Support | Heal | Thrive

Safeguarding Policy

Last updated: 25th September 2026

Introduction

At Dee W-Jones Therapy, I am committed to safeguarding the welfare of children, young people and adults who may be vulnerable or at risk of harm.

As a sole practitioner providing professional counselling to adults and young people aged 11 and over, I take seriously my responsibility to provide a safe and supportive environment and to respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns.

My safeguarding practice is informed by relevant UK legislation, statutory guidance and professional standards, including the Children Act 1989, Children Act 2004, Children and Social Work Act 2017, Care Act 2014, Equality Act 2010, and relevant data protection legislation.

For children and young people in England, I also have regard to current safeguarding guidance including Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 and relevant information-sharing guidance.

My Commitment to Safeguarding

Safeguarding is an ongoing responsibility. At Dee W-Jones Therapy, I aim to provide a safe, respectful and supportive environment where clients feel able to speak openly without fear of judgement.

I do this by:

Staying alert to possible signs of abuse, neglect, exploitation or other harm.
Taking safeguarding concerns seriously and responding appropriately.
Maintaining confidentiality while recognising its limits where safety or legal requirements require information to be shared.
Maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
Creating a therapeutic environment where clients can discuss concerns safely.
Keeping my safeguarding knowledge and training up to date.

Legal and Ethical Guidance

My safeguarding practice is informed by relevant legislation and guidance, including:

Children Act 1989 and Children Act 2004
Children and Social Work Act 2017
Care Act 2014
Equality Act 2010
Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR

I also have regard to relevant safeguarding guidance, including:

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 – HM Government.
Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026 – Department for Education, where relevant to safeguarding practice.
Information Sharing to Safeguard Children and Young People – current statutory guidance.
Care and Support Statutory Guidance, including adult safeguarding guidance under the Care Act 2014.

I also follow the ethical and professional standards applicable to my counselling practice.

Working Across the UK

Although Dee W-Jones Therapy is based in England, counselling may be provided online to clients in other parts of the UK.

Safeguarding arrangements and referral pathways can differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Where a safeguarding concern arises, I will take reasonable steps to identify and contact the appropriate safeguarding service or authority for the client’s location.

For clients in England, safeguarding concerns involving children will be handled in accordance with the relevant local safeguarding arrangements and current national guidance. Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 provides the current statutory framework for multi-agency safeguarding in England.

What Safeguarding Means to Me

Safeguarding involves protecting people from abuse, neglect and exploitation while promoting their safety, wellbeing, dignity and rights.

This includes:

Supporting children and young people in their development and wellbeing.
Taking preventative action where risks of harm are identified.
Providing a safe and professional counselling environment.
Recognising concerns at an early stage.
Responding appropriately when concerns arise.
Working with relevant services where information needs to be shared to protect someone from harm.

Adult safeguarding focuses on protecting an adult’s right to live safely and free from abuse and neglect, while also taking account of their wishes, feelings, wellbeing and right to make their own choices.

Recognising Abuse

Abuse, neglect and exploitation can take many forms. These may include:

Physical Abuse – causing physical harm or injury.
Sexual Abuse – unwanted, non-consensual or exploitative sexual activity or behaviour.
Emotional or Psychological Abuse – behaviour that causes emotional distress, fear or loss of self-worth.
Neglect – failing to provide necessary care, support or protection.
Financial or Material Abuse – the misuse or exploitation of someone’s money, property or resources.
Domestic Abuse and Coercive Control – patterns of controlling, coercive, threatening or abusive behaviour within relationships or families.
Online Abuse – harmful, threatening, exploitative or abusive behaviour using digital platforms or technology.
Exploitation – taking advantage of someone for personal, financial, sexual or other benefit.

Some people may be particularly vulnerable to abuse because of age, disability, illness, dependency, isolation or other circumstances.

I will remain alert to signs that a client may be experiencing or at risk of harm and will respond appropriately.

Responding to Safeguarding Concerns

If I become aware of a situation where a child, young person or adult may be at risk of significant harm, I will take appropriate and proportionate action.

This may include:

Listening carefully and taking the concern seriously without making promises of absolute confidentiality.
Recording relevant information accurately and objectively as soon as reasonably practicable.
Considering the immediate level of risk and whether urgent action is required.
Seeking appropriate professional or safeguarding advice where necessary.
Making a referral to the appropriate safeguarding authority, healthcare professional, police or other relevant organisation where this is necessary.
Sharing only information that is reasonably necessary and lawful for the safeguarding purpose.

I will not investigate safeguarding allegations myself beyond what is necessary to understand and respond appropriately to the concern.

Where it is safe and appropriate to do so, I will explain to the client what information may need to be shared and why. However, consent will not always be required where information sharing is necessary to protect someone from harm or where there is another lawful basis for sharing the information.

Current statutory guidance emphasises appropriate information sharing as an important part of effective safeguarding.

Children and Young People

Dee W-Jones Therapy provides counselling to young people aged 11 and over.

When working with children and young people, I will take particular account of their age, maturity, understanding, wishes and feelings, alongside safeguarding responsibilities.

Young people will be informed about the limits of confidentiality before counselling begins.

Parents or carers will not automatically be given details of everything discussed during counselling. Information sharing will be considered in accordance with the young person’s rights, understanding, safeguarding needs and applicable law.

Where there is a serious safeguarding concern or significant risk of harm, information may need to be shared without the young person’s consent.

The current Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 guidance applies to all children up to the age of 18 and emphasises a child-centred approach to safeguarding.

Confidentiality and Safeguarding

Confidentiality is an important part of counselling, but it has limits.

Information may need to be shared without a client’s consent where, for example:

there is a serious concern about the safety of the client;
there is a serious concern about another person;
there is a safeguarding concern involving a child or young person;
there is a risk of serious harm;
disclosure is required by law; or
sharing information is otherwise necessary and lawful to protect someone.

Where possible and appropriate, I will discuss information sharing with the client beforehand.

However, I will not allow confidentiality to prevent appropriate safeguarding action where there is a significant risk of harm.

Ongoing Responsibility and Professional Standards

As a sole practitioner, I take personal responsibility for maintaining appropriate safeguarding knowledge, training and procedures.

I will regularly review relevant legislation, statutory guidance and professional standards and undertake appropriate safeguarding training.

I will also maintain appropriate records of safeguarding concerns and actions taken, in accordance with my legal, professional and data protection responsibilities.

My aim is to provide a counselling environment where clients feel safe, respected and able to speak openly, while ensuring that appropriate action is taken whenever safeguarding concerns arise.