Safety

Child Safeguarding Statement

Play Therapy with Barbara · Barbara Keogh

1. Name of service

Play Therapy with Barbara, provided by Barbara Keogh, sole practitioner, operating from Bracken Business Centre, No. 1 Newcastle Road, Galway, H91 RY2R.

2. Nature of the service provided to children

Play Therapy with Barbara provides one-to-one play therapy and creative, integrative therapeutic support to children and adolescents aged 4 years and up, together with parent and carer consultations. Sessions take place at the address above and, where agreed in advance, online.

3. Legislative basis

This Child Safeguarding Statement has been developed in accordance with the requirements of the Children First Act 2015, Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2017), and Tusla's Guidance on Developing a Child Safeguarding Statement.

4. Principles of best practice

• The safety, welfare and wellbeing of every child is of paramount importance, and takes precedence over all other considerations.
• All children have an equal right to protection from harm, regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion or ethnic origin.
• Children have a right to be heard, listened to, and taken seriously, in a manner appropriate to their age and understanding.
• Parents and carers have a right to be informed about, and involved in, decisions that affect their child, except where doing so would place the child at risk.
• Child protection and welfare considerations inform every aspect of this practice.

5. Risk assessment

A written assessment has been carried out of the potential for harm to a child while availing of this service. The risks identified, and the procedures in place to manage them, are set out below.

Risk identified	Procedures and controls in place
Risk of harm to a child by the practitioner during one-to-one sessions	Garda vetting completed and on file; adherence to the practitioner's professional code of ethics; regular clinical supervision; sessions conducted in a dedicated, visible therapy space within the practice premises; the practitioner avoids physical contact with clients at all times; clear professional boundaries maintained throughout.
Risk of a child being unsupervised before or after a session	Parents/carers are required to remain on-site or contactable for the full duration of each session; drop-off and collection arrangements are agreed with parents/carers in advance.
Risk while using toilet facilities in the building	Children are accompanied by their parent/carer whenever they need to use the toilet facilities during a visit.
Risk of injury from furniture, equipment or play materials	The condition of furniture, equipment and play materials in the therapy room is checked regularly, and any hazard identified is addressed promptly.
Risk of harm from a third party while on shared business premises	The practice operates from a shared business centre. Children are accompanied to and from the therapy room and are not left unsupervised in communal areas.
Risk associated with online/remote sessions or digital tools, where used	Any online sessions are conducted using a secure, private video-calling platform; a parent/carer remains present in the home during online sessions with younger children; any digital or internet-connected materials used in session are age-appropriate and supervised; confidentiality and appropriate use of technology are discussed with parents/carers in advance.
Risk of a child disclosing abuse or harm during a session	The practitioner is a mandated person under the Children First Act 2015 and follows Tusla's reporting procedures. Any disclosure or concern is reported promptly to Tusla and, where there is immediate risk to a child, to An Garda Síochána.
Risk to the confidentiality of a child or family's information	Session notes and records are stored securely, in line with GDPR and the practitioner's confidentiality policy. Access is restricted to the practitioner and, where relevant, to clinical supervision, with identifying details anonymised.
Risk arising from a lack of up-to-date child protection training	The practitioner completes Tusla's Children First e-learning programme and undertakes ongoing continuing professional development (CPD), alongside regular clinical supervision.

6. Procedures

In addition to the risk-specific procedures set out above, the following procedures support this Child Safeguarding Statement and are available in full on request:

• Procedure for managing any allegation of abuse or misconduct against the practitioner.
• Procedure for the safe recruitment and vetting of any additional staff, students or volunteers, should the practice expand to include them.
• Procedure for the provision of child safeguarding training and information to the practitioner.
• Procedure for reporting child protection or welfare concerns to Tusla.
• Procedure for maintaining a record of mandated person status.
• Procedure for appointing a relevant person (see Section 8).

7. Mandated person status

Barbara Keogh, as a person who provides counselling or therapy to children, is a mandated person under the Children First Act 2015, and will report any knowledge, belief or reasonable suspicion of harm to a child to Tusla, in accordance with the mandated reporting requirements of the Act.

8. Relevant person

The Relevant Person for this Child Safeguarding Statement, and first point of contact for any related query, is:

9. Implementation and review

This Child Safeguarding Statement is made available to parents, carers and members of the public on request, and on the practice website. It will be reviewed every 24 months, or sooner should there be a material change to the areas of risk identified or to the service provided.