Safeguarding Policy

1. Our Commitment

At Clarté Soul, we are committed to providing a respectful, compassionate and supportive listening service.

We recognise that people who contact us may sometimes be experiencing difficult, distressing or vulnerable circumstances.

The safety and wellbeing of our clients and listeners is important to us.

This Safeguarding Policy explains how we approach situations where there may be a concern about someone’s safety or wellbeing.

2. What Safeguarding Means

Safeguarding means taking reasonable steps to protect people from serious harm, abuse, neglect or exploitation.

A safeguarding concern may arise when someone tells us about circumstances involving:

• Abuse or neglect
• Domestic abuse
• Sexual abuse or exploitation
• Serious threats of violence
• Self-harm
• Suicidal thoughts or intentions
• Serious risk of harm to another person
• The abuse or exploitation of a vulnerable person
• A child or young person who may be at risk
• Another situation where someone’s immediate safety may be seriously threatened

This list is not exhaustive.

3. The Nature of Our Service

Clarté Soul is a listening and emotional support service.

We are not an emergency service, crisis intervention service, medical service or substitute for professional mental-health care.

Our listeners are there to listen with compassion and without judgement. They are not expected to diagnose conditions, provide medical treatment or act as emergency responders.

4. Confidentiality

We respect the privacy of our clients and understand that people may share personal and sensitive information during a call.

However, confidentiality has limits.

If information shared during a call indicates that someone may be at serious or immediate risk of harm, we may need to take reasonable steps to protect that person or another individual.

This may involve:

• Encouraging the person to contact an appropriate emergency or crisis service.
• Encouraging them to contact a trusted person who can provide immediate support.
• Contacting emergency services where appropriate and legally permitted or required.
• Sharing relevant information with an appropriate organisation or authority where legally permitted or required.

We will aim to act proportionately and responsibly and only share information that is reasonably necessary in the circumstances.

Further information about how we handle personal information can be found in our Privacy Policy.

5. Immediate Emergencies

Clarté Soul is not equipped to respond directly to emergencies.

If you are in immediate danger, believe you may seriously harm yourself or another person, or believe someone else is in immediate danger, you should contact the emergency service in your country immediately.

For customers in the UK, this may include calling 999 or attending the nearest Accident & Emergency department.

If you are outside the UK, please contact your local emergency service.

Where appropriate, a Clarté Soul listener may encourage you to seek immediate professional or emergency assistance.

6. Concerns About Children

Our standard Clarté Soul listening service is intended for adults aged 18 and over, unless we expressly state otherwise.

If information is disclosed suggesting that a child may be experiencing abuse, neglect, exploitation or another serious safeguarding concern, we may take appropriate steps to protect the child.

This may include encouraging contact with appropriate safeguarding or emergency services and, where legally permitted or required, sharing relevant information with an appropriate authority.

7. Concerns About Abuse or Exploitation

If a client tells us that they are experiencing abuse, exploitation or coercive or controlling behaviour, we will listen respectfully and without judgement.

We will not pressure someone to disclose information they do not wish to share.

Where there is an immediate or serious risk of harm, we may encourage the person to seek professional, safeguarding or emergency support.

Where necessary and legally permitted or required, information may be shared with an appropriate organisation or authority.

8. Self-Harm and Suicide

If a client talks about self-harm, suicidal thoughts or suicide, our role is to listen and encourage appropriate professional support.

A listener may ask reasonable questions about immediate safety where necessary to understand whether there is an urgent concern.

If there appears to be an immediate and serious risk of harm, the listener may encourage the client to contact emergency or crisis services and may take further safeguarding steps where legally permitted or required.

Clarté Soul cannot provide crisis intervention or emergency mental-health treatment.

9. Risk to Another Person

If a client indicates that they intend to seriously harm another person, this may become a safeguarding concern.

The listener will respond calmly and avoid escalating the situation.

Where there is a serious and immediate concern, appropriate emergency or safeguarding assistance may be encouraged or contacted where legally permitted or required.

10. Ending a Call

A listener may end a call where:

• The caller becomes abusive or threatening.
• The caller behaves inappropriately towards the listener.
• Continuing the call presents a safety concern.
• The service is being misused.
• The situation requires emergency or professional intervention beyond the scope of Clarté Soul.

Where appropriate, the listener will explain why the call needs to end and encourage the caller to seek appropriate support.

11. Recording and Documentation

Clarté Soul does not routinely record listening calls.

Where a safeguarding concern arises, we may make a factual record of relevant information where this is necessary and lawful for safeguarding, legal or business purposes.

Records will be handled securely and in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable data protection law.

We aim to record only information that is relevant and necessary.

12. Protection of Listeners

Safeguarding also applies to the people providing the Clarté Soul service.

Listeners should not be expected to place themselves in danger or manage situations beyond their role.

A listener may end a call and seek appropriate assistance if they feel threatened, unsafe or unable to continue the conversation safely.

13. Professional Boundaries

Clarté Soul aims to maintain appropriate boundaries between clients and listeners.

Listeners should not:

• Provide medical or psychological diagnoses.
• Present themselves as emergency professionals.
• Promise to keep information secret where safeguarding concerns may require action.
• Encourage dependency on the service.
• Enter into inappropriate personal or financial relationships with clients.
• Share their personal contact details unless specifically authorised as part of the service.

14. Our Approach

When a safeguarding concern arises, we aim to:

1. Stay calm and listen.
2. Take the concern seriously.
3. Establish whether there appears to be an immediate risk.
4. Encourage appropriate professional or emergency support.
5. Take reasonable safeguarding action where necessary.
6. Share only relevant information where legally permitted or required.
7. Make an appropriate factual record where necessary.
8. Protect the privacy and dignity of everyone involved.

15. Important Information

Clarté Soul is not a substitute for emergency services, medical care, counselling, psychotherapy or other professional treatment.

If you need urgent help, please contact the appropriate emergency or crisis service in your country.

If you are in immediate danger, call your local emergency service.

16. Contact Us

If you have a safeguarding concern relating to Clarté Soul or your experience with our service, please contact us:

Clarté Soul
Email: info@clartesoul.com

We will treat safeguarding concerns seriously and handle information sensitively and appropriately.

Last updated: September 2026