Safeguarding Adults Policy

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Safeguarding Adults Policy

Unmasked Neurodiversity Network CIC

Company Number: 15671121
Policy Reference: UNN-SG-001
Version: 2.0
Last Updated: 9 October 2026
Approved By: Toni Denton and Sarah McKimm, Directors and Safeguarding Leads
Approval Date: 9 October 2026
Status: Approved
Next Review Date: 9 October 2027, or sooner if required

1. Purpose and Commitment

Unmasked Neurodiversity Network CIC is committed to safeguarding adults from abuse, neglect, exploitation and harm while promoting their safety, wellbeing, dignity, independence and autonomy.

As a neurodivergent-led, trauma-informed organisation, we recognise that safeguarding must be person-centred, accessible, proportionate and respectful of individual differences.

We are committed to working collaboratively with statutory and non-statutory agencies to prevent harm, respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns and uphold the rights of individuals accessing our services.

This policy provides a framework for recognising, responding to, recording and escalating safeguarding concerns.

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.

2. Scope of This Policy

This policy applies to:

• Directors and Safeguarding Leads
• Qualified counsellors
• Student counsellors and trainees
• Employees and volunteers
• Group facilitators and anyone working on behalf of Unmasked

It applies across all Unmasked services, including:

• Individual counselling, online, telephone and face-to-face
• Support groups and wellbeing activities
• Outreach and community-based services
• Workshops, training and partnership activities

This policy addresses concerns involving abuse, neglect, exploitation, coercion and other safeguarding risks, including those involving family members, carers, professionals, people in positions of trust or strangers.

Concerns involving staff misconduct, harassment or risks to employees may also require action under other organisational policies.

Where children are involved, appropriate children's safeguarding procedures and statutory services must be followed.

3. Key Definitions

Adult at Risk

For the purposes of adult safeguarding under the Care Act 2014, the relevant criteria concern an adult aged 18 or over who:

1. Has needs for care and support, whether or not these are being met.
2. Is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect.
3. As a result of those needs, is unable to protect themselves against the abuse, neglect or risk.

Having a disability, being neurodivergent or experiencing mental ill health does not automatically mean someone lacks capacity or meets these criteria.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding means protecting an adult's right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect, while promoting wellbeing, independence, choice and control.

Abuse and Neglect

Safeguarding concerns may include:

• Physical abuse
• Domestic abuse and coercive control
• Sexual abuse
• Psychological or emotional abuse
• Financial or material abuse
• Modern slavery and exploitation
• Discriminatory abuse
• Organisational abuse
• Neglect and acts of omission
• Self-neglect

Concerns may involve a single incident or repeated behaviour.

4. Principles of Safeguarding

Unmasked works in accordance with the six safeguarding principles:

1. Empowerment: Supporting individuals to make informed decisions and have control over their lives.
2. Prevention: Taking action before harm occurs wherever possible.
3. Proportionality: Responding in the least intrusive way appropriate to the risk.
4. Protection: Providing support and representation to those in greatest need.
5. Partnership: Working appropriately with individuals, families, professionals and statutory agencies.
6. Accountability: Ensuring safeguarding decisions, responsibilities and actions are clear, transparent and appropriately recorded.

Safeguarding responses must be inclusive, non-discriminatory and responsive to individual communication, sensory, accessibility and support needs.

5. Organisational Responsibilities

Unmasked will:

• Maintain safeguarding policies and procedures appropriate to its services.
• Ensure staff, counsellors and volunteers have access to current safeguarding guidance.
• Include safeguarding responsibilities within recruitment, onboarding and induction.
• Carry out appropriate recruitment checks, including DBS checks where the role is legally eligible and the check is justified.
• Verify relevant professional membership, insurance, training and supervision arrangements.
• Provide safeguarding training appropriate to each person's role.
• Maintain clear procedures for recognising, reporting and recording safeguarding concerns.
• Support practitioners dealing with safeguarding incidents.
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality and information-sharing arrangements.
• Review safeguarding incidents to identify learning and improvements.
• Maintain whistleblowing and complaints procedures.

DBS checks will be determined by the nature of the role and relevant eligibility rules. Enhanced checks will not automatically be required for every volunteer or worker.

6. Safeguarding Leadership

The designated Safeguarding Leads are:

Toni Denton – Director and Safeguarding Lead

Sarah McKimm – Director and Safeguarding Lead

Contact: info@unmaskednn.org

The Safeguarding Leads are responsible for:

• Providing safeguarding advice and guidance.
• Supporting appropriate safeguarding referrals.
• Liaising with statutory services where necessary.
• Ensuring safeguarding concerns are recorded and followed up.
• Supporting staff, students and volunteers.
• Reviewing incidents and identifying organisational learning.
• Monitoring safeguarding procedures and training requirements.
• Reporting significant safeguarding matters to the directors as appropriate.

When a Safeguarding Lead Is Unavailable

Where a Safeguarding Lead cannot be contacted, practitioners must not delay action necessary to protect someone from immediate harm.

The other Safeguarding Lead should be contacted where available.

If neither is available, practitioners must seek appropriate external safeguarding advice or contact statutory or emergency services according to the level of risk.

When a Safeguarding Lead or Director Is Implicated

Where a concern involves a Safeguarding Lead or director, it must not be referred solely to the person implicated.

The concern should be reported to another director who is not implicated or, where necessary, directly to the appropriate external safeguarding authority, police or other relevant body.

Unmasked will not require internal permission before a person raises a legitimate safeguarding concern externally.

7. Responsibilities of Staff, Counsellors, Students and Volunteers

Everyone working with Unmasked must:

• Take safeguarding concerns seriously.
• Act promptly and proportionately.
• Prioritise immediate safety.
• Follow organisational safeguarding and risk management procedures.
• Inform an appropriate Safeguarding Lead as soon as practicable.
• Record concerns, actions and decisions accurately.
• Respect confidentiality while recognising when disclosure may be justified or necessary.
• Work within their competence and professional responsibilities.
• Cooperate with appropriate safeguarding enquiries.
• Attend relevant training and maintain awareness of updated procedures.

Practitioners must not attempt to manage serious safeguarding situations beyond their competence or without appropriate support.

Clinical supervision is important, but must never delay urgent protective action.

8. Mental Capacity, Consent and Autonomy

Unmasked recognises the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Adults must be presumed to have capacity unless established otherwise.

Capacity is decision-specific and time-specific. A person must not be assumed to lack capacity because they are autistic, have ADHD, experience mental ill health, communicate differently or make a decision others consider unwise.

Where there is uncertainty about capacity, appropriate steps should be taken to support the person's understanding, communication and decision-making.

Where an adult lacks capacity for a relevant decision, actions must follow the Mental Capacity Act principles, including best interests and the least restrictive option.

Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy arrangements should be considered where legally applicable.

Where an adult has capacity, their wishes and decisions must be respected while also considering relevant safeguarding duties, serious risks to others and circumstances where information sharing may be lawful without consent.

Safeguarding decisions must be individualised and documented.

9. Responding to Safeguarding Concerns

9.1 Immediate Danger or Serious Harm

Where there is an immediate risk to life or serious harm:

1. Take reasonable steps to protect the individual and others.
2. Contact emergency services on 999 where necessary.
3. Provide relevant information to emergency responders.
4. Inform a Safeguarding Lead as soon as practicable.
5. Record the concern, decisions and actions securely in Carepatron.

Emergency action must never be delayed while waiting for a supervisor, Safeguarding Lead or director to respond.

Where a practitioner is working online or by telephone, they should follow Unmasked's remote-working and suicide risk procedures, including obtaining appropriate assistance for the person's location where necessary.

9.2 Concerns Without Immediate Danger

Where there is no immediate danger, practitioners should:

• Listen calmly and take the concern seriously.
• Consider the nature and level of risk.
• Avoid making promises of absolute confidentiality.
• Consider the adult's wishes, consent and capacity.
• Inform a Safeguarding Lead promptly.
• Seek appropriate safeguarding advice.
• Agree proportionate next steps where possible.
• Record the concern and rationale for decisions.

9.3 External Safeguarding Referrals

Where appropriate, a concern may be referred to Leeds Adult Social Care or the relevant local authority safeguarding service.

Referral decisions should consider the adult safeguarding criteria, the nature of the concern, the person's wishes and capacity, risks to others, and relevant legal obligations.

Consent should normally be sought where appropriate. However, information may sometimes be shared without consent where there is a lawful justification, such as serious risk, protection of others or a relevant legal requirement.

Practitioners should not assume that every disclosure automatically requires an external referral.

Where urgent external action is necessary and a Safeguarding Lead is unavailable, practitioners should take appropriate action without waiting for internal approval.

10. Confidentiality, Recording and Information Sharing

Confidentiality is fundamental to Unmasked's counselling and support services.

However, confidentiality is not absolute.

Information may be shared where there is an appropriate lawful and ethical justification, including serious safeguarding concerns or other circumstances recognised by law.

Any disclosure should be:

• Necessary for a legitimate safeguarding purpose.
• Proportionate to the circumstances.
• Limited to relevant information.
• Shared securely with an appropriate recipient.
• Documented with the reasons for the decision.

Where safe and appropriate, the individual should be involved in discussions about information sharing.

Recording Requirements

Safeguarding concerns must be recorded promptly and factually using Unmasked's approved Carepatron documentation.

Records should include:

• Date, time and context of the concern.
• Relevant disclosures and observations.
• Assessment of risk and relevant protective factors.
• Immediate actions taken.
• Advice sought and people contacted.
• Information shared and the justification.
• The individual's wishes and involvement.
• Agreed follow-up actions.
• Safeguarding Lead review where appropriate.

Unmasked's Safeguarding & Risk Concern Record must be used where applicable.

Information must not be stored in unauthorised personal systems.

11. Allegations Involving Staff, Counsellors or Volunteers

Any allegation involving someone working for or on behalf of Unmasked must be taken seriously.

Appropriate action may include:

• Ensuring the immediate safety of individuals.
• Recording the concern accurately.
• Reporting to an appropriate Safeguarding Lead or independent external authority.
• Seeking statutory safeguarding or police advice.
• Considering temporary restrictions or suspension of duties.
• Preserving relevant information and evidence.
• Cooperating with external enquiries.
• Considering professional-body, DBS or other reporting obligations where applicable.

Unmasked must not undertake an investigation that could compromise a police or statutory safeguarding investigation.

Where the allegation involves a director or Safeguarding Lead, the independent escalation arrangements in Section 6 apply.

12. Prevent and Protection from Radicalisation

Unmasked recognises that exploitation, grooming and radicalisation may raise safeguarding concerns.

Concerns must be assessed individually, based on relevant behaviour, circumstances and evidence.

Neurodivergence, disability, trauma or mental ill health alone must not be treated as evidence of radicalisation risk.

Unmasked will:

• Promote inclusion, respect and critical thinking.
• Recognise potential signs of exploitation or grooming.
• Provide proportionate safeguarding awareness and training.
• Follow appropriate safeguarding and Prevent referral pathways where relevant.
• Seek specialist advice where necessary.

Whether particular statutory Prevent duties apply to Unmasked will be assessed according to the organisation's activities and legal status.

13. Suicide Risk and Mental Health Emergencies

This policy must be read alongside Unmasked's Suicide Risk Management Guidance (October 2026).

Practitioners must follow the relevant procedures where concerns include:

• Suicidal thoughts or intent.
• A suicide plan or access to means.
• Escalating risk or reduced ability to remain safe.
• A disclosed timeframe or other indications of immediate danger.
• Significant self-harm or other serious mental health risks.

Risk assessment must consider the person's circumstances, current presentation, intent, plans, access to means, protective factors and ability to access support.

A risk category must not replace professional judgement or an individualised assessment.

Where immediate danger is identified, appropriate emergency action must be taken without delay.

Practitioners should use the relevant Carepatron safeguarding records and client safety-planning templates.

Clinical supervision and organisational support should be sought as appropriate, but must not delay emergency action.

14. Student Counsellors and Volunteers

Student counsellors and volunteers must work within their training, competence, role boundaries and agreed responsibilities.

Student counsellors may undertake online or face-to-face client work where this is approved by Unmasked, appropriate to their competence and consistent with placement requirements.

Students and volunteers must:

• Follow Unmasked's safeguarding and suicide risk procedures.
• Report concerns promptly to an appropriate Safeguarding Lead.
• Take emergency action when necessary without waiting for supervision.
• Seek support when a situation exceeds their competence.
• Maintain accurate safeguarding records.
• Attend required training.
• Comply with relevant placement and supervision arrangements.

Student counsellors must also inform their clinical supervisor as appropriate.

Supervision does not replace organisational safeguarding reporting.

15. Safeguarding Training and Induction

Unmasked will provide access to safeguarding information through its Volunteer Onboarding Site and Carepatron procedures.

Relevant training may include:

• Safeguarding adults awareness.
• Recognising and responding to abuse and neglect.
• Suicide risk and safety planning.
• Confidentiality and information sharing.
• Professional boundaries.
• Mental capacity and consent.
• Prevent awareness where appropriate.
• Recording and reporting concerns.

Training requirements will be proportionate to the person's role, responsibilities and level of contact with service users.

Updates to safeguarding procedures will be communicated to relevant practitioners.

16. Safeguarding Monitoring and Organisational Learning

Unmasked will monitor safeguarding practice through:

• Safeguarding concern and incident reviews.
• Clinical supervision and organisational check-ins.
• Appropriate Carepatron record reviews.
• Monitoring of referrals and outcomes.
• Review of training and induction arrangements.
• Feedback from practitioners and service users.
• Periodic policy reviews.
• Director oversight of significant safeguarding matters.

Significant concerns and learning will be considered by the directors, while protecting confidential client information.

The organisation will maintain an appropriate safeguarding oversight record, with detailed confidential records held securely in Carepatron.

17. Whistleblowing and Raising Concerns

Staff, counsellors and volunteers should feel able to raise concerns about unsafe practice, safeguarding failures or professional misconduct.

Concerns may be raised through Unmasked's internal procedures or directly with an appropriate external authority where necessary.

No person should be discouraged from raising a genuine safeguarding concern.

Where a concern involves a director or Safeguarding Lead, the independent reporting arrangements in Section 6 must be followed.

18. Key Safeguarding Contacts

Emergency services: 999

Police non-emergency: 101

Leeds Adult Social Care Contact Centre: 0113 222 4401

Leeds Safeguarding Adults Partnership: 0113 224 3511

Safeguarding advice email: safeguarding.adults@leeds.gov.uk

Unmasked Safeguarding Leads: Toni Denton and Sarah McKimm

Unmasked email: info@unmaskednn.org

Local contact details must be checked periodically to ensure they remain current.

19. Related Unmasked Policies and Procedures

This policy should be read alongside:

• Suicide Risk Management Guidance
• Safeguarding & Risk Concern Record
• My Crisis Safety Plan
• Suicide Safety Plan
• Data Protection and Confidentiality Policies
• Privacy Policy
• Student Counsellor Placement Agreement
• Qualified Counsellor Agreement
• Relevant recruitment, supervision and whistleblowing procedures

Current safeguarding templates and guidance are accessible through Carepatron and the Unmasked Volunteer Onboarding Site.

20. Policy Review and Approval

This policy will be reviewed annually, or sooner where:

• Relevant legislation or guidance changes.
• A significant safeguarding incident identifies a need for improvement.
• Unmasked introduces new services or delivery arrangements.
• Organisational responsibilities or procedures change.

The directors are responsible for approving significant amendments and ensuring the current version is communicated to relevant staff, counsellors and volunteers.

Appendix A: Immediate Safeguarding Response Guide

If someone may be at risk:

1. Consider immediate safety. Is there an immediate threat to life or serious harm?
2. Act immediately where necessary. Call 999 where appropriate. Do not wait for supervision or management approval.
3. Inform a Safeguarding Lead. Contact Toni or Sarah as soon as practicable.
4. Consider the person's wishes and capacity. Involve them in decisions wherever safe and appropriate.
5. Seek external advice or make a referral. Use the relevant statutory safeguarding pathway where justified.
6. Record everything appropriately. Use Carepatron and the relevant safeguarding documentation.
7. Arrange follow-up. Confirm responsibilities, support and any further safeguarding action.

Appendix B: Safeguarding Responsibilities for Student Counsellors

Student counsellors must:

• Work within their competence and agreed placement conditions.
• Recognise and report safeguarding concerns.
• Take appropriate emergency action where immediate danger exists.
• Inform an Unmasked Safeguarding Lead.
• Inform their clinical supervisor as appropriate.
• Use the approved Carepatron safeguarding records.
• Follow Unmasked's Suicide Risk Management Guidance.
• Seek additional support when needed.

Student counsellors must never delay urgent protective action while waiting for supervision.

Appendix C: Recording and Oversight

Detailed safeguarding records must be maintained securely in Carepatron using the relevant templates.

Organisational oversight should include:

• Date of concern.
• Responsible practitioner.
• Safeguarding Lead informed.
• Referral or emergency action taken.
• Follow-up arrangements.
• Date reviewed and outcome.

Access to identifiable safeguarding information must be restricted to authorised individuals with a legitimate need.

Unmasked Neurodiversity Network CIC
Suite 6, Prospect Park, Limewood Approach
Seacroft, Leeds, LS14 1NG
Email: info@unmaskednn.org
Website: www.unmaskednn.co.uk

Neurodiversity-affirming support, grounded in understanding, choice and respect.