Policy

Safeguarding Policy

Last updated: March 2026

Who Told You That? is committed to the safety and wellbeing of everyone who engages with our programmes, tools, and community. This policy sets out our approach to safeguarding across all areas of our work — including the digital tools, The Choose Forward Circle, and the Accountability Partner Programme (currently in development, not yet live).

1. Our commitment

We believe that everyone who engages with Who Told You That? deserves to do so safely. We take our duty of care seriously — to participants, accountability partners, facilitators, and community members alike.

Belief work can surface difficult emotions and personal history. Our programmes are designed with this in mind. We do not position accountability partners as therapists or crisis responders, and we are clear about the boundaries of what this programme provides.

2. Scope

This policy applies to:

• All participants in the Accountability Partner Programme (when launched)
• All accredited and supervised Accountability Partners (when the programme launches)
• Members of The Choose Forward Circle community
• Anyone using our digital tools, including the Freedom Assessment and Progress Tracker
• All staff, contractors, and volunteers working with Who Told You That?

3. What we mean by safeguarding

Safeguarding means protecting people from harm, abuse, neglect, and exploitation. In the context of Who Told You That?, this includes:

• Emotional harm arising from uncontained belief work or unsuitable partner matching
• Exploitation of power imbalances within partner relationships
• Breach of confidentiality or misuse of personal disclosures
• Situations where a participant discloses risk to themselves or others
• Any form of abuse, harassment, or boundary violation within our community spaces

4. Accountability Partner Programme — specific safeguards

Note: The Accountability Partner Programme is currently in development and not yet live. The following safeguards are built into the programme design and will be in effect when it launches:

• Supervised first 30 days: All new partners work under supervision for their first 30 days, without exception. No partner — regardless of professional background — bypasses this stage.
• Application disclosures: Partners are asked to disclose relevant personal history. This is not used to exclude but to ensure appropriate support and placement.
• Scope of role: Accountability Partners are explicitly not therapists, coaches, or crisis workers. Partners are trained to recognise when a participant needs a different level of support and to make appropriate referrals.
• Session notes: Partners are required to complete brief session notes within 24 hours. These allow us to identify patterns that may indicate a concern.
• Boundary training: All partners complete boundary and safeguarding awareness as part of accreditation.
• Reporting route: Partners have a clear, confidential route to raise concerns without fear of losing their accreditation for doing so.

5. If a participant discloses risk

If a participant discloses that they are at risk of harm — to themselves or others — the following applies:

• The accountability partner should listen without judgement and without minimising
• The partner should not attempt to manage a crisis alone — they should follow the referral guidance provided during accreditation
• The partner should contact the Who Told You That? safeguarding lead within 24 hours
• In an emergency, the partner should encourage the participant to call 999 or go to their nearest A&E

6. Confidentiality and its limits

Everything shared within the Accountability Partner Programme is treated as confidential. However, confidentiality is not absolute. We will share information without consent where:

• There is a risk to the life of the participant or another person
• There is a legal obligation to disclose (e.g. a court order)
• There is a concern about the welfare of a child or vulnerable adult

Where possible, we will tell the person concerned before sharing information, unless doing so would increase the risk of harm.

7. Distress flagged through our digital tools

Our platform includes automated monitoring for keywords and patterns that may indicate a user is in distress. If the system detects a potential concern, the following applies:

• The concern is flagged in our internal admin panel for review by the safeguarding lead
• Where appropriate, the user will be contacted directly to check in and signposted to relevant support
• No automated response is sent without human review first
• Monitoring is carried out in accordance with our Privacy Policy

Users can also flag a concern directly at any point by emailing mariyah@houseofv.co.uk. You do not need to be in crisis to reach out — if something felt wrong during your use of the platform, we want to hear from you.

8. Raising a concern

Anyone — participant, partner, or community member — can raise a safeguarding concern with us. You do not need to be certain that something is wrong. If something feels off, we want to hear from you.

Concerns can be raised:

• By email: mariyah@houseofv.co.uk
• Via your partner portal (Accountability Partners)
• Anonymously via the contact form on our website

All concerns are taken seriously, investigated promptly, and handled with discretion. No one will face negative consequences for raising a concern in good faith.

9. Our safeguarding lead

The designated safeguarding lead for Who Told You That? is Mariyah Acka'a, Founder and Managing Director. All safeguarding concerns are escalated to her directly.

10. Review

This policy is reviewed annually, or sooner if there is a significant change in our programmes or legal requirements. The most recent review date is shown at the top of this page.