SAFEGUARDING POLICY
Children, young people and adults at risk
Katie Martin • Sole Practitioner • NCPS Accredited
Practice: Katie Marie Talking Therapy | Phoenix Pathways Wellness & Therapy Centre, Unit 7, Bere Farm, Wareham Road, Lytchett Matravers, Poole, Dorset BH16 6ER
Approved policy | Public version | November 2026
Policy owner - Katie Martin, sole practitioner
Prepared - 3 November 2026
Approved - November 2026
Next scheduled review - November 2027, or sooner if required
Applies to - Face-to-face, online and telephone counselling; adults and children aged 5–17
1. Policy statement
Katie Marie Talking Therapy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk. Everyone has the right to feel safe, be treated with dignity and respect, and be protected from abuse, neglect, exploitation and harm.
Safeguarding is integral to my counselling practice. I aim to provide a supportive, confidential environment while recognising that confidentiality is not absolute where information needs to be shared lawfully to protect a person from harm.
I will act in accordance with relevant UK legislation, the NCPS ethical framework, and current local safeguarding arrangements. I will respond proportionately to concerns, take the person’s wishes and circumstances into account, and seek advice or make referrals without unnecessary delay.
2. Responsibility, competence and scope
I, Katie Martin, am the sole practitioner and person responsible for safeguarding within Katie Marie Talking Therapy. There is no separate designated safeguarding lead within the practice.
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I have completed Level 3 safeguarding training and undertake annual safeguarding refresher training.
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I hold an Enhanced DBS certificate for the Child Workforce, including a Children’s Barred List check, and maintain my DBS Update Service subscription. Maintaining a subscription does not itself constitute a periodic status check.
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I maintain professional indemnity insurance that covers my counselling work with children and young people aged 5–17, subject to the terms of my policy.
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I attend clinical supervision and may seek additional safeguarding advice. I will never delay urgent protective action while waiting for supervision.
This policy applies to concerns arising in face-to-face, online or telephone sessions, including information provided by parents, carers, schools, referrers or others. For clients outside Dorset or BCP, I will identify the relevant local safeguarding authority.
3. Recognising safeguarding concerns
Safeguarding concerns may arise from a direct disclosure, a third-party report, observations during sessions, or patterns of behaviour. Possible indicators include physical, emotional or sexual abuse; neglect; domestic abuse; coercive control;
exploitation (including criminal or sexual exploitation); online abuse; discriminatory abuse; self-neglect; financial abuse; and risks of serious self-harm or suicide.
I recognise that a person may not use the word “abuse”, may be reluctant to disclose, or may communicate distress through behaviour. I will remain alert to risks affecting siblings, other children or adults, and consider whether specialist support is needed. I will not assume that a single sign proves abuse.
4. Responding to concerns and disclosures
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Listen calmly and without judgement. Allow the person to speak at their own pace; acknowledge their disclosure and do not promise a particular outcome.
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Explain confidentiality clearly. Do not promise secrecy; explain that information may need to be shared with safeguarding professionals when necessary.
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Do not investigate. Avoid leading questions, repeated questioning or attempts to verify allegations. Ask only what is necessary to establish immediate safety and decide next steps.
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Consider immediate risk. If someone is in immediate danger or requires an emergency response, call 999. For a crime not requiring an emergency response, consider police 101.
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Make a factual record as soon as practicable. Include the person’s own words where possible, dates, times, observations, relevant context and immediate action taken.
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Contact the relevant children’s social care or adult safeguarding service promptly when a referral or advice is needed. Do not wait for supervision if action is urgent.
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Consider whether to inform parents or carers. Do not inform them first where this may increase danger, compromise enquiries or otherwise be inappropriate; seek children’s social care advice.
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Record decisions, reasons, contacts, information shared, advice received, referrals, outcomes and follow-up. If concerns remain unresolved, seek further advice or escalate.
The separate Safeguarding Concerns Recording Procedure and Safeguarding Concern Record Form support this process. My role is to recognise, respond, record and refer, not to investigate allegations.
5. Safeguarding referrals and emergency action
5.1 Choosing the referral route
For immediate danger, call 999. Otherwise, use the relevant safeguarding contact in Appendix A, taking account of where the person lives and the nature of the concern. For a remote-session emergency, provide emergency services with the client’s confirmed current physical location. If the correct local authority is uncertain, seek advice promptly rather than delaying action.
For children, contact children’s social care if there is concern about abuse, neglect or significant harm; seek advice if unsure. For adults, consider the person’s care and support needs, risk of abuse or neglect, capacity, wishes and the applicable adult safeguarding threshold. Do not assume that all adults receiving counselling meet the statutory definition of an adult at risk.
5.2 Information to provide and follow-up
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Client’s name, age/date of birth, location, contact details and relevant family or support information, as available and necessary.
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A factual account of the concern, immediate risks, any injuries or disclosures, and the client’s own words where relevant.
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Actions already taken; whether the client and/or parent or carer knows about the referral; any reasons not to inform them.
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Relevant protective factors, other people potentially at risk and any urgent practical needs.
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Details of the professional contacted, date/time, advice, referral reference, agreed next steps and review/escalation arrangements.
For BCP child referrals, professionals should use the council’s inter-agency referral form; an urgent situation should be telephoned through rather than waiting to complete paperwork. I will follow the receiving authority’s current referral instructions.
6. Allegations or concerns about the counsellor
Any safeguarding allegation or concern about my own conduct will be taken seriously and must be subject to independent consideration. I will not investigate an allegation against myself, seek to influence witnesses or discourage anyone from contacting safeguarding services or the police.
Where an allegation indicates that a person working with children has harmed or may have harmed a child, committed a relevant offence, posed a risk of harm or may be unsuitable to work with children, the relevant Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) should be informed within one working day. BCP requires professional LADO enquiries/referrals through its LADO referral form; Dorset also provides a referral form and LADO contact route. See Appendix A.
If an allegation concerns an adult at risk, the appropriate adult safeguarding service or police should be contacted as warranted. I will cooperate with external enquiries and consider notifying my insurer and the NCPS in line with their requirements. Clients, parents and carers may contact statutory safeguarding services or the police directly; they do not need to raise an allegation with me first.
7. Confidentiality, consent and information sharing
I explain the limits of confidentiality at the outset of counselling, using age-appropriate language. I normally seek consent before sharing information, where safe and appropriate. However, safeguarding information may be shared without consent when there is a sufficient lawful basis and this is necessary and proportionate to protect a child, adult at risk or another person, or to meet a legal obligation.
For children and young people, I take account of their age, understanding and capacity to consent, including Gillick competence for under-16s and the usual presumption of capacity for 16–17-year-olds. Parental involvement is considered in light of the young person’s rights, safety and the circumstances. A parent’s request for information does not automatically override a competent young person’s confidentiality.
For adults, I consider their wishes, autonomy, relevant mental capacity principles and any risks to other people. I share only information necessary for the safeguarding purpose, using secure methods where practicable, and record the basis for the decision.
8. Safeguarding records and information security
I maintain paper and electronic counselling records. Electronic records are stored on a password-protected device. Paper counselling and safeguarding records are stored securely in a locked cabinet or drawer, with access restricted to me.
Safeguarding records are completed promptly, accurately and factually, with disclosures recorded in the person’s own words where possible. They are kept separately from routine counselling notes where practicable, with appropriate cross-references. Access is restricted and information is shared only where lawful and necessary.
Records are retained in accordance with the Katie Marie Talking Therapy Privacy Notice, applicable requirements and insurer conditions. The practice’s stated retention approach is at least seven years after the last counselling session for adult records; for children and young people, records are normally kept until at least age 25, with longer retention where justified. Any disposal will be secure and documented as appropriate.
9. Safeguarding during remote counselling
The same safeguarding responsibilities apply to online and telephone counselling as to face-to-face sessions. At the start of each remote session, I confirm the client’s current physical location and consider whether the setting is suitably private and safe.
Before remote work begins, I consider emergency contact arrangements and whether remote counselling is appropriate to the client’s age, needs and circumstances. For children and young people, relevant parent/guardian contact arrangements are established with due regard to confidentiality and safeguarding.
If a session disconnects unexpectedly, I attempt to contact the client by telephone. Where contact cannot be restored and there is a credible concern about immediate safety, I take proportionate action using the known location, emergency contact and statutory services as appropriate. I document actions and decisions.
10. Safer working practices, supervision and review
I maintain clear professional boundaries, use appropriate communication channels, consider safe arrangements for children’s arrival and collection, and ensure parents or guardians remain contactable during face-to-face sessions where agreed. I do not use personal or informal contact in ways that undermine professional boundaries.
I undertake annual safeguarding refresher training and regular clinical supervision, keeping abreast of relevant professional guidance and local safeguarding arrangements. Supervision supports reflection but does not replace referral or emergency action.
This policy will be reviewed each November, or sooner following changes to legislation, local referral pathways, professional guidance, service delivery or learning from an incident. Contact details will be checked at review and when a change becomes known. The next scheduled review is November 2027.
Appendix A. Safeguarding contact directory
Quick action: immediate danger or crime in progress — 999. Police non-emergency — 101. Always check the current council guidance before making a non-emergency referral, as routes and opening hours can change.
Children and young people
BCP — Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Children’s First Response MASH: 01202 123 334; childrensfirstresponse@bcpcouncil.gov.uk. Mon–Thu 8.30am–5.15pm; Fri 8.30am–4.45pm. Professionals: use inter-agency referral form.
BCP — out of hours
Children’s Social Care: 01202 738 256. Weekdays 5pm–9am, weekends and bank holidays.
Dorset Council — including Purbeck
Family Support and Advice Line: 01305 228 558. Mon–Fri 8am–10pm; weekends and bank holidays 9am–10pm.
Dorset Council — out of hours emergencies
01305 221 000 (outside Family Support and Advice Line hours).
Adults at risk
BCP — Adult Social Care Hub
01202 123 654. Mon–Thu 9am–5pm; Fri 9am–4.30pm.
BCP — out of hours
Adult Social Care Emergency Duty Service: 0300 123 9895.
Dorset Council — Adult Safeguarding
01305 221 016. Mon–Fri 8.30am–5pm.
Dorset Council — out of hours
01305 221 000.
Allegations about people working with children (LADO)
BCP LADO
Professionals: submit BCP Council LADO referral form within one working day. The council says professional advice/referrals must be made using the form, not direct telephone/email. Public concerns: lado@bcpcouncil.gov.uk.
Dorset LADO
Submit Dorset LADO referral form to lado@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk within one working day. Advice/contact: 01305 221 122.
Appendix B. Source pages and related practice documents
Local authority and safeguarding partnership sources checked 3 November 2026. These are source pages, not a guarantee that contact details will remain unchanged.
BCP Children’s First Response Hub: https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/children-young-people-and-families/childrens-first-response-hub-for-child-abuse-or-neglect-concerns
BCP Children’s Out of Hours: https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/children-young-people-and-families/children-and-young-people-social-care/children-and-young-people-social-care-out-of-hours-service
Dorset Council — Worried about a child: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/w/worried-about-a-child
BCP Adult Social Care Hub: https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/adult-social-care-and-health/contact-our-adult-social-care-hub
BCP Adult Emergency Duty Service: https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/adult-social-care-and-health/contact-our-adult-social-care-hub/contact-the-adult-social-care-emergency-duty-service
Dorset Council — Adult safeguarding: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/adult-social-care/urgent-help/report-abuse-neglect
BCP — LADO referral route: https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/children-young-people-and-families/crime-and-safeguarding-concerns-involving-children-and-young-people/report-a-concern-or-allegation-about-a-professional-working-with-children
Dorset Safeguarding Children Partnership — LADO: https://pdscp.co.uk/new-dorset-council-lado-referral-form/
Related practice documents (kept as separate Word files): Safeguarding Concerns Recording Procedure; Safeguarding Concern Record Form; Katie Marie Talking Therapy Privacy Notice; Adult Counselling Contract; Children and Young People’s Counselling Contract.
Policy approval and review
Policy owner: Katie Martin | Role: Sole Practitioner, Katie Marie Talking Therapy
Approved: November 2026
Next scheduled review: November 2027, or sooner if required