitment and Vetting

Both organisations are committed to safer recruitment practices.

For roles that involve direct contact with children, access to information about children, or work that may influence children’s safety and welfare, the following checks are required before work begins:

• enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check where eligible and appropriate
• identity verification
• right to work checks
• references, where relevant to the role
• review of relevant qualifications, experience, and safeguarding training
• discussion and recording of any relevant gaps or concerns arising during recruitment

Contractors and freelancers commissioned to deliver services, develop content, or work in any capacity involving children or child-related information must provide evidence of appropriate DBS status and safeguarding training before work begins.

The Director maintains a central record of relevant checks, training, and renewal dates across both organisations.

Safeguarding Training

All staff, contractors, volunteers, and relevant third parties working for or on behalf of either organisation must:

• read and confirm understanding of this Safeguarding Policy before commencing work
• complete safeguarding training appropriate to their role
• complete refresher training at least every two years, or sooner where required
• understand how to report safeguarding concerns
• understand that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility

The Designated Safeguarding Lead will complete enhanced safeguarding training appropriate to the role and refresh this training at least every two years.

Training records are maintained by the Director and may be made available to commissioners, schools, local authorities, or regulatory bodies where appropriate.

Professional Boundaries

All staff, contractors, volunteers, and representatives of either organisation must maintain clear and appropriate professional boundaries.

This includes:

• communicating through approved organisational channels only
• not using personal social media accounts to contact children or young people
• not engaging in private or informal messaging with children or young people
• not sharing personal contact details with children or young people unless explicitly agreed as part of a contracted service and with appropriate safeguards
• maintaining appropriate records of sessions, concerns, and communications
• avoiding any behaviour that could reasonably be misinterpreted or create dependency, secrecy, favouritism, or blurred boundaries
• reporting any boundary concern or uncertainty to the Designated Safeguarding Lead

Where communication is with parents, carers, professionals, or organisations, staff and contractors must remain professional, clear, respectful, and safeguarding-aware at all times.

Recognising and Responding to Safeguarding Concerns

A safeguarding concern may arise from:

• something a child discloses directly
• something a parent, carer, or professional shares
• observations during an in-person or remote session
• information submitted through the Learning Portal, live chat, Q&A, forms, or digital platforms
• concerns about a listed practitioner on the Directory
• concerns arising during training, supervision, consultancy, or professional discussions
• concerns about the conduct of a staff member, contractor, volunteer, director, or third party
• content or behaviour suggesting a child may be at risk of harm

Anyone who has a safeguarding concern must:

• listen calmly and carefully
• avoid leading questions
• not promise confidentiality
• reassure the person that they have done the right thing by sharing the concern
• record what was said or observed as accurately as possible, using the person’s own words where possible
• report the concern to the Designated Safeguarding Lead as soon as possible and within the same working day
• contact the police immediately on 999 if a child is in immediate danger

Concerns must not be investigated by the person receiving the disclosure. The role of staff, contractors, and volunteers is to listen, record, and report.

On receipt of a concern, the Designated Safeguarding Lead will:

• record the concern in the confidential safeguarding log
• consider whether the concern meets the threshold for referral
• seek advice from children’s social care where the threshold is unclear
• make a referral to children’s social care, police, LADO, or other statutory agency where appropriate
• record all actions taken, decisions made, and reasons for those decisions
• inform the person who raised the concern of the action taken where appropriate and safe to do so

Low-Level Concerns

Both organisations recognise that concerns about adult behaviour may not always meet the threshold for referral to the LADO but may still indicate unsafe, inappropriate, or concerning practice.

A low-level concern may include:

• poor professional boundaries
• inappropriate language or tone
• unprofessional communication
• over-familiarity with a child, parent, carer, or practitioner
• failure to follow organisational procedures
• behaviour that causes discomfort or concern, even if no harm is alleged

Low-level concerns must be reported to the Designated Safeguarding Lead. They will be recorded, reviewed, and monitored to identify any patterns, risks, or need for further action.

If a low-level concern indicates that a child may have been harmed, may be at risk of harm, or that an adult may pose a risk to children, the matter will be escalated in line with safeguarding and LADO procedures.

Remote Delivery Safeguards

Where services are delivered online or remotely, both organisations will take reasonable steps to manage safeguarding risks.

This includes:

• using appropriate and secure platforms wherever possible
• ensuring sessions take place in appropriate environments
• requiring parents, carers, schools, or commissioning organisations to provide suitable supervision where children are accessing services remotely
• making clear that staff and contractors may end or pause a session if safeguarding, welfare, or professional boundary concerns arise
• recording and reporting any concerns that arise during remote delivery
• not recording sessions unless this has been explicitly agreed and is lawful, necessary, and proportionate
• ensuring any digital communication remains professional, purposeful, and appropriately recorded

If a child discloses immediate risk during a remote session, the practitioner will seek to remain calm, keep the child engaged where possible, and contact emergency services, the responsible adult, school, commissioner, or children’s social care as appropriate to the level of risk.

Confidentiality and Information Sharing

Both organisations handle personal information in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Safeguarding information is treated as confidential and shared only where necessary, lawful, and proportionate.

Information may be shared where:

• the child or young person has given consent and it is safe and appropriate to rely on consent
• there is a legal duty to share information
• there is a safeguarding concern requiring information to be shared to protect a child or another person
• the public interest in protecting a child outweighs the individual’s right to confidentiality
• advice or referral is required from children’s social care, police, LADO, or another statutory agency

Where there is a conflict between confidentiality and the safety of a child, the child’s safety takes precedence.

Safeguarding records are stored securely, accessible only to the Designated Safeguarding Lead and other relevant persons where necessary, and retained in accordance with the organisation’s data retention arrangements.

Online Safety

Both organisations recognise that online services, digital platforms, live chat, directories, portals, and downloadable resources carry specific safeguarding responsibilities.

Online safety measures include:

• password-protected and access-controlled digital platforms
• review and moderation of relevant content where appropriate
• clear reporting routes for concerns about online conduct or content
• no publication of identifiable information about children without appropriate lawful basis and consent
• prompt response to reported concerns about platform misuse, inappropriate behaviour, or safeguarding risk
• removal or restriction of access where safeguarding concerns arise
• staff and contractor awareness of online safeguarding risks

Any concern about online content, communication, or conduct connected to either organisation should be reported immediately to [email protected].

Allegations Against Staff, Contractors, Volunteers, or Directors

Any allegation that a staff member, contractor, volunteer, director, or person acting on behalf of either organisation has behaved in a way that has harmed, may have harmed, or may pose a risk to a child must be taken seriously.

This includes concerns that a person may have:

• behaved in a way that has harmed a child or may have harmed a child
• possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child
• behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates they may pose a risk of harm
• behaved in a way that indicates they may not be suitable to work with children

Where an allegation is made, the Designated Safeguarding Lead will:

• record the concern in full
• avoid investigating the allegation internally before statutory advice is sought
• refer the matter to the Local Authority Designated Officer within one working day where the allegation meets the relevant threshold
• follow LADO guidance on next steps
• refer to the Disclosure and Barring Service where required
• take appropriate action to protect children while advice is being sought

If an allegation is made against the Designated Safeguarding Lead, the concern should be reported directly to the relevant local authority children’s social care department, the LADO, or the police where appropriate.

Safeguarding and the Child Therapy Service Directory

The Child Therapy Service Directory is designed to help families, schools, local authorities, and professionals find child-focused practitioners and services.

All listings are reviewed before publication and are subject to the Directory Conduct Policy and relevant terms of use.

Both organisations reserve the right to refuse, remove, suspend, or restrict any listing where safeguarding, professional conduct, accuracy, or suitability concerns arise.

Where a safeguarding concern is raised about a listed practitioner, the concern may be referred to the relevant professional body, local authority, police, DBS, or other statutory agency where appropriate.

Where practitioners display verification badges, these indicate documentation reviewed at the point of verification only. They do not constitute an ongoing guarantee of professional status, suitability, fitness to practise, insurance, DBS status, or quality of service.

Users of the Directory remain responsible for carrying out their own due diligence before commissioning or engaging a practitioner. This may include checking qualifications, professional registration, insurance, DBS status, references, and suitability for the specific child or service need.

Concerns about a listed practitioner should be reported to [email protected].

Whistleblowing

Both organisations are committed to a culture of openness, accountability, and safe reporting.

Any staff member, contractor, volunteer, practitioner, parent, carer, professional, or third party may raise a concern about unsafe practice, failure to follow this policy, professional misconduct, safeguarding risk, or the conduct of any person connected to either organisation.

Concerns may be raised with the Designated Safeguarding Lead in the first instance.

Where the concern relates to the Designated Safeguarding Lead, the concern should be raised directly with the relevant local authority children’s social care department, the LADO, the police, or an appropriate external safeguarding body.

External whistleblowing routes include:

• NSPCC Whistleblowing Advice Line: 0800 028 0285
• NSPCC email: [email protected]
• Ofsted: 0300 123 1231
• Police emergency: 999
• Police non-emergency: 101

No person should experience reprisal or disadvantage for raising a genuine safeguarding concern.

Record Keeping

Safeguarding records must be clear, accurate, factual, dated, and stored securely.

Records should include:

• the date and time of the concern
• the name and role of the person raising the concern
• the child or young person concerned, where known
• the exact words used where a disclosure has been made
• observations, actions, and decisions
• who was contacted and when
• the rationale for decisions made
• follow-up actions and outcomes where known

Safeguarding records are confidential and held separately from general service records wherever appropriate.

Related Policies

This policy should be read alongside the following policies where applicable:

• Privacy Policy
• Terms and Conditions
• Directory Conduct Policy
• Directory User Policy
• Snapshots Governance and Quality Policy
• Access Policy
• Data Retention Policy
• Complaints Policy

Policies are available at: childtherapyservice.org.uk/policies

Contact and Reporting

Designated Safeguarding Lead: Tracy Elizabeth Chadwick
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 01323 749434
Post: 14 St. Gregory Close, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN20 7JL

Emergency contacts:

• Police emergency: 999
• Police non-emergency: 101
• NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000
• Childline: 0800 1111

Review

This policy is reviewed annually as a minimum. It will also be reviewed following any safeguarding incident, significant organisational change, change to service delivery, or update to relevant legislation or statutory guidance.

Signed on behalf of Child Therapy Service CIC and Child Therapy Practitioners Limited:

Tracy Elizabeth Chadwick
Director, Child Therapy Service CIC & Child Therapy Practitioners Limited
June 2026