OUR SAFEGUARDING POLICY
FOR CHILDREN AND FOR ADULTS
SOS SAFEGUARDING POLICY FOR SERVICE USERS
FOR CHILDREN AND FOR ADULTS
- We realise that it has taken a lot of courage for you to get in touch with us and we want to make you feel as comfortable and safe as possible
- We will never insist that you give us your name, but will ask you what name you would like us to refer to you by. This does not have to be your real name. If you are not comfortable, you do not have to give any name at all.
- Your conversations with our volunteers are strictly confidential and are generally not shared with anyone else. But there are times, when someone’s life or safety is at risk, when we have to talk to other organisations and share your information. We will always do this if there is a risk to the life and safety of an adult or child.
- You could be at risk through your own actions or through the actions of other people
- We will always listen carefully to what you have to say. We will not judge you, but will encourage a conversation that allows you to talk through your problems and feelings.
- We will never tell you what to do. We believe everyone should make their own choices. But we may suggest self-help and resilience building tools, or offer to signpost you.
- If we think that your safety/life is at immediate risk, or that you might pose a risk to the life/safety of someone else, we will ask you to end the call immediately and contact the emergency services yourself by dialling or texting 999 . Sometimes, we may be able to call 999 for you, but require certain information from you. If you don’t give us this information, we may not be able to help further, but may still call 999 ourselves and share whatever information we do have where there is an immediate risk to life.
- We may pass your information onto social services so that they can help you and perhaps your family too with the support you need. We may also ask the police to help.
- If you make us aware that there is a risk to a child, we will need to share this information as we have a duty of care to do so
- If we feel that your safety is at risk, but you may not be aware of this, we may take the decision to call the emergency services to help make you safe.
- If we have to call the emergency services on your behalf, we may ask you for some personal information to share with them. This is to help others get to you as quickly as possible and make you safe. This could include:
- Full name, date of birth and address
- Location
- Whether you work or study
- If, and how, you have harmed yourself already
- If your life/safety or that of someone else is at immediate risk, we do not require consent to call the emergency services if you cannot call them yourself. We may still ask you for some information.
- No service users should at any time, seek out our volunteers through their private social media platforms and engage with them. This is an abuse of their privacy and they will be unable to help you, meaning you are not getting the support you need, when you need it.
- Remember, you can always speak to a close friend or family member if you have poor mental health, or your GP, dial 111 (out of hours) for support or contact your mental health team. If you are under 18, you can ask your GP or teacher for a referral to CAMHS
- If you prefer not to speak to 999, or are unable to, you can register for their text service. Please read the text service information for details on how to do this.
- All calls into our number are recorded for training purposes only. They will not be shared with any external party or organisation.
Updated February 2022
