Safeguarding Statement

EHCP Compass exists to help parents, carers, and families of children with special educational needs and disabilities. Many of the people who use our site are in moments of stress, crisis, or distress. We take our responsibility to those people seriously.

What this statement covers

This statement explains:

• What we mean by safeguarding
• Our commitment to the people who use our website
• How we respond if we receive a safeguarding concern
• How to raise a concern with us
• Where to get urgent help if you’re worried about yourself, your child, or someone else

What we do — and what we don’t

EHCP Compass provides information, education, and signposting. We are not a regulated service provider. We do NOT:

• Provide social work, therapy, medical advice, or legal advice
• Provide direct care or supervision of children
• Operate as a registered childcare provider, school, or healthcare service

Because we don’t deliver direct services to children, we don’t carry out DBS checks on routine website users. Where we have volunteers or contractors with any direct contact with families — for example, helpline staff or community moderators — they will be required to hold a current Enhanced DBS check.

Our commitment

• We treat everyone who contacts us with respect.
• We listen carefully when people tell us they are struggling.
• We respond to safeguarding concerns within one working day.
• We do not ignore disclosures of harm.
• We will, where appropriate, signpost people to specialist services that can help.

Legal framework

EHCP Compass operates in line with the relevant UK safeguarding framework, including the Children Act 1989 and 2004, the Department for Education’s statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children, and the Care Act 2014 in respect of adults at risk. Our handling of safeguarding records also complies with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

What we will do if we receive a safeguarding concern

If we receive information that suggests a child or vulnerable adult is at risk of harm, we will:

1. Take it seriously, regardless of who told us.
2. Acknowledge the disclosure to the person who told us, where appropriate and safe to do so.
3. If we believe a child is at immediate risk: contact the local children’s social care team for the area where the child lives, or — in an emergency — the police on 999.
4. If we believe an adult is at immediate risk: contact local adult social care or, in an emergency, the police on 999.
5. Where there is no immediate risk but a disclosure has been made, we may signpost to the NSPCC (0808 800 5000), local SENDIASS, or other specialist services.
6. Keep a confidential record of the concern and our response.

We will not investigate concerns ourselves. We are not equipped to do so, and trying to could put people at greater risk than referring to qualified specialists.

How to raise a safeguarding concern with us

Email help@ehcpcompass.co.uk with the subject line “Safeguarding”.

We aim to respond within one working day. If your concern is urgent and you cannot wait, please use the emergency contacts below.

Urgent help — use these if you or someone you know is at immediate risk

Our Designated Safeguarding Lead

EHCP Compass has a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL): Charles Flores Jr, Founder and Director of the CIC. Any concerns escalated via help@ehcpcompass.co.uk are reviewed by the DSL. The DSL’s role is to assess the concern, decide on referrals, and ensure the record-keeping required.

Working with vulnerable families

The families who use EHCP Compass are often:

• Parents and carers experiencing high stress, isolation, or burnout
• Families navigating crisis points — refusal letters, tribunals, school exclusions
• Adults who may themselves be neurodivergent or disabled
• Children with SEND, reached through their parents and carers

We tailor our communications to be:

• Trauma-informed — we don’t add to families’ stress unnecessarily
• Clear and free of jargon where possible
• Honest about what we can and can’t do
• Signposted to specialist support where appropriate

Online safety and digital safeguarding

Because EHCP Compass is delivered online, online safety is part of our safeguarding work. We take a deliberate, proportionate approach:

• We do not ask families to share more personal information than we genuinely need, and we never share families’ data without their consent.
• Where we operate community spaces (such as a peer-support community), all participants are asked to follow community guidelines that protect privacy — no full names, no school names, no identifying details about children.
• Community moderators are required to hold a current Enhanced DBS check, complete safeguarding induction, and report any safeguarding concerns to the DSL using the routes set out above.
• We do not share photographs or identifying information about children on our website or social media.
• Our website is secured with HTTPS, we are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office for data protection, and our Privacy Policy sets out in full how we handle personal data.

Review of this statement

This statement is reviewed annually, or sooner if legislation or our service changes. The “Last updated” date at the top will reflect the most recent version.