At ABC Mental Health Support, we are dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the welfare, safety, and wellbeing of all children, young people, and families who use our services—whether in-person in Somerset or online across the UK. Our child protection policy reflects our commitment to providing specialist neurodivergent support for children with autism, ADHD, trauma, and anxiety, as well as for those engaged in play and video-gaming therapy. We recognize that this responsibility requires us to uphold professional boundaries and implement effective safeguarding practices.
This policy applies to all staff, contractors, volunteers, trainees, and associates working under our brand, including those involved in our website, video-gaming therapy, remote counselling, assessments, SEN consultancy, and parenting courses. Any reference to 'staff' encompasses all individuals working within our child protection policy for the purpose of this statement.
We will:
Prioritise the safety, dignity, and rights of every child and young person, ensuring our child protection policy is at the forefront of our practices.
Provide a safe, low-arousal, neurodivergent support environment aligned with the language on our home page. ABC Mental Health Support Ltd
Recognise children and young people as experts in their lived experiences, working in partnership with them and their caregivers.
Act quickly and appropriately if we believe a child or young person is at risk of harm, adhering to our safeguarding practices.
Ensure online and gaming-based interventions follow best safeguarding practices to protect all participants.
Work transparently with parents, schools, local authorities, and relevant professionals while maintaining confidentiality.
Comply fully with UK legislation and statutory guidance, including, but not limited to:
Children Act 1989 & Children Act 2004
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
Data Protection Act 2018 / UK GDPR
Counter‑Terrorism and Security Act 2015 (Prevent Duty)
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023
Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023
Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL): Amanda Budden Safeguarding inbox email: amanda@abcpsychotherapy.co.uk
Phone/contact number: 07535 673665
The DSL is responsible for implementing our child protection policy and ensuring effective safeguarding practices across all services, both in-person and online. Any adult working on behalf of ABC Mental Health Support must immediately inform the DSL of any safeguarding concern, especially those related to neurodivergent support.
Safeguarding means:
Protecting children from maltreatment, as outlined in our child protection policy.
Preventing the impairment of children’s mental or physical health or development, with particular emphasis on providing neurodivergent support when necessary.
Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care, through established safeguarding practices.
Taking action to enable children to have the best outcomes.
We remain vigilant in our child protection policy against all forms of harm, including but not limited to: physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. We are particularly attentive to child sexual exploitation (CSE) and child criminal exploitation (CCE). Online harms such as grooming, inappropriate contact, and exposure to harmful content are critical concerns, especially in gaming therapy environments. Additionally, we address mental health crises, self-harm, and suicidal ideation. We recognize domestic abuse witnessed by children, fabricated or induced illness, and the risks of radicalisation and extremist influences. Given our commitment to safeguarding practices, we support neurodivergent children and young people by ensuring our staff are trained to understand how additional presentations, such as sensory differences, executive functioning difficulties, and social communication differences, may impact the expression or disclosure of harm.
A. General Practice
All staff working with children and young people must undergo appropriate DBS checks and ongoing suitability checks in accordance with our child protection policy.
Staff hold relevant qualifications and receive regular supervision and CPD in safeguarding practices, ensuring they are equipped to support neurodivergent individuals effectively.
Clear boundaries are established: staff will only communicate with clients through approved channels, avoiding personal social media interactions.
Parents and caregivers are informed about the nature of sessions, particularly those involving online and video-gaming based activities, including details on how data is managed, how disclosures are handled, and the measures in place to maintain safety.
B. Online & Video‐Gaming Therapy
Sessions are delivered via secure, approved platforms with appropriate moderation, adhering to our safeguarding practices.
Video gaming therapy (e.g., Minecraft, Roblox) occurs in moderated or private therapeutic servers, where peer interactions are supervised. This approach is particularly beneficial in offering neurodivergent support.
Staff avoid conducting one-to-one unsupervised gaming sessions outside of planned therapeutic time to maintain safety.
Chat logs or session records are maintained in compliance with professional standards and safeguarding practices.
Any disclosures or safeguarding concerns arising in the gaming environment are addressed with the same urgency as in face-to-face interactions.
C. Record Keeping & Information Management
All safeguarding concerns are logged by the DSL (or deputy) within 24 hours of being aware, integral to our child protection policy.
Records include: date/time of disclosure, what was said or observed, actions taken, and who was informed.
Records are stored securely, encrypted where possible, and retained for the defined period as per our organizational retention policy.
The sharing of information is restricted to those with a "need to know" and is always in the best interests of the child or young person, consistent with our safeguarding practices.
If a child or young person is believed to be at risk of harm, the following steps apply as part of your child protection policy:
Listen — with care, respect, and without judgement. Allow the child to express themselves in their own way, especially if they are neurodivergent and may communicate differently.
Record — document exactly what was disclosed, noting by whom, when, and using their words where possible to ensure accurate reporting in safeguarding practices.
Refer to the DSL — the Designated Safeguarding Lead reviews the concern and decides on the appropriate next steps.
Take action — depending on the severity:
Contact local authority children’s services (MASH) or the equivalent safeguarding team.
Contact the police if the child is in immediate danger (call 999).
Inform the child’s school or SENCO, if relevant and safe to do so, as part of effective safeguarding practices.
Initiate internal safeguarding procedures for staff concerns or allegations, ensuring compliance with your child protection policy.
Inform the parent/carer — unless doing so would increase risk to the child. The DSL will determine whether and how to inform parents/carers in alignment with safeguarding practices.
Follow up — monitor the situation, review, and update the case file with outcomes and any further actions taken.
Where appropriate, particularly for older children and young people, we assess their competency to consent to therapy independently, following our child protection policy. Our steps include:
Explaining the nature, purpose, and possible risks of the intervention in age-appropriate language, ensuring clear neurodivergent support where needed.
Determining if the young person understands the implications and can make informed decisions, while also documenting the assessment of competence.
We respect the young person’s autonomy while safeguarding their rights and needs, in line with best safeguarding practices.
When confidentiality is agreed upon, we share information with parents or caregivers only what has been explicitly authorized or when safeguarding is required.
If an allegation is made against a staff member, the following actions will be taken as part of our child protection policy:
Immediately inform the DSL (or deputy), who will then notify the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) for the region.
Seek advice from the LADO and adhere to local children’s services procedures, ensuring that safeguarding practices are followed.
The staff member may be suspended from direct contact with children during the investigation process, particularly as we provide neurodivergent support to those affected.
Clear records of the allegation, actions taken, and outcomes will be maintained securely and confidentially.
We maintain confidentiality and respect the privacy of children, young people, and families, in line with our child protection policy. However, confidentiality will be breached if:
A child or young person is at risk of significant harm.
Another person is at risk of harm.
There is a legal obligation to share information.
We believe withholding information would be contrary to the child's best interests.
Information sharing will follow our safeguarding practices, which adhere to:
The principles of the Data Protection Act 2018 / UK GDPR.
The concept of 'necessary, proportionate, relevant, accurate, timely, and secure' information sharing.
Guidance on safeguarding disclosures and multi-agency working, particularly in the context of providing neurodivergent support.
All staff complete safeguarding training on induction and refresh annually, ensuring adherence to our child protection policy. Additional training focuses on neurodivergent support, online/gaming therapy safety, trauma-informed approaches, and addressing the needs of children with SEND. Regular clinical supervision includes reviews of safeguarding practices, emerging risks, and reflections on safeguarding culture. The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) remains up to date with national guidance and local procedures.
This child protection policy will be reviewed at least annually, or sooner if there are changes to legislation, statutory guidance, or best practices regarding safeguarding practices. Additionally, we will assess our service delivery, including new online platforms and neurodivergent support, as well as any significant safeguarding incidents or new learning that emerges.
At ABC Mental Health Support, we are dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the welfare, safety, and wellbeing of all children, young people, and families who use our services—whether in-person in Somerset or online across the UK. Our child protection policy reflects our commitment to providing specialist neurodivergent support for children with autism, ADHD, trauma, and anxiety, as well as for those engaged in play and video-gaming therapy. We recognize that this responsibility requires us to uphold professional boundaries and implement effective safeguarding practices.
This policy applies to all staff, contractors, volunteers, trainees, and associates working under our brand, including those involved in our website, video-gaming therapy, remote counselling, assessments, SEN consultancy, and parenting courses. Any reference to 'staff' encompasses all individuals working within our child protection policy for the purpose of this statement.