Safeguarding & Confidentiality

1. How we treat your information

We treat the information you share with us as confidential. We will not share information about you, your child or your family with other people or organisations as part of routine work, unless you have agreed.

There are, however, situations in which we may need to share information without first asking your permission. Confidentiality is respected, but it is not absolute.

2. Our duty of care

We have a duty of care to act on safeguarding concerns identified during any contact with us — including enquiry, assessment, support sessions, written communication or follow-up.

Where we identify a safeguarding concern, our usual approach is to discuss the concern with you first. We will:

• explain what we are worried about;
• explain what we propose to do;
• explain who we may need to contact;
• listen to your views and, wherever it is safe, appropriate and lawful, involve you in the decision.

There are some situations where we may share information with an appropriate agency without discussing it with you first, including:

• immediate risk to your life or to the life of another person;
• risk of serious harm to a child or adult at risk;
• where discussing the concern first may increase risk, prejudice an investigation, or place someone in danger;
• where we are required to share information by law, court order or our professional and regulatory obligations.

In all cases, we share only what is necessary and proportionate, and only with appropriate agencies.

3. When we may share information

We may share information without your consent where:

• a child may be at risk of significant harm;
• an adult at risk may be experiencing abuse or neglect;
• there is risk to life or serious harm;
• a crime may have been committed;
• the law requires us to share information;
• sharing is necessary for safeguarding, emergency care, regulatory or professional obligations, or serious incident management.

Where this happens, we will limit what we share, share it only with the right people or organisations, and record what we did and why.

4. We are not an emergency or crisis service

The Neurodiversity Service is an independent assessment and post-diagnostic support service. We are not an emergency service, crisis service, GP, mental-health crisis team or NHS service.

We do not provide ongoing crisis management, urgent psychiatric care, prescribing, emergency medical treatment or out-of-hours response.

5. What to do in an emergency

Call 999 if there is:

• immediate risk to life;
• serious injury or medical emergency;
• active self-harm or overdose;
• credible suicide risk;
• violence or threat of violence;
• a crime in progress;
• a child or adult at immediate risk of serious harm.

Other urgent contacts:

• NHS 111 — for urgent but not life-threatening medical or mental-health advice. Call 111 or visit 111.nhs.uk.
• Your GP — for urgent same-day medical or mental-health advice.
• Samaritans — call 116 123, 24 hours a day, free from any phone.
• NSPCC — call 0808 800 5000 or visit nspcc.org.uk if you are worried about a child.
• Childline — call 0800 1111 (free, confidential support for children and young people).
• National Domestic Abuse Helpline — 0808 2000 247 (24 hours, free).
• Shout — text SHOUT to 85258 for free 24/7 text-based crisis support.
• Your local authority safeguarding team — contact details for adult and children's safeguarding are available on your local council website.

If you are unsure who to contact, calling 111 or your GP is a good starting point. In a life-threatening emergency, always call 999.

6. Raising a safeguarding concern with us

If you would like to raise a safeguarding concern with The Neurodiversity Service — about yourself, your child, a family member, a member of our team, or someone you have come into contact with through our service — please use the contact route below.

We will listen to your concern, record it accurately, discuss next steps with you wherever possible, escalate it to the appropriate authority if needed, and follow our internal Safeguarding Policy.

7. Related policies

• Privacy Notice — how we collect, use and protect your personal data
• Client Terms of Service — the terms you agree to when you book our services
• Complaints Policy — how to raise a complaint with us
• Consent Policy — how we handle consent for assessments and support