Safeguarding

Updated November 2026 | Next review: November 2027

This policy explains how I keep adults safe in my work, how I respond if I am worried about someone’s safety, and who you can contact if you have a concern. It sits alongside my Working Agreement and Privacy Notice. I am a psychotherapist and BACP accredited member, and I work to the BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions (2026).

Who I work with

I work with adults aged 18 and over. I do not work with children or young people. If someone under 18 contacts me, I will help them find a suitable service.

What safeguarding means in my practice

Safeguarding means protecting people’s right to live safely, free from abuse and neglect. I pay particular attention to adults who have care and support needs and may be unable to protect themselves from abuse or neglect. I am alert to physical, psychological, sexual, financial, discriminatory and organisational abuse, domestic abuse (including coercive control), modern slavery, neglect and self-neglect. I also take seriously any concern about a child, whether it comes from something you tell me or from something I notice.

My responsibilities

I hold an enhanced DBS certificate.
I am my own safeguarding lead. I decide how to respond to a concern, and I talk it through in supervision, without identifying you wherever possible.
I can also ask for advice from BACP’s ethics service or from the local authority safeguarding team, again without identifying you where possible.
I keep a secure record of any safeguarding concern, my reasons for any decision, who I spoke to and what I shared.
I review this policy at least once a year, and sooner if the law or my practice changes.

If I am worried about your safety

Most concerns can be talked through together. Wherever it is safe and appropriate, I will:

talk to you openly about what I am worried about, before I do anything else;
listen to what you want to happen. Adults have the right to make their own decisions, including ones that other people might see as risky, as long as they have the capacity to make them;
help you think about options for support and, if you wish, help you contact services yourself; and
explain what I might need to do and why, so that nothing comes as a surprise.

When I may share information without your agreement

What you tell me is confidential, and I will always try to get your agreement first. There are rare situations where I may need to share some information without it. These include where:

there is a serious risk of harm to you or to someone else, and sharing is needed to prevent it;
a child is at risk of harm;
an adult at risk is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect and cannot protect themselves;
someone may not have the capacity to make decisions about their own safety, and sharing is in their best interests; or
I am legally required to disclose information, for example by a court order or under the law on terrorism.

I will share only what is necessary, with the right people, and I will keep a record of what I shared and why. I will tell you beforehand wherever it is safe to do so, and afterwards if it is not.

If you are thinking about ending your life

If I am worried that you may be at risk of ending your life, I will talk to you openly about it, and we will make a plan together for keeping you safe, including who can support you. If your life is in immediate danger and I cannot make a plan with you, I may contact the emergency services, your emergency contact or your GP without your agreement. I would tell you afterwards.

Concerns about a child

If something you tell me, or something I notice, makes me worried that a child is being harmed or is at risk of harm, I will talk to you about it first where it is safe to do so, and think it through in supervision. If I believe a child is at risk of significant harm, I will contact Surrey Children’s Services (see below) or the police, or the equivalent service for the area where the child lives. In an emergency, I will call 999.

Domestic abuse and coercive control

If you tell me you are experiencing domestic abuse or coercive control, I will take it seriously and focus on your safety. I will not contact anyone else about it without talking to you first, unless there is serious, immediate risk or I am legally required to. If it is unsafe for me to contact you in a particular way, such as by text or WhatsApp, please tell me and we will agree a safer way.

Remote sessions

At the start of a remote session I check where you are, and I hold an emergency contact for you. If I am seriously worried about your safety during a remote session and cannot reach you, I will use your emergency contact details, or contact the emergency services for the location you gave me.

If you have a concern

If you are worried about your own safety or someone else’s, please tell me. If you are worried about my conduct, please tell me, in session or in writing, and I will acknowledge a written concern within seven days. If we cannot resolve it, or you prefer not to raise it with me, you can contact BACP: bacp.co.uk/about-us/protecting-the-public/professional-conduct/professional-conduct-complaints-procedure

Useful contacts

These are the services I would usually contact. They are for Surrey; if you or the person at risk live elsewhere, I will contact the local authority for that area.

Emergency: if someone is in immediate danger, call 999. To report a crime that is not an emergency, call Surrey Police on 101.
Adults at risk (Surrey Adult Social Care): 0300 200 1005, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Out of hours: 01483 517 898. Online referral: www.surreycc.gov.uk/protectingadults
Children (Surrey Children’s Single Point of Access, C-SPA): 0300 470 9100, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, or cspa@surreycc.gov.uk. Evenings, weekends and bank holidays: 01483 517 898.
Mental health crisis (Surrey and North East Hampshire, 24 hours): 0800 915 4644, or call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option. Samaritans: 116 123 (free).
Domestic abuse: National Domestic Abuse Helpline, 0808 2000 247 (free, 24 hours).

Changes to this policy

I review this policy at least once a year, and the next review is due in November 2027. The current version is on my website, www.timespacetalk.com. If you have any questions about it, please raise them with me or email timespacetalk@proton.me.