SAFEGUARDING & CHILD PROTECTION POLICY
Incharge Wellbeing Ltd
Trading as Incharge Wellbeing and Incharge Futures
Policy owner and Designated Safeguarding Lead: Diana Rogerson
Last updated: 25 September 2026
Next formal review: September 2027, or earlier following a safeguarding incident or relevant change in legislation or guidance
1. PURPOSE OF THIS POLICY
Incharge Wellbeing Ltd is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of every child and young person who engages with our services.
The welfare of the child is paramount.
This policy explains how we seek to prevent harm, recognise safeguarding concerns and respond appropriately when concerns arise.
It applies to all work undertaken by Incharge Wellbeing Ltd, including work delivered under the Incharge Wellbeing and Incharge Futures brands.
This includes:
Future Compass;
Future by Design;
coaching and personal-development work;
hypnotherapy and wellbeing work where appropriate;
educational and career exploration;
parent and family-related work;
workshops and group programmes;
school, college and organisational programmes;
talks and events;
online sessions;
in-person sessions; and
any future service involving children or young people.
For safeguarding purposes, a child means anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday. Some provisions in this policy also address safeguarding concerns involving adults at risk.
2. OUR SAFEGUARDING COMMITMENT
Incharge Wellbeing Ltd is committed to creating an environment in which children and young people:
are treated with dignity and respect;
feel listened to;
are able to express their views;
are not discriminated against;
are protected from abuse, neglect, exploitation and inappropriate conduct;
understand the boundaries of confidentiality;
know that they can tell someone if something feels unsafe; and
are supported to participate in decisions that affect them.
No child will ever be expected to tolerate behaviour that is harmful, intimidating, humiliating, exploitative, sexualised, coercive or otherwise inappropriate.
Safeguarding is approached in a child-centred way. The child's welfare, circumstances, voice and best interests will be taken seriously.
3. LEGAL AND GUIDANCE FRAMEWORK
This policy has been developed with regard, where applicable, to relevant safeguarding legislation and guidance in England, including:
Children Act 1989;
Children Act 2004;
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026;
Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026, where work is undertaken in or for schools and colleges;
Department for Education safeguarding guidance for after-school clubs, community activities and tuition;
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006;
Protection of Freedoms Act 2012;
Sexual Offences Act 2003;
Domestic Abuse Act 2021;
Equality Act 2010;
Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 where applicable;
UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018; and
Care Act 2014 in relation to adults at risk.
The DfE's current out-of-school guidance covers individual private providers and recommends written safeguarding procedures, a DSL, awareness of local referral arrangements, arrangements for working alone with children, staff behaviour standards and appropriate DBS checks where eligible.
Where services are delivered outside England, the relevant safeguarding legislation and procedures of that jurisdiction will be followed.
4. DESIGNATED SAFEGUARDING LEAD
The Designated Safeguarding Lead (“DSL”) for Incharge Wellbeing Ltd is:
Diana Rogerson
Incharge Wellbeing Ltd
Email: contact@inchargewellbeing.com
As a sole practitioner, Diana Rogerson holds primary responsibility for safeguarding within the business. The DSL is responsible for:
maintaining safeguarding knowledge and training;
responding to safeguarding concerns;
maintaining appropriate safeguarding records;
understanding local referral arrangements;
seeking safeguarding advice where necessary;
making or supporting referrals to children's social care, police or other agencies where required;
working with schools' or organisations' DSLs where relevant;
managing appropriate information sharing; and
reviewing this policy and safeguarding practice.
Appropriate safeguarding and child-protection training, including online safeguarding, will be maintained and refreshed regularly.
5. IF THE SAFEGUARDING CONCERN IS ABOUT DIANA ROGERSON
Because Incharge Wellbeing is currently a sole-practitioner service, a concern about Diana Rogerson must not depend upon being reported to Diana herself. A child, parent, carer, school, organisation or other person who has a safeguarding concern about Diana Rogerson may contact directly:
the Local Authority Designated Officer (“LADO”) for the relevant local authority;
local authority Children's Social Care;
the police;
the commissioning school's or organisation's DSL; or
the NSPCC Helpline.
The LADO coordinates concerns and allegations relating to people who work with children. Concerns requiring LADO consideration can include allegations that a person working with children has harmed or may have harmed a child, may have committed an offence involving a child, may pose a risk of harm, or may be unsuitable to work with children.
No person will be discouraged from making an external safeguarding referral.
6. WHAT SAFEGUARDING MEANS
Safeguarding includes protecting children from maltreatment, preventing impairment of their physical or mental health or development, ensuring that children grow up with safe and effective care, and taking action where a child is suffering or may be at risk of harm.
Safeguarding concerns may arise at home, in education, in relationships, in the community or online.
A concern does not need to arise during an Incharge Wellbeing session for this policy to apply.
7. FORMS OF HARM WE ARE ALERT TO
Safeguarding concerns may include, but are not limited to:
physical abuse;
emotional abuse;
sexual abuse;
neglect;
domestic abuse;
child sexual exploitation;
child criminal exploitation;
grooming;
trafficking or modern slavery;
coercive or controlling behaviour;
child-on-child abuse;
bullying and cyberbullying;
harmful sexual behaviour;
sexual harassment or sexual violence;
non-consensual sharing of intimate images;
online abuse or exploitation;
radicalisation or extremist grooming;
substance-related risk;
forced marriage;
female genital mutilation;
so-called honour-based abuse;
discrimination or identity-based abuse;
self-neglect where associated with serious safeguarding risk;
self-harm or suicidal risk;
abuse within intimate teenage relationships; and
other behaviour or circumstances that place a child at risk.
Abuse may be perpetrated by an adult or another child and may occur online, offline or through a combination of both. The DfE specifically recognises child-on-child abuse, exploitation, harmful sexual behaviour and online harm as safeguarding matters rather than something that should be dismissed as ordinary teenage behaviour or “banter”.
8. CHILDREN WITH SEND, DISABILITIES AND NEURODIVERGENCE
We recognise that children with special educational needs, disabilities or communication differences may face additional safeguarding barriers. These may include:
behavioural or emotional changes being incorrectly attributed to an existing condition;
difficulty communicating what has happened;
greater isolation;
increased vulnerability to bullying or exploitation;
difficulties interpreting social or online situations; or
adults overlooking a safeguarding concern because they assume a behaviour is part of the child's disability or neurodivergence.
The DfE specifically identifies these additional barriers and recommends that safeguarding policies take them into account. Reasonable adjustments will be considered so that children can communicate concerns and participate meaningfully.
9. MENTAL HEALTH, SELF-HARM AND SUICIDAL RISK
Mental-health difficulties do not automatically constitute a child-protection concern, but changes in mental health or behaviour may sometimes indicate abuse, exploitation or another safeguarding issue. Incharge Wellbeing is not an emergency or crisis service. Where a young person discloses or presents with:
an immediate risk of suicide;
serious self-harm;
a credible threat to another person;
acute mental-health crisis; or
another immediate danger,
the priority will be safety rather than ordinary session confidentiality.
Depending on the circumstances, this may include contacting:
a parent or carer;
emergency services;
Children's Social Care;
a healthcare service;
a school DSL; or
another appropriate safeguarding service.
If there is immediate danger to life or serious injury, 999 will be called.
10. PARENTAL CONSENT AND THE YOUNG PERSON'S PARTICIPATION
For privately purchased one-to-one work with someone under 18, Incharge Wellbeing will normally require:
written parent/carer consent, and
the young person's own agreement and willingness to participate.
A parent may purchase the service, but the young person remains the participant. A child or young person will not be forced to disclose personal information or participate in coaching, hypnotherapy or reflective work against their wishes.
For school- or organisation-commissioned work, consent arrangements may differ depending upon the nature of the provision and the commissioning organisation's lawful authority and safeguarding procedures.
Those arrangements will be clarified before work begins.
11. ONE-TO-ONE WORK WITH CHILDREN
One-to-one work is an intentional part of services such as Future Compass and Future by Design.
DfE guidance recognises that lone providers such as private tutors may work individually with children and recommends discussing the arrangements with the child and parent, obtaining appropriate written consent and providing the safeguarding policy.
For private one-to-one work:
the parent/carer will know that the session is taking place;
appropriate written consent will be obtained;
the young person will know what to expect;
the location and duration of the session will be agreed;
appropriate emergency contact information will be available;
the space will be professionally appropriate and safe;
doors will not be locked to prevent exit;
privacy will be balanced with safeguarding;
and the young person may request that a parent/carer or appropriate adult is nearby where practical.
One-to-one working will never be used to create secrecy or isolate a young person from appropriate support.
12. ONLINE ONE-TO-ONE SESSIONS
Online sessions with children may take place where appropriate. Before private online work begins:
a parent/carer must know that online sessions will occur;
appropriate consent must be in place;
the young person's emergency contact details will be held;
the young person's location at the time of the session must be known sufficiently to obtain emergency assistance if required; and
appropriate arrangements will be agreed for contacting a parent/carer if a serious concern arises.
A young person should normally join from a safe and appropriate environment. For younger participants, a parent/carer should normally be present in the premises or readily contactable during the session.
Sessions will use professional communication channels.
Sessions are not routinely recorded.
13. COMMUNICATION WITH CHILDREN OUTSIDE SESSIONS
Professional boundaries apply equally online and offline.
Administrative contact with children under 18 will normally take place through, or with the knowledge of, the parent/carer or commissioning organisation. Where direct communication with a young person is appropriate and has been agreed:
it will use professional channels;
it will relate to the professional service;
it will take place at reasonable times;
it will not involve disappearing-message functions or deliberately secret communication;
and appropriate records will be retained where necessary.
Incharge Wellbeing will not cultivate personal social-media relationships with under-18 clients.
Private messaging, sexualised communication, secret contact or communication designed to circumvent a parent, carer or safeguarding arrangement is prohibited.
14. PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARIES AND CODE OF CONDUCT
Anyone working for or on behalf of Incharge Wellbeing Ltd with children must:
act professionally;
maintain appropriate boundaries;
respect the child's dignity and autonomy;
avoid favouritism;
avoid language that is degrading, threatening, discriminatory, sexualised or humiliating;
never engage in sexual or romantic conduct with a child or young client;
never groom, manipulate or exploit a professional relationship;
never exchange inappropriate gifts or money;
never ask a child to keep professional contact secret;
never use alcohol or illegal drugs while responsible for children;
never photograph, film or record a child for personal purposes;
never communicate in a manner that could reasonably be interpreted as sexual, exploitative or coercive;
and report safeguarding concerns promptly.
No professional technique, including coaching, hypnotherapy, meditation, somatic work, astrology, Human Design or spiritual practice, overrides safeguarding responsibilities.
15. PHYSICAL CONTACT
Physical contact is not a routine part of Incharge Futures work with children. Any contact that is appropriate in another form of work must:
have a clear professional purpose;
be age-appropriate;
be explained;
respect the young person's boundaries;
never be sexual or intimate; and
stop immediately if the young person appears uncomfortable or withdraws agreement.
Incharge Wellbeing does not provide intimate or personal care to children.
16. ASTROLOGY, HUMAN DESIGN AND OTHER REFLECTIVE TOOLS
Where astrology, Human Design or other reflective frameworks are incorporated into work with a young person, they are used only as tools for reflection and exploration. They will not be used:
to diagnose a safeguarding, medical or psychological condition;
to determine that a child has been abused;
to override what a child reports;
to tell a young person that a particular future is predetermined;
or to substitute for appropriate professional or safeguarding assessment.
Safeguarding decisions will be based upon the actual circumstances and information available.
17. CONFIDENTIALITY WITH CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
Young people need appropriate privacy if they are to speak openly. Being under 18 does not mean that everything discussed in a session will automatically be reported to a parent. At the beginning of the relationship, the young person and parent/carer will be told that information will normally remain private unless:
the young person agrees that it may be shared;
sharing is part of an agreed parent-debrief arrangement;
there is a safeguarding concern;
there is a serious risk of harm;
disclosure is required by law; or
another compelling professional or legal reason requires disclosure.
A young person will never be promised absolute confidentiality.
Where information needs to be shared for safeguarding purposes, only relevant information will be shared with appropriate people wherever practicable. Government guidance is explicit that data protection law should not be treated as a barrier to necessary safeguarding information sharing.
18. PARENT DEBRIEFS
Where Future Compass, Future by Design or another programme includes a parent/carer conversation, its purpose is to help the parent support the young person. It is not a transcript of the young person's session.
Where appropriate, the young person will be involved in deciding what developmental insights can usefully be shared. This boundary does not prevent information being shared where safeguarding requires it.
19. WHAT HAPPENS IF A CHILD MAKES A DISCLOSURE
If a child or young person tells Diana Rogerson that they have been harmed or are at risk of harm, she will:
listen calmly and take the child seriously;
allow the child to speak in their own words;
avoid interrogating, investigating or asking unnecessary leading questions;
not promise secrecy or absolute confidentiality;
reassure the child that they were right to speak about what has happened;
avoid making promises about what will happen next that cannot be guaranteed;
establish only the information necessary to understand immediate safety and what action may be needed;
record the concern accurately as soon as possible;
consider immediate safeguarding needs; and
make or seek an appropriate referral without unnecessary delay.
The purpose is not to investigate whether abuse has occurred. Investigation belongs to the appropriate statutory agencies.
20. RECORDING A SAFEGUARDING CONCERN
Safeguarding records will be factual, clear and made as soon as reasonably possible. The record should normally include:
the child's name;
date and time;
nature of the concern;
relevant observations;
what the child said, using their own words where important;
what action was taken;
who was contacted;
what information was shared;
decisions made;
and the reasons for those decisions.
Current KCSIE guidance emphasises recording the concern, actions, decisions, rationale and outcomes.Safeguarding records will be stored securely and, where practicable, separately identifiable from ordinary coaching or administrative records. They will be processed in accordance with the Incharge Wellbeing Privacy Policy and safeguarding-related legal obligations.
21. RESPONDING TO A SAFEGUARDING CONCERN
Safeguarding concerns will be acted upon promptly. The appropriate response will depend upon the circumstances.
If a child is in immediate danger
Call 999.
If there is a safeguarding concern but no immediate emergency
The DSL may:
seek safeguarding advice;
contact the child's local authority Children's Social Care or Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub;
make a formal referral;
contact the school's DSL where appropriate;
contact police where a crime may have occurred; or
involve another appropriate safeguarding service.
The relevant local authority will normally be the authority responsible for the child or the location in which safeguarding procedures require the concern to be reported.
Government guidance states that safeguarding concerns should be acted upon immediately rather than waiting for a direct disclosure from the child.
22. INVOLVING PARENTS OR CARERS
Parents and carers will normally be involved in safeguarding matters concerning their child. However, a parent or carer will not be informed before seeking professional safeguarding advice where doing so may:
place the child at increased risk;
place another person at risk;
lead to evidence being destroyed;
interfere with a police or social-care investigation; or
otherwise be contrary to the child's safety.
This decision and its rationale will be recorded. DfE guidance similarly advises involving parents unless doing so would itself put the child at risk.
23. WORKING WITH SCHOOLS, COLLEGES AND ORGANISATIONS
When services are provided within or on behalf of a school or college, Incharge Wellbeing will work within the organisation's safeguarding framework. Before relevant work begins, we will seek to establish:
the school's or organisation's DSL and deputy where applicable;
how safeguarding concerns must be reported;
emergency procedures;
supervision responsibilities;
arrangements for one-to-one work;
attendance arrangements;
and any relevant visitor or contractor requirements.
When working in a school or college, we will follow the setting's safeguarding and child-protection procedures and any safeguarding induction provided. Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026 is currently the statutory safeguarding guidance for schools and colleges in England.
A concern arising during a school-commissioned service will normally be reported promptly to the school's DSL. However, organisational reporting procedures will not prevent Incharge Wellbeing from contacting Children's Social Care or police directly if immediate safeguarding action is necessary or if there is reason to believe appropriate action is not otherwise being taken.
24. GROUP WORK AND CHILD-ON-CHILD CONCERNS
Child-on-child abuse will be taken seriously. It will not be dismissed as:
“banter”;
“drama”;
normal adolescent behaviour;
a relationship issue that adults should ignore; or
something that only matters if it happened during an Incharge Wellbeing activity.
Where a concern arises, the welfare of all children involved will be considered. The matter may be referred to the relevant parent/carer, school DSL, Children's Social Care, police or another appropriate service. The alleged victim and the child alleged to have caused harm may both have safeguarding and support needs.
25. ONLINE SAFETY
Children may face safeguarding risks through:
harmful content;
harmful contact;
their own or others' online conduct; and
commercial or financial exploitation.
DfE out-of-school guidance identifies these broad online-risk areas and recommends that providers build online safety into their safeguarding arrangements. Incharge Wellbeing will therefore:
use appropriate professional technology;
avoid unnecessary private digital contact with children;
not request intimate images;
not download, copy or circulate sexual images of children;
respond to online grooming, exploitation or abuse as a safeguarding concern;
and report concerns to appropriate agencies where required.
Where online child sexual abuse is suspected, advice or reporting through the police, Children's Social Care or CEOP may be appropriate.
26. PHOTOGRAPHS, VIDEO AND MARKETING
A child's participation in a service does not give Incharge Wellbeing permission to use their photograph, image, video, voice, story or testimonial publicly. Separate permission will be obtained where photography, video, recording, a testimonial or an identifiable case study is proposed.
The young person's own wishes will be respected in addition to any required parental consent. No image will knowingly be used in a way that compromises a child's dignity, privacy or safety.
27. SAFER WORKING AND DBS
Incharge Wellbeing is committed to ensuring that anyone engaged to work with children is suitable to do so. Appropriate safer-working measures may include:
identity verification;
appropriate references;
qualification or experience checks;
DBS checks at the level for which the role is eligible;
safeguarding training;
professional-boundary requirements;
and appropriate insurance.
From January 2026, eligible self-employed individuals can apply through an umbrella body for Enhanced, or Enhanced with relevant Barred List, DBS checks themselves. Eligibility depends upon the actual role undertaken. Incharge Wellbeing will maintain an appropriate DBS check for the work undertaken where eligible.
Evidence of DBS status may be made available for appropriate inspection by parents/carers or commissioning organisations, subject to appropriate handling of the personal information contained within the certificate. A DBS check is only one safeguarding measure and is not treated as a substitute for professional boundaries, safeguarding procedures and ongoing vigilance.
28. FUTURE STAFF, CONTRACTORS AND VOLUNTEERS
If Incharge Wellbeing engages employees, associates, contractors or volunteers to work with children in future, they will be subject to appropriate safer-recruitment and safeguarding arrangements. This will include, where relevant:
identity checks;
references;
eligibility for and completion of appropriate DBS checks;
verification of qualifications;
safeguarding induction;
agreement to this policy and the Code of Conduct;
clarification of reporting responsibilities;
and ongoing safeguarding training.
DfE guidance advises out-of-school providers to use recruitment checks and references alongside DBS checks rather than relying upon a DBS certificate alone.
29. ALLEGATIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT AN ADULT WORKING WITH CHILDREN
Any concern about the behaviour of a person working with children will be taken seriously, including behaviour that appears to fall below the threshold of an allegation. An allegation or concern may arise from:
a child;
a parent or carer;
another professional;
another member of staff;
a complaint;
something observed;
information received from another organisation; or
conduct outside work which may raise questions about suitability to work with children.
Where an allegation may meet the safeguarding harm threshold, advice will be sought promptly from the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO). If a criminal offence may have been committed, police involvement will also be considered.
If the concern relates to Diana Rogerson, the person raising the concern should use the external routes in Section 5.
30. LOW-LEVEL CONCERNS
A concern does not need to amount to an allegation of abuse before it is taken seriously. Behaviour that causes unease or appears inconsistent with this policy or professional boundaries should be considered. Examples may include:
being excessively familiar with a child;
favouritism;
unnecessary secrecy;
using a personal mobile telephone to take photographs;
inappropriate one-to-one contact;
boundary-crossing communications;
or intimidating, offensive or sexualised language.
The concept of a “low-level concern” does not mean the concern is unimportant. It means only that it may not meet the formal harm threshold. This distinction is used in current school safeguarding practice. Patterns of lower-level concerns may become significant and will therefore be documented appropriately.
31. RADICALISATION AND EXTREMISM
Concern that a child may be vulnerable to radicalisation will be treated as a safeguarding matter. When working on behalf of a school or other organisation subject to the Prevent duty, Incharge Wellbeing will follow that organisation's Prevent and safeguarding arrangements. The Prevent duty applies to specified education providers and is integrated into their wider safeguarding responsibilities.
Where work is provided privately, advice or referral will be sought through appropriate safeguarding or Prevent channels where the circumstances warrant it.
32. MISSING CHILD OR UNEXPECTED DEPARTURE
Where Incharge Wellbeing has temporary responsibility for a child at a private group activity or event and the child becomes missing or leaves unexpectedly:
immediate efforts will be made to establish their whereabouts without placing other children at risk;
the parent/carer will be contacted promptly;
the venue or organisation's procedures will be followed;
and the police will be contacted where the child's circumstances indicate significant or immediate risk.
Where a school or organisation is responsible for attendance and supervision, its missing-child procedures will apply.
33. TRANSPORT
Incharge Wellbeing does not routinely transport children. If exceptional circumstances ever require transport arrangements, they will be discussed and agreed with the parent/carer or commissioning organisation in advance and subject to appropriate risk, insurance and safeguarding considerations. In an emergency, the child's immediate safety will take priority.
34. VENUES AND RISK ASSESSMENT
Where Incharge Wellbeing is responsible for arranging an in-person venue, reasonable steps will be taken to ensure it is suitable and safe for the activity. Consideration may include:
access and exit;
privacy and visibility;
fire arrangements;
first-aid provision;
physical hazards;
emergency arrangements;
accessibility;
and any additional needs of the participant.
When using a school, organisation or third-party venue, their health-and-safety procedures will also be followed. DfE guidance expects providers to assess risks specific to their own activities even where a third-party venue already has its own general risk controls.
35. INFORMATION SHARING
Safeguarding information will be shared where it is necessary, proportionate and lawful to protect a child. Where practicable, the child and family will be told what information is being shared and why, unless doing so may:
place someone at greater risk;
interfere with safeguarding action;
prejudice an investigation; or
otherwise undermine the purpose of the disclosure.
Information will normally be limited to what the recipient needs for the safeguarding purpose. The reason for sharing—or deciding not to share—will be recorded where appropriate.
36. DATA PROTECTION
Safeguarding records are personal data and may contain special-category information. They will be handled in accordance with:
UK GDPR;
Data Protection Act 2018;
current safeguarding information-sharing guidance; and
the Incharge Wellbeing Privacy Policy.
Data protection does not prevent the lawful sharing of information necessary to protect a child. Government information-sharing guidance was updated again in September 2026 and applies to organisations working with children and families.
37. COMPLAINTS AND SAFEGUARDING CONCERNS
A complaint about service quality may follow Incharge Wellbeing's Complaints & Concerns Procedure.
A safeguarding concern will be dealt with as a safeguarding matter first, even if it is also a complaint.
Children, parents, carers and commissioning organisations may raise concerns directly with Diana Rogerson.
If the concern relates to Diana Rogerson, or a person does not feel comfortable raising it directly, they may contact external safeguarding services without first making a complaint to Incharge Wellbeing.
38. WHISTLEBLOWING
Any future employee, contractor or associate must be able to raise safeguarding concerns without fear of retaliation. Concerns should be reported to the DSL unless the concern relates to the DSL. Where internal reporting is inappropriate, unsafe or ineffective, concerns may be raised directly with:
Children's Social Care;
the LADO;
the police;
the commissioning organisation's DSL; or
the NSPCC.
39. ADULTS AT RISK
Although the primary focus of this policy is children, Incharge Wellbeing also works with adults. Under the Care Act framework, adult safeguarding duties concern an adult who:
has needs for care and support;
is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect; and
because of those needs is unable to protect themselves from the abuse or risk.
Where an adult safeguarding concern arises, our approach will be guided by the principles of:
empowerment;
prevention;
proportionality;
protection;
partnership; and
accountability.
Where possible and safe, the adult's wishes will be central to decisions. Where there is immediate danger, 999 will be contacted. Where appropriate, a concern may be referred to the relevant Local Authority Adult Safeguarding Team or police.
Safeguarding action may sometimes be necessary without the adult's agreement where, for example, another person is at risk, a serious crime is involved or the person lacks capacity in relation to the relevant decision.
40. KEY EXTERNAL SAFEGUARDING CONTACTS
Emergency
Police / Ambulance: 999
Where a child is in immediate danger or a serious crime is occurring.
Local authority Children's Social Care / MASH
The appropriate service should normally be identified through the local authority responsible for the child.
Local Authority Designated Officer — LADO
Contact the relevant local authority LADO for concerns about a person who works with children.
NSPCC Helpline
For adults concerned about a child:
0808 800 5000
The NSPCC currently operates its telephone helpline between 10am and 4pm Monday–Friday and advises contacting police or Children's Services directly if safety concerns escalate before it responds.
Childline
For children and young people:
0800 1111
41. REVIEWING THIS POLICY
This policy will be formally reviewed:
at least annually;
following a safeguarding incident;
following a significant complaint or allegation;
if Incharge Wellbeing begins providing materially different services to children;
if staff or contractors are engaged;
or when relevant safeguarding law or guidance materially changes.
The February 2026 DfE guidance recommends that providers review their child-protection policy annually as well as after an incident.
42. RELATED DOCUMENTS
This policy should be read alongside:
Under-18 Parent/Carer Consent & Young Person Agreement
and, where applicable:
a commissioning school's or organisation's safeguarding policy;
service-specific agreements;
risk assessments; and
data-processing/data-sharing agreements.