Safeguarding Reporting Policy

Welcome to Discover Unique. This Safeguarding Reporting Policy sets out how safeguarding concerns can be reported to us and how we respond when concerns are raised. Our goal is to keep Discover Unique a trusted, safe and supportive space for the whole SEND, neurodivergent and additional needs community — connecting people and supporting futures.

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. Whether you are a parent, carer, adult with SEND, young person, professional, provider or community organisation, you have a part to play in helping to keep people safe. This policy explains what to do if you have a concern.

This policy applies to everyone who uses Discover Unique, including visitors, registered users, providers and community organisations.

We are committed to taking all safeguarding concerns seriously. Concerns involving children, young people or vulnerable adults will be prioritised. Every report will be treated sensitively, respectfully and without judgement.

When a safeguarding concern is raised with us, we will:

• Take it seriously and listen carefully.
• Respond promptly and prioritise immediate risk.
• Treat the concern sensitively and respectfully.
• Review the concern fairly and thoroughly.
• Take appropriate protective action where necessary.
• Share information with relevant authorities where it is lawful, necessary and appropriate to do so.

We recognise that raising a concern can feel difficult. We will support you through the process and treat every report with care.

A safeguarding concern is any worry that a child, young person or vulnerable adult may be at risk of harm, abuse, neglect or exploitation — or that someone's safety or wellbeing may be at risk because of the way a service, listing or person is behaving.

Examples of safeguarding concerns include:

• Risk of harm to a child, young person or vulnerable adult.
• Abuse — physical, emotional, sexual or financial.
• Neglect of care, supervision or basic needs.
• Exploitation, including financial, sexual or criminal exploitation.
• Unsafe professional conduct or behaviour that may put people at risk.
• Concerns relating specifically to children, young people or vulnerable adults.

You do not need to be certain that something has happened. If you are worried that someone may be at risk, that is enough to raise a concern.

Please report a concern as soon as possible if you believe that a child, young person or vulnerable adult may be at risk of harm, abuse, neglect or exploitation — or if you are worried about someone's safety in connection with a provider, listing or activity on Discover Unique.

We encourage you to report a concern even if you are unsure whether it meets the safeguarding threshold. It is always better to raise a worry than to stay silent. We will listen, take it seriously, and help you understand the right next step.

If somebody is in immediate danger, please do not wait — contact the emergency services first by calling 999, then let us know so we can take any appropriate action on the platform.

You can report a safeguarding concern to us by email with as much detail as you feel able to share. Please tell us:

• What you are worried about.
• Who may be affected, if you know.
• Any provider, listing or page it relates to.
• When it happened, if relevant.
• How we can contact you, if you are happy to be contacted.

You do not need to write a long letter. A short, clear message is fine. You can report a concern anonymously if you prefer, although it may be harder for us to follow up without a way to reach you.

If you require reasonable adjustments or additional support to report a concern, please let us know and we will do our best to help.

Email: hello@discoverunique.co.uk

When we receive a safeguarding concern, we will:

• Acknowledge it promptly.
• Consider whether anyone is at immediate risk and act quickly if they are.
• Review the details and decide whether more information is needed.
• Investigate fairly, which may include contacting the provider or reviewing listing information.
• Take protective action on the platform where necessary.
• Share information with relevant safeguarding authorities where it is lawful, necessary and appropriate to do so.

We may not always be able to share every detail of an investigation, especially where another person's privacy or safety is involved. However, we will always let you know that your concern has been reviewed and explain what we can.

Discover Unique is not an emergency service. If you believe someone is in immediate danger, please contact the emergency services by calling 999. You can also contact your local authority safeguarding team.

If you are unsure, you can contact us and we will help you understand what to do. However, in an emergency, please do not wait for us — contact the emergency services first.

Where a concern suggests that someone may be at immediate risk, we may act straight away to protect users — including suspending a listing or restricting access — before a full review is completed.

We treat safeguarding reports sensitively and will handle information carefully. We will only share information with people who need to know in order to respond to the concern.

Discover Unique may share information with relevant safeguarding authorities — such as local authority safeguarding teams or the police — where it is lawful, necessary and appropriate to do so. We may also share information with a provider where it is necessary to investigate or address a concern.

We will respect the privacy of everyone involved, including the person reporting the concern, the person affected and the provider. However, safeguarding may require us to share information even when we would normally keep it confidential.

Safeguarding concerns about a provider may relate to listing accuracy, misleading information, provider conduct, or behaviour that may put users at risk. We can investigate these concerns and take appropriate action.

Where a concern suggests that a provider's conduct or a listing may pose a risk to users — especially children, young people or vulnerable adults — we may review the listing, contact the provider, and take protective action. This may include requesting updated information, suspending a listing, restricting access or removing content.

Discover Unique is a discovery and connection platform. We do not directly provide or manage the services offered by providers. Where a concern is about the delivery or quality of a service, we may encourage you to raise it with the provider or relevant authority as well.

While a safeguarding concern is being reviewed, Discover Unique may take protective measures to help keep users safe. These may include:

• Temporarily suspending a listing.
• Restricting access to certain features or accounts.
• Removing or hiding content that may be harmful.
• Requesting updated or corrected information from a provider.
• Contacting the provider for more information.
• Referring the matter to the appropriate authority.

We may take these steps before a full review is completed wherever we believe they are necessary to protect users and maintain trust in the platform.

Discover Unique acts as a discovery and connection platform. We help people find support, services, opportunities and community connections — but we do not directly provide support services ourselves, and we do not directly manage the services offered by providers.

Discover Unique is not an emergency service, a safeguarding authority, or a regulator. We can take action on the platform and refer concerns to the appropriate authorities, but we cannot replace the role of the emergency services, local authority safeguarding teams, or other statutory bodies.

Where a concern needs a statutory response, we will support you in understanding who to contact and may share information with the relevant authority where it is right and necessary to do so.

We may update this Safeguarding Reporting Policy from time to time — for example, to reflect changes in how the platform works, legal requirements, or feedback from our community.

When we make meaningful changes, we will make the updated policy available on this page and let you know where appropriate. Continuing to use Discover Unique after changes take effect means you accept the updated policy. If you do not agree with a change, you can contact us or stop using the platform.

This Safeguarding Reporting Policy is governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes relating to this policy will be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

If you have any questions about this Safeguarding Reporting Policy, or if you would like to report a safeguarding concern, we would like to hear from you.

Email: hello@discoverunique.co.uk

We are committed to keeping Discover Unique a trusted, transparent and safe space for the whole SEND, neurodivergent and additional needs community — connecting people and supporting futures.