SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND ADULTS AT RISK POLICY

Practice/Company Name: Asclepieia Hypnotherapy and Wellness Ltd

Lead Safeguarding Officer: Christopher Hardy (Registered Mental Health Nurse, NMC PIN 09F0389E; Clinical Hypnotherapist)

Effective Date: September 2026 | Review Date: September 2027

1. Policy Statement & Scope

This policy applies to all clinical activities, consultations, face-to-face sessions, and online/remote appointments conducted by Christopher Hardy.

We are committed to protecting children, young people, and adults at risk from abuse, harm, and neglect. Safeguarding is an integral part of professional practice, governed by both statutory UK legislation and professional healthcare and complementary therapy standards.

2. Statutory Framework & Professional Standards

This policy is formulated in compliance with:

• Children Legislation: The Children Act 1989 & 2004, Working Together to Safeguard Children (2026 statutory update).
  

• Adult Legislation: The Care Act 2014 (Section 42 safeguarding duties), The Mental Capacity Act 2005.
  

• Data & Privacy: Data Protection Act 2018 & UK GDPR.
  

• Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC): The Code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives and nursing associates (specifically clauses around prioritizing people, preserving safety, and raising concerns).
  

• Professional Bodies: Complementary & Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) / National Hypnotherapy Society code of ethics.
  

3. Dual-Profession Governance & Duty of Candour

As a dual-practitioner operating as both an NMC Registered Mental Health Nurse and a Clinical Hypnotherapist:

• Highest Duty of Care: Where standards or expectations between professional bodies differ, the practitioner adheres to the highest professional standard (the statutory duty under the NMC Code).
  

• Scope of Practice: Hypnotherapy sessions are non-invasive and psychotherapeutic in nature; however, clinical assessment draws upon 20 years of mental health nursing assessment expertise.
  

• Safeguarding Duty to Act: Information disclosed during a hypnotherapy or wellness session that indicates a child or vulnerable adult is at risk of significant harm will trigger an immediate safeguarding response, overriding standard client confidentiality in accordance with professional codes and UK law.

4. Confidentiality & Information Sharing

Confidentiality is essential in therapeutic practice, but it is not absolute.

Limits of Confidentiality

Confidentiality may need to be overridden where:

1. A child under 18 is experiencing, or is at risk of, significant harm, abuse, or neglect.
   

2. An adult at risk is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse, neglect, or self-harm, and lacks capacity or is under coercion.
   

3. Disclosure is required by law (e.g., acts of terrorism, drug trafficking, or money laundering).
   

4. There is an imminent threat to human life.

In line with Working Together to Safeguard Children and the Data Protection Act 2018, GDPR is not a barrier to sharing information where it is necessary to safeguard a child or vulnerable adult.

5. Identifying Abuse and Vulnerability

The practitioner remains vigilant to indicators of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, neglect, domestic abuse/coercive control, financial exploitation, modern slavery, and self-neglect/severe mental health crises.

Capacity and Informed Consent

• All adult clients are assumed to have capacity unless established otherwise under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
  

• For young people under 16, Gillick Competency / Fraser Guidelines will be applied to assess capacity to consent to therapy. Where a young person is not Gillick competent, parental consent is required.
  

6. Safeguarding Procedures & Multi-Jurisdictional Reporting

While primary practice is physically located in Skipton, North Yorkshire, clients may attend from neighboring regions (e.g., Lancashire, Bradford) or via online consultations. Safeguarding referrals must be made to the Local Authority where the vulnerable person physically resides or where the incident occurred.

Local Safeguarding Contact Pathways

Primary Operating Area: North Yorkshire Council

• Children's Safeguarding: North Yorkshire Multi-Agency Screening Team (MAST)
  
  

  • Phone: 0300 131 2 131 (Professional Consultation Line: 01609 535070)
    
    

  • Out of Hours: 0300 131 2 131
    
    

  • Partnership Framework: North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (NYSCP) / North Yorkshire Safeguarding Adults Board
    
    

• Adults' Safeguarding: Health and Adult Social Care / Social Care Direct
  
  

  • Phone: 0300 131 2 131
    
    

Neighbouring Jurisdiction: Lancashire County Council

• Children's Social Care (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub - MASH): 0300 123 6720
  

• Adult Social Care Safeguarding: 0300 123 6721
  

• Out of Hours (Emergency Duty Team): 0300 123 6722
  

Neighbouring Jurisdiction: City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council

• Children's Social Care (Bradford Children & Families Trust / Front Door): 01274 433999
  

• Adult Safeguarding Team: 01274 431077
  

• Out of Hours Emergency Duty Team: 01274 431010

For clients residing in other local authority areas across the UK, referrals will be escalated to that specific local authority's Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) or Adult Social Care team.

7. Record Keeping & Escalation

1. Contemporaneous Records: Any safeguarding concern, disclosure, or observation will be documented factually, objectively, and accurately as soon as possible and no later than within 24 hours.
   

2. Storage: Records are stored securely in line with the clinic’s Privacy Policy.

3. Professional Consultation: As an NMC registered nurse, the Lead Safeguarding Officer may consult local multi-agency screening leads (e.g., NYSCP consultation line) for guidance on threshold decisions without initially disclosing identifying details, unless the threshold for formal referral is met.