Child Protection & Safeguarding Policy
Snowford Grange Counselling & Psychotherapy Ltd
1. Purpose
Snowford Grange Counselling & Psychotherapy Ltd is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. This policy sets out how we fulfil that commitment across all settings in which we work.
This policy aligns with current statutory guidance including:
- Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) (current version)
- Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023
- What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused (DfE, 2015)
- Information sharing: Advice for practitioners (DfE, 2018)
2. Scope
This policy applies to Steve Goodrem and all counsellors, associates and volunteers working under the Snowford Grange name, whether delivering services in person on school premises, in private practice settings, or remotely via online platforms.
It covers all work with children and young people under the age of 18 across primary, secondary, SEND and alternative provision settings, as well as private practice work with younger clients.
3. Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)
The Designated Safeguarding Lead for Snowford Grange is:
The DSL is responsible for:
- Overseeing safeguarding compliance across the organisation
- Ensuring all practitioners hold appropriate, up-to-date safeguarding training
- Acting as the lead point of contact for all safeguarding concerns
- Liaising with school DSLs, local authorities and statutory agencies as required
- Maintaining accurate and confidential safeguarding records
- Keeping this policy under review and ensuring it reflects current guidance
4. Safer Recruitment
All counsellors and associates working with children and young people are recruited in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) guidelines. This includes:
- Enhanced DBS checks with barred list check
- Verification of identity, qualifications and professional registration
- Reference checks
- A robust induction process covering safeguarding responsibilities
Snowford Grange manages all safer recruitment on behalf of the schools it works with. Schools are not required to carry out separate recruitment checks for Snowford Grange practitioners.
5. Counsellors’ Responsibilities
All counsellors and associates working under the Snowford Grange name must:
- Read, understand and work in accordance with this policy
- Familiarise themselves with the child protection policy of each school they work in
- Complete and maintain appropriate safeguarding training in line with KCSIE guidance
- Report any safeguarding concerns promptly to the school DSL and to Steve Goodrem
- Never investigate concerns themselves but refer appropriately
- Understand that confidentiality cannot be promised where a child is at risk
- Never work in a way that places children or young people at unnecessary risk
- Maintain appropriate professional boundaries at all times
- Work in line with professional safer working practice guidance appropriate to working with children and young people
6. Recognising Child Protection Concerns
Counsellors must remain alert to signs that a child or young person may be at risk of harm. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Physical, emotional or sexual abuse
- Neglect
- Exploitation, including county lines and criminal exploitation
- Grooming, including online grooming
- Domestic abuse within the family
- Female genital mutilation (FGM)
- Radicalisation or exposure to extremist ideology (Prevent duty)
- Online safety risks
Snowford Grange recognises that safeguarding risks can occur both inside and outside the home, including within peer relationships, online environments and wider community contexts.
Indicators may include unexplained injuries, significant changes in behaviour or mood, frequent unexplained absences, or direct or indirect disclosures of harm.
7. Responding to a Disclosure or Concern
If a child or young person makes a disclosure, or if a counsellor has a safeguarding concern, they must:
- Listen carefully and remain calm
- Not promise confidentiality
- Not investigate or ask leading questions
- Record what was said or observed, using the child’s own words where possible
- Report immediately to the school DSL and to Steve Goodrem
- In urgent cases, or if no appropriate action is taken, contact the local authority children’s services or police directly
Where there is immediate risk to a child’s life or safety, the emergency services must be contacted without delay.
8. Allegations Against Staff or Volunteers
Any allegation that a counsellor or associate has behaved in a way that has harmed, or may have harmed, a child must be reported immediately to Steve Goodrem as DSL. Steve Goodrem will liaise with the relevant school DSL and, where appropriate, with the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO).
Allegations against Steve Goodrem himself should be referred directly to the school DSL and the LADO for the relevant local authority.
Snowford Grange recognises the importance of responding appropriately to low-level concerns in line with current safeguarding guidance. Any concern, however small, regarding the behaviour or conduct of a practitioner towards a child should be reported and addressed appropriately.
9. Confidentiality and Information Sharing
All information relating to safeguarding concerns is handled on a strictly need-to-know basis. Confidentiality will be overridden where there is a risk of harm to a child, young person or other individual.
Information will be shared with relevant agencies in line with statutory guidance, including Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 and the DfE’s Information Sharing guidance (2018).
All safeguarding records are stored securely and retained in line with data protection requirements and ICO guidance.
10. Online Safety and Remote Delivery
Where counselling is delivered online, counsellors must:
- Use secure, approved platforms for all sessions
- Ensure sessions cannot be accessed by unauthorised individuals
- Ensure, where possible, that the young person is in an appropriate private space and understands the limits of confidentiality within remote delivery
- Be alert to online safety risks, including signs of grooming or exploitation via digital means
- Follow the same safeguarding reporting procedures as for in-person sessions
11. Prevent Duty
Snowford Grange is alert to the risks of radicalisation and extremism. Counsellors must be vigilant to signs that a child or young person may be at risk of being drawn into terrorism or extremist ideology and must report any such concerns through the standard safeguarding channels. Where appropriate, referrals will be made via the Channel programme.
12. Training
All Snowford Grange counsellors and associates working with children and young people are required to hold appropriate, current safeguarding training in line with KCSIE requirements. Training must be refreshed regularly and as required by updates to statutory guidance.
Steve Goodrem, as DSL, holds enhanced safeguarding training and ensures all practitioners maintain appropriate training records.
13. Whistleblowing
Any counsellor or associate who has concerns about the conduct of a colleague, or about the organisation’s safeguarding practices, should raise these with Steve Goodrem in the first instance. If concerns relate to Steve Goodrem, they should be raised directly with the relevant school DSL or local authority.
Snowford Grange is committed to ensuring that anyone raising a legitimate safeguarding concern is supported and protected from detriment.
14. Policy Review
This policy is reviewed annually, or sooner if required by changes in legislation, statutory guidance, or organisational practice. All practitioners will be informed of any significant updates.
Next scheduled review: May 2026.
15. Contact
Snowford Grange Counselling & Psychotherapy Ltd
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We would welcome the opportunity to talk through how we could support your school or trust. Please do get in touch.