Safeguarding Policy

This is a living document which is reviewed regularly. Last edited in June 2022  (v 3.0)

Safeguarding Concern? No concern is too small!

To raise a safeguarding concern, just complete the form 👉 here.

After that, read the Escalation section in this policy 👉 here.

Key messages from this policy

  1. Safeguarding against our clients’ risk of harm or abuse is everyone’s responsibility. It is everyone’s duty as part of an organisation that provides therapy to read this policy, to plan for managing risk, to reflect about how you can best manage risk and to feed back to other members of the organisation if you have concerns about risk of harm.
  2. Submitting a safeguarding incident form is the first step that should be taken by anyone at Spill who becomes worried about a client; this form submission triggers one of the escalation procedures outlined in the “Escalation” section of this policy
  3. Spill has 7 lines of defence: Spill is clear about communicating its Boundaries (“Boundaries”), Spill doesn’t work with the general public (“Limited Access”), therapists plan ahead for emergencies with their clients (“Planning Ahead”), all clients go through a risk assessment (“Client Assessment”), therapists monitor client wellbeing (“Monitoring”), Spill has clear steps for escalating safeguarding concerns (“Escalation”), and Spill has in place a range of automated and semi-automated quality control systems (“Quality Control”)
  4. Everyone working at Spill is expected to use their judgement, rather than rely exclusively on the procedures outlined here. This policy is an aid to decision-making, not a replacement for decision-making.
  5. If you are concerned about an imminent harm to a client, it is better to overreact rather than to underreact: if in doubt seek advice. The Spill clinical team is there to support you throughout the safeguarding process.

Everyone working at Spill is required to read this policy when they start working at Spill, every time it changes and at least once a year. It will be complemented periodically by safeguarding training.

Introduction

What is safeguarding?

Safeguarding is the process by which we protect people from the risk or experience of abuse or harm. The UK Care Act (2014) defines adult safeguarding as the process by which…

“People and organisations [work] together to prevent and stop both the risks and experience of abuse or neglect, while at the same time making sure that the adult’s wellbeing is promoted including, where appropriate, having regard to their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs in deciding on any action.”

The six principles of safeguarding are as follows:

1. Empowerment: People being supported and encouraged to make their own decisions and informed consent

2. Prevention: It is better to take action before harm occurs.

3. Proportionality: The least intrusive response appropriate to the risk presented.