Safeguarding Policy

1. Our commitment

EHCP Help is a trading name of Denton Search Limited. We are an independent SEND advocacy and consultancy service. The welfare of children and young people is paramount in everything we do. Although we do not work directly with children, the families we support share sensitive information with us, and we take seriously our responsibility to keep that information, and the children behind it, safe.

2. What our service involves

Our service is delivered remotely by phone, video call and email. We work with parents, carers and families, not directly with children or young people. We may hold or review documents about a child, including education, health and care records. We are not a school, a care provider or a regulated children’s service. We do not provide childcare, education, therapy or unsupervised contact with children.

3. Key principles

• The welfare of the child is always the primary consideration.
• Safeguarding concerns are acted on promptly and without delay.
• Information is shared only where necessary, proportionately and in line with data protection law.
• We are transparent with families about what we will do if a concern arises.
• We do not investigate concerns ourselves; investigation is the role of statutory agencies.

4. Recognising concerns

Concerns can take many forms, including neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, exploitation and online harm. We also listen for signs that a family is struggling and may benefit from being signposted to support. We are not experts in recognising abuse, but we know the signs that should prompt a conversation with the appropriate service.

5. What to do if you have a safeguarding concern

If there is immediate danger to a child, call 999. For non-emergency concerns:

• Contact the local authority children’s social care team where the child lives.
• Contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or help@nspcc.org.uk.
• Children and young people can contact Childline on 0800 1111.

If a client shares a safeguarding concern with us, we will:

• Listen carefully and not judge.
• Not promise to keep the concern secret.
• Record what we are told accurately and promptly.
• Support the family to report the concern to the right service, where appropriate.
• Report the concern ourselves where there is a risk a child may be in danger and the family is unable or unwilling to do so.

6. Our responsibilities

The founder and lead consultant acts as the designated safeguarding lead. We review this policy at least once a year and whenever our service changes. Safeguarding records are kept securely and in line with our Privacy Policy.

7. Safer recruitment

Because our service is remote and we do not have unsupervised contact with children, DBS checks are not required for our role. If we ever take on staff or contractors who may have any contact with children or their data, we will follow safer recruitment practice, including references, vetting and, where relevant, an enhanced DBS check.

8. Information sharing and data protection

We only collect and use personal information where there is a lawful basis. Where a safeguarding concern arises, it may be necessary and proportionate to share information with statutory agencies without consent, in line with data protection law. Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle personal information.

9. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how a safeguarding concern was handled, you can raise it through our complaints procedure.

10. Contact and review

If you have questions about this policy, contact us at hello@ehcp-help.co.uk. This policy was last updated on 14 August 2026 and is reviewed at least annually.