Mindscape’s Safeguarding Policy

Safeguarding Policy

Policy owner: Andrew C. Wright, HCPC-registered Art Psychotherapist
Email: andrew@arttherapyscape.com
Last reviewed: 22 October 2026
Review date: October 2027, or sooner if legislation, statutory guidance, professional standards or practice arrangements change.

1. Our commitment to safeguarding

Mindscape Therapy & Consultancy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare, safety and dignity of children, young people and adults who may be at risk of abuse, neglect, exploitation or harm.

Safeguarding is an integral part of ethical and responsible therapeutic practice. Mindscape aims to provide a safe, respectful, inclusive and supportive environment for people accessing psychotherapy, creative therapy, clinical supervision and consultancy.

The welfare and best interests of children are central to safeguarding decisions. When working with adults, their wishes, feelings, rights, autonomy and individual circumstances will be considered alongside relevant legal duties and the need to protect them and others from harm.

Concerns will be taken seriously and addressed promptly, proportionately and in accordance with applicable legislation, professional standards and safeguarding procedures.

2. Scope of this policy

This policy applies to Mindscape’s independent practice, including face-to-face and online therapeutic work, school-based services, clinical supervision and consultancy delivered across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP), Dorset and Hampshire.

It covers safeguarding concerns involving:

  • Children and young people under 18, including looked-after and adopted children, children with disabilities and children with additional communication or support needs.
  • Adults with care and support needs who may be experiencing, or be at risk of, abuse or neglect.
  • Children who may be affected by domestic abuse, family difficulties, exploitation or risks arising from work with an adult.
  • Concerns about the conduct of professionals, carers or other people in positions of trust.
  • Risks arising during face-to-face or remote therapeutic work.

Where Mindscape provides services through a school, fostering agency or another organisation, the relevant organisation’s safeguarding procedures must also be followed. This policy does not replace the safeguarding policies or contractual requirements of those organisations.

3. Safeguarding principles

Mindscape is committed to the following principles:

  • Safety: taking appropriate action to protect people from abuse, neglect, exploitation and avoidable harm.
  • Dignity and respect: treating each person fairly and recognising their individual needs and rights.
  • Participation: listening to children, young people and adults and taking their views seriously.
  • Inclusion: recognising the effects of disability, neurodivergence, communication differences, trauma, culture and discrimination on safety and access to support.
  • Confidentiality: protecting personal information while recognising when safeguarding responsibilities require information to be shared.
  • Accountability: recording concerns, decisions and actions and seeking appropriate professional advice and supervision.
  • Partnership: working with relevant families, carers, schools, social workers, health professionals and safeguarding agencies where appropriate.

4. Recognising abuse, neglect and harm

Safeguarding concerns may include, but are not limited to:

  • Physical abuse.
  • Sexual abuse, sexual exploitation or grooming.
  • Emotional or psychological abuse.
  • Neglect and acts of omission.
  • Domestic abuse, including coercive or controlling behaviour.
  • Financial or material abuse.
  • Discriminatory abuse.
  • Organisational or institutional abuse.
  • Modern slavery, trafficking or other forms of exploitation.
  • Bullying, harassment, online abuse and harmful digital contact.
  • Self-neglect or other serious welfare concerns where relevant to adult safeguarding.
  • Harm arising from inappropriate professional conduct or misuse of a position of trust.

Concerns may arise through a direct disclosure, observed behaviour or injuries, changes in presentation, information from another professional or family member, or other indicators that cause reasonable concern.

It is not necessary to establish proof of abuse before seeking safeguarding advice or making an appropriate referral.

5. Roles and responsibilities

Andrew C. Wright is responsible for safeguarding within Mindscape’s independent practice.

This includes:

  • Recognising and responding to safeguarding concerns.
  • Maintaining appropriate professional boundaries and safe working practices.
  • Keeping safeguarding knowledge and training up to date.
  • Consulting relevant safeguarding professionals and using appropriate clinical supervision.
  • Making referrals to statutory services where required.
  • Maintaining accurate, timely and secure safeguarding records.
  • Following applicable professional standards and legal requirements.

Mindscape is a sole-practitioner service. It does not operate as a multi-staff safeguarding team. Where other professionals or organisations are involved, responsibilities must be clarified in accordance with the relevant service arrangements.

The involvement of a school, fostering agency or other organisation does not remove the practitioner’s responsibility to act when a person may be at risk of harm. If an appropriate response is not forthcoming, concerns will be escalated through the relevant safeguarding channels.

6. Responding to disclosures and safeguarding concerns

When a child, young person or adult discloses abuse or a safeguarding concern arises, the following procedure will be followed.

1. Listen and respond calmly. Take the concern seriously, remain supportive and avoid judgement or blame.

2. Do not investigate. Allow the person to describe what has happened in their own words. Use only the clarification necessary to establish immediate safety and avoid leading questions.

3. Explain confidentiality appropriately. Do not promise secrecy. Explain, in an age-appropriate and sensitive way, that information may need to be shared with people who can help keep them or another person safe.

4. Consider immediate risk. If someone is in immediate danger, or there is an urgent risk of serious harm, contact the emergency services on 999.

5. Record the concern. Make a contemporaneous record of the information disclosed or observed, including dates, relevant context, the person’s own words where possible, and any action taken.

6. Seek advice and refer. Contact the appropriate local authority safeguarding service, designated safeguarding lead or other relevant professional, as appropriate to the circumstances. Make a referral where required without waiting for proof or conducting an independent investigation.

7. Follow up. Record referrals, advice received, decisions made and the reasons for those decisions. Where necessary, follow up or escalate a concern if the response does not adequately address the risk.

7. Safeguarding children and young people

Children’s safety and welfare are paramount in safeguarding decisions.

Concerns may arise from direct disclosures, suspected abuse or neglect, domestic abuse, exploitation, online harm, significant changes in behaviour or information received from families and professionals.

Where there is a concern that a child may be suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm, or otherwise requires safeguarding intervention, appropriate children’s social care or safeguarding services will be contacted promptly.

Where appropriate and safe, parents or carers may be involved in discussions about support and protective action. They will not automatically be informed before a referral if doing so could increase risk to the child, compromise an investigation or otherwise undermine safeguarding action.

The child’s wishes, feelings, developmental stage and communication needs will be considered. Additional care will be taken to ensure that children with disabilities, neurodivergence, learning disabilities or experiences of trauma have accessible opportunities to communicate their concerns.

Where a child is already supported by a school, fostering agency or social worker, relevant professionals will be informed in accordance with safeguarding and information-sharing requirements. Direct referral to statutory services will be made where necessary.

8. Safeguarding adults at risk

Mindscape recognises that adults may experience abuse, neglect, exploitation or harm in domestic, family, care, community or institutional settings.

Concerns will be considered in accordance with the Care Act 2014, relevant local safeguarding procedures and other applicable law.

Where appropriate, the adult will be involved in decisions about what happens next. Their wishes, feelings, consent, decision-making capacity where relevant, and right to make choices will be considered.

Information may need to be shared without consent where there is a lawful basis, including circumstances involving serious risk of harm, risk to other people, a relevant legal obligation or other safeguarding grounds.

Advice or referrals will be sought from the appropriate local authority adult safeguarding service or the police, as necessary. An adult’s refusal of support will be considered carefully and does not automatically remove the need to assess risks to that person or others.

9. Confidentiality and information sharing

Confidentiality is fundamental to therapeutic practice, but it is not absolute.

Information may be shared where necessary and lawful to safeguard a child or adult, address a serious risk of harm, comply with a legal obligation or meet another applicable safeguarding requirement.

Information will be shared with appropriate individuals or agencies on a relevant, necessary and proportionate basis. Where safe and appropriate, the client will be informed about the decision to share information and the reasons for it.

Decisions about information sharing will be documented, including the rationale, the information shared, the recipient and the relevant legal or safeguarding basis where applicable.

Personal information and safeguarding records will be stored securely and handled in accordance with the UK data protection framework, professional obligations and Mindscape’s Privacy and Data Protection Policy.

For safeguarding information relating to children, Mindscape will have regard to the applicable statutory information-sharing guidance and duties in force at the time.

10. Allegations and concerns about professionals

Any allegation or concern that a professional, carer or other person in a position of trust may have harmed a child, committed an offence involving a child or pose a risk to children will be taken seriously.

Where appropriate, the concern will be referred to the relevant Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) or local authority safeguarding service, and the relevant organisational safeguarding lead will be informed in accordance with applicable procedures.

Concerns about a professional working with an adult at risk will be referred to the appropriate safeguarding authority, employer, regulator or police, where necessary.

Where an allegation concerns a professional or organisation with which Mindscape works, the appropriate external reporting route will be used if required. Immediate protective action will not be delayed while internal procedures are followed.

11. Online and remote practice

Safeguarding principles apply equally to online and face-to-face work.

For remote sessions, appropriate arrangements will be considered for establishing the client’s identity and location, particularly where there is a risk of harm or an emergency. Emergency contact arrangements and access to local services will be considered where relevant.

Professional boundaries, privacy, secure communication and appropriate use of digital platforms will be maintained.

Where a safeguarding concern arises during an online session, the response will take account of the client’s location, immediate circumstances and the appropriate local safeguarding or emergency services.

12. Professional boundaries and safe practice

Mindscape is committed to maintaining clear professional boundaries and acting in the best interests of clients.

This includes appropriate arrangements for consent, communication, contact outside sessions, the use of creative materials and images, online work, record keeping and liaison with families and other professionals.

Information about a client, including artwork, photographs or other therapeutic material, will not be shared for promotional, educational or other purposes without an appropriate lawful basis and any necessary consent or authorisation.

Where a concern arises about professional conduct or a potential breach of boundaries, it will be considered promptly and appropriate advice or action sought.

13. Recording, storage and retention

Safeguarding concerns, disclosures, referrals, consultations and decisions will be documented accurately, promptly and objectively.

Records will distinguish factual observations and reported information from professional opinion. Relevant actions, advice received, information shared and the reasons for decisions will be recorded.

Safeguarding records will be stored securely, with access restricted appropriately, and retained in accordance with applicable data protection law, professional standards and Mindscape’s record-retention arrangements.

14. Local safeguarding contacts

The appropriate local authority should be contacted according to where the child or adult at risk is located and the relevant service arrangements.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP)

Children and young people:

Adults at risk:

  • Adult Social Care Hub: 01202 123 654
  • Out-of-hours emergency duty service: 0300 123 9895
  • BCP Adult Social Care

Dorset Council area

Adults at risk:

For concerns about children, use the Dorset Council website to identify the current children’s safeguarding referral route.

Hampshire County Council area

Children and young people:

Adults at risk:

Emergency situations

Call 999 if a person is in immediate danger or emergency assistance is required.

For non-emergency police matters, call 101.

Contact details and referral arrangements should be checked against the relevant authority’s current information before a referral is made.

15. Relevant legislation, standards and guidance

This policy is informed by applicable legislation and professional guidance, including:

  • Children Act 1989 and Children Act 2004.
  • Care Act 2014.
  • Equality Act 2010.
  • UK data protection legislation, including the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018, as amended.
  • Working Together to Safeguard Children (2026).
  • Applicable statutory information-sharing guidance for safeguarding children and young people.
  • Keeping Children Safe in Education (2026), where relevant to work undertaken in educational settings.
  • Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics, effective from 1 September 2024.
  • Relevant local authority and multi-agency safeguarding procedures.

This policy should be read alongside Mindscape’s Privacy and Data Protection Policy and any relevant safeguarding procedures of organisations commissioning or hosting its services.

16. Review

This policy will be reviewed annually, or sooner if there are significant changes in legislation, statutory guidance, professional standards, local safeguarding procedures or the nature of Mindscape’s services.

Policy owner: Andrew C. Wright
Mindscape Therapy & Consultancy
Email: andrew@arttherapyscape.com