Safeguarding

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What is Safeguarding?

Safeguarding refers to the action taken to uphold and promote the welfare of children, or adults with care and support needs, regardless to whether they’re receiving care and support, to protect them from harm. Child protection forms part of Safeguarding.

Some relevant legislations applicable to Safeguarding includes but not be limited to:

• Care Act 2014
• The Children Act 1989 (as amended)
• The Children and Social Work Act 2017
• Keeping Children Safe in Education 2019
• Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018
• The Education Act 2002
• The United Nations convention on the Rights of the Child 1992
• The Equality Act 2010
• The Children and Families Act 2014
• The Human Rights Act 1998
• Safeguarding Children: Working Together under the Children Act 2004 (2007) in Wales

It is important to note this list is not exclusive, as further government legislation and documented approaches may impose Safeguarding duties to uphold. Some examples including but not limited to:

• Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015
• Criminal exploitation of children and vulnerable adults: county lines
• Ending gang violence and exploitation
• Forced marriage and other points in The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014
• Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003
• Education and Inspections Act 2006

Safeguarding is always under review and as such further government legislation and documented approaches may become relevant to Safeguarding. A current example of this, relevant at the time of publication, is the government consultation taking place to make conversion therapy illegal in the UK.

The aims of this policy

• To fulfil duties relating to the Safeguarding of adults and child, essential for the prevention of harm and abuse, to ensure proportionate and professional responses are taken to respond to concerns.
• To outline my duties in a Safeguarding context.
• To clearly outline how concerns will be handled in the context of multidisciplinary approaches to Safeguarding, engaging relevant agencies.
• All adults and children have the right to live free from fear of abuse and neglect, including any other related Safeguarding concern, such as trafficking and exploitation.

The role of Feeling Out Loud

• Every counsellor in the UK has a Safeguarding duty of care, as does any staff member in an organisation providing support to people.
• Feeling Out Loud aims to provide services that uphold legal and ethical duty of care in relation to Safeguarding and engage relevant agencies as necessary.
• Uphold autonomy; individual choices to have control about how they want to live their own life and where possible, to work to engage individuals’ about how responses to safeguarding concerns in a way that enhances their involvement, choice, and control.

What is abuse?

According to the Social Care Institute of Excellence (SCIE) the ten different types of abuse are:

• Physical abuse
• Domestic abuse
• Psychological or emotional abuse
• Financial or material abuse
• Modern slavery
• Discriminatory abuse
• Organisational or institutional abuse
• Neglect or acts of omission
• Self-neglect

The SCIE go on to say:

“Evidence of any one indicator from the following lists should not be taken on its own as proof that abuse is occurring. However, it should alert practitioners to make further assessments and to consider other associated factors. The lists of possible indicators and examples of behaviour are not exhaustive, and people may be subject to a number of abuse types at the same time.”

(https://www.scie.org.uk/safeguarding/adults/introduction/types-and-indicators-of-abuse)

Abuse can happen in many ways and in many contexts. As discussed in the “what is safeguarding?” section, other acts and behaviours may warrant Safeguarding concern to be raised. Therefore, examples such as exploitation or forced marriage may also come under the definition abuse.

What are Safeguarding concerns?

For adults: Where an adult who has care and support needs may experience, be at risk of experiencing exploitation or abuse as defined in the section above, as result of their care and support needs. The adult is unable to protect themselves from either the risk of, or the experience of abuse or exploitation. This is applicable even if the individual is not receiving support or care for their needs.

For children: Where a child or young person may experience or be at risk of experiencing exploitation or abuse. This can include living in, engaged with or exposed to, circumstances where there is a risk of abuse.

Confidentiality and Safeguarding

Counselling is confidential meaning most of the information you speak with me about will stay between us and it’s a duty counsellor’s take very serious. However, there are limits to confidentiality and Safeguarding is one of them.

If I become aware of any potential Safeguarding concern during enquiry, communication or whilst providing a service:

• Where possible, I will discuss my Safeguarding concerns with the person I’m engaging with and involve them in raising the concerns, unless there is a legislation stipulation for me not to.
• Where possible I will consider the views and wishes of the person I’m engaged with.
• Wishes will only be overridden if it’s considered necessary in the interests of their own safety and/or the safety of others and if possible, I will inform them of this, unless there is a legislation stipulation for me not to.
• I have a professional responsibility to share relevant information with relevant professional agencies where an adult or child may be, or is at serious risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.

Other general points relating to confidentiality in the context of counselling at Feeling Out Loud are:

• Clear boundaries around confidentiality will be fully contracted at the beginning of our working together.
• All personal information is kept confidential and held in line with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation.
• I have a full clear DBS checked.
• Although there’s not always a direct legal requirement for me to make Safeguarding disclosures, I work in a way which is ethical, and ethical practices factors in my personal moral qualities. These personal morals are considered and taken account in my therapeutic agreement.