Safeguarding Policy

Reviewed August 2026

The purpose of this policy statement is:

· to protect children and young people who receive brain & body boost’s services from harm. This includes the children of adults who use our services

· to provide staff and volunteers, as well as children and young people and their families, with the overarching principles that guide our approach to child protection.

This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of or in co-operation with brain & body boost.

Legal Framework

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation; policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England and will be reviewed biannually.

• The Children Act 1989 (as amended).
• The Children and Social Work Act 2017.
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.
• Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018.
• Keeping Children Safe in Education 2020.

At brain & body boost we believe that:

· Children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind

· We have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people, to keep them safe and to practise in a way that protects them.

We recognise that:

· the welfare of children is paramount in all the work we do and in all the decisions we take all children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse

· some children are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues

· working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.

We will seek to keep children and young people safe by: 

· valuing, listening to and respecting them

· appointing a nominated child protection lead for children and young people, for safeguarding

· adopting child protection and safeguarding best practice through our policies, procedures and code of conduct 

· recording, storing and using information professionally and securely, in line with data protection legislation and guidance

· sharing information about safeguarding and good practice with children and their families via leaflets, posters, group work and one-to-one discussions

· making sure that children, young people and their families know where to go for help if they have a concern

· using our safeguarding and child protection procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, parents, families and carers appropriately

· using our procedures to manage any allegations against brain & body boost Therapists appropriately

· creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment 

· ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place

· ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, staff and volunteers, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance

· building a safeguarding culture where we and the children, young people and their families that we work with treat each other with respect and are comfortable about sharing concerns.

Nominated child protection lead - Kate Rigby 07823538789 kate@brainbodyboost.co.uk

NSPCC Helpline 0808 800 5000

Confidentiality and Information Sharing:

Brain & body boost will maintain confidentiality. Information will only be shared in line with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and Data Protection.

However, information should be shared with the Local Authority Child Protection Team if a child is deemed to be at risk of harm or contact the police if they are in immediate danger, or a crime has been committed. 

Recording and Record Keeping:

A written record must be kept about any concern regarding a child or adult with safeguarding needs. This must include details of the person involved, the nature of the concern and the actions taken, decision made and why they were made.

All records must be signed and dated. All records must be securely and confidentially stored in line with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

Disclosure and Barring Certificate

All brain & body boost Therapists will have an up to date DBS certificate.

Social Media:

In line with our privacy policy the identification of any client will not be shared on Social Media and any reference to the therapy etc. will be anonymised and shared only after gaining permission from both parental/guardian and child’s permission.

Use of Mobile Phones and other Digital Technology:

It is unlawful to photograph children and young people without the explicit consent of the person with parental responsibilities. 

Safeguarding Procedures

No brain & body boost therapist should be alone with a child or young person. The parent/guardian/school staff should be in the immediate vicinity during all assessments and consultations. The law empowers anyone who has care of a child to do all that is reasonable in the circumstances to safeguard their welfare. Accordingly, we should take appropriate action wherever necessary to ensure that no child is left in immediate danger, should take all reasonable steps to offer a child immediate protection (including from an aggressive parent). 

We must make a referral to local authority children's social care if there are signs that a child/young person:

· is suffering significant harm through abuse or neglect

· is likely to suffer significant harm in the future.

The timing of such referrals should reflect the level of perceived risk to the child or unborn baby and should be within one working day of identification or disclosure of the harm or risk of harm. In urgent situations out of office hours the referral should be made to the local authority children's social care emergency duty team. 

If they cannot be located refer to the NSPCC national 24 hour Child Protection Helpline (0808 800 5000) or Childline (0800 1111), for advice. 

If you feel the child is in immediate danger of physical harm ring the police (999).

If the child has suffered serious injury seek urgent medical care (999) and inform the local authority children's social care emergency duty team at the earliest opportunity.

Listening to the child

Whenever a child reports that they are suffering or have suffered harm through abuse or neglect, or have caused or are causing physical or sexual harm to others, the initial response should be limited to listening carefully to what the child says to:

• clarify the concerns
• offer re-assurance about how the child will be kept safe
• explain what action you will be taking and within what timeframe.
• do not interrogate or make any promises
• if possible keep a written record/notes if possible whilst the child/young      person is disclosing, if not immediately afterward.

Listening to a parent or other person

If someone expresses concern that a child/young person is

• is      suffering significant harm through abuse or neglect
• is      likely to suffer significant harm in      the future.

You should listen carefully; take notes then or as soon as possible afterward. Encourage the individual to express their concerns to the relevant agency. If they are unwilling you should inform them that you are obliged to make the appropriate referral. Make the referral.

Consulting parents

Where practicable, concerns should be discussed with the parent and agreement sought for a referral to local authority children's social care unless seeking agreement is likely to:

• place      the child at risk of significant harm through      delay or the parent's actions or reactions
• lead      to the risk of loss of evidential material. For example in circumstances      where there are concerns or suspicions that a serious crime such as sexual abuse or induced illness has      taken place.
• Is      likely to place you at risk of physical injury.

The safeguarding of a child is paramount, and it is better to report a suspicion and get it wrong, rather than ignore the suspicion and a child suffer harm.