Child Safeguarding Statement

1. Name and nature of service being provided:

Arch Creative and Play Therapy Centre provides Play Therapy to children 2 years and older and Creative Therapy to adolescents and adults. Arch Creative and Play Therapy Centre is currently located at 7 The Crescent, O'Connell Avenue, Limerick, Ireland.

The purpose of ARCH Creative and Play Therapy Centre is to provide therapeutic support to children, young people and adults through the medium of Play Therapy, Creative Arts Therapy, Parent Support/ Consultation and Clinical Supervision for Therapeutic Practitioners.

2. Principles to safeguard children from harm

Arch Creative and Play Therapy Centre are committed to promoting and facilitating the full participation of children and young people in our work. We aim to provide a safe, confidential and child-oriented therapeutic space for children and young people with a view to promote childrens' and young peoples' development, self-confidence and well-being. Arch Creative and Play Therapy Centre is committed at all times to ensuring children's and young peoples' safety and welfare in line with Children First 2015. Arch Creative and Play Therapy's principles to safeguard children from harm are:

The safety, welfare and best interests of a child or young person is everyone’s responsibility and always paramount.
The overall aim in all dealings with children and their families is to support families to keep children safe from harm and support child well-being.
Children have a right to be heard, listened to and taken seriously. Taking account of their age and understanding, children are consulted and involved in all matters and decisions while attending Arch Creative and Play Therapy Centre. The rights, wishes and feelings of children, young people and their families will be heard and respected.
Therapeutic interventions are child-led and child-oriented in nature as well as take account of a child's holistic development and well-being.
Therapeutic interventions build on existing strengths and protective factors in the child and family, and consider at its heart the welfare of the child and family.
Parents/carers have a right to be consulted and involved in their child's Play/ Creative Therapy. Arch Creative and Play Therapy Centre endeavours to balance parents/ carers's needs for consultation and involvement with the child's/ young person's need for a safe, secure, child-led and confidential therapeutic space. This is done within ethical and professional best practice policies for Play and Creative Arts Therapy services.
A proper balance must be struck between protecting children and respecting the rights and needs of parents/carers and families.
Those people in positions of responsibility within the organisation will work in accordance with the interests of children, young people and their families and adhere to Arch Creative and Play Therapy's Child Protection Policy.
Those people in positions of responsibility within the organisation will ensure that the same opportunities are available to everyone and that all differences between individuals will be treated with respect.
Child protection is a multiagency, multidisciplinary activity. Agencies and professionals must work together in the interests of children.

3. Risk Assessment

We have carried out an assessment of any potential for harm to a child while availing of our services. The definition of harm in relation to a child is: ‘assault, ill-treatment or neglect of the child in a manner that seriously affects or is likely to seriously affect the child’s health, development or welfare, or sexual abuse of the child’.

Below is a list of the areas of risk identified and the list of procedures for managing these risks. It is not possible to eliminate risk completely, but risks can be significantly reduced if they are properly managed. A more detailed list of potential health and safety risks and associated strategies in place to manage same can be found in Arch Creative and Play Therapy Centre Child Protection Policy.

	Risk identified	Procedure in place to manage identified risk
1	Allegation of abuse or misconduct against workers of a child availing of service	Arch Creative and Play Therapy Centre Child Protection Policy clearly outlines the procedure for the management of allegations of abuse or misconduct against workers of a child availing of our service. Section 10
2	Recruitment	Arch Creative and Play Therapy Centre Child Protection Policy outlines the procedure for the safe recruitment and selection of workers. Section 3 All staff at Arch Creative and Play Therapy Centre are Garda Vetted and maintain current vetting every 2 years.
3	Training	Staff at Arch Creative and Play Therapy Centre undertake yearly Continuous Professional Development Training CPD of a minimum of 30 hours a year. Training in child protection matters (updating statutory policies; Children First 2015; national best practice guidelines; etc) is on-going in its nature and all staff commit to update training as updated regulations/ practices become available. All staff are aware of and committed to their duty to report concerns or disclosures of abuse that they receive in the course of their duties to Tusla.
4	Reporting Child Protection Concerns to Tusla	The Designated Liaison Person/ Child Protection Officer name and contact details are prominently displayed in the office and in Arch Creative and Play Therapy Centre Child Protection Policy. Staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities as Designated Liaison Person/ Mandated Person as outlined in Arch Creative and Play Therapy Centre Child Protection Policy. Sections 8 and 9 An updated version of Tusla Child Protection and Welfare Report Form is at all times available and mandated to be completed within a reasonable time frame in the case of child protection and welfare concerns in line with Children First 2015. Failure to comply may result in disciplinary action through professional membership organisation Play Therapy Ireland.
5	Lone Working with Children in Play Therapy Room	1:1 therapy sessions are a valuable and necessary aspect of Play Therapy practice. Adequate safety precautions and best-practice guidelines are outlined in detail in Arch Creative and Play Therapy Centre Child Protection Policy. Section 4 A parent/carer is always present in the building. The parent/carer will be asked to accompany the child to the bathroom if necessary.
6	Confidentiality	Arch Creative and Play Therapy Centre respects children's and families right to privacy when availing of services at the Centre. Confidentiality and its limitations in the case of child welfare concerns are explained to clients and families before commencement of Play Therapy and informed consent is provided by carer/s in writing (Consent Form). Arch Creative and Play Therapy Centre Child Protection Policy sets out policies regarding confidentiality, limitations and best-practice information sharing with families and outside agencies, taking into account best-practice ethical and clinical guidelines by Play Therapy Ireland and relevant data protection guidelines. Section 5
7	Record Keeping	Arch Creative and Play Therapy Centre Child Protection Policy sets out clear procedures in relation to record-keeping of all child protection and welfare concerns. Section 6 Client records are kept securely and are processed in line General Data Protection Regulation 2018.
8	Sharing Information in Child Protection Concerns	Arch Creative and Play Therapy Centre Child Protection Policy outlines co-operation with TUSLA Child and Family Agency on the sharing of their records where a child welfare or protection issue arises. This is in keeping with the principles of Data Protection which recognise that in certain circumstances information can be shared in the interest of child protection. Sections 5, 6, 8 and 9
9	Physical injury to a child	Child clients remain under adult supervision at all times while availing of Play Therapy at Arch Creative and Play Therapy Centre and are not left unattended. A carer is available at all times on the premises in the waiting room. The potential for health and safety risks and management procedures for minimising risks and dealing with any accident or injury to a child during Play Therapy are outlined in the Arch Creative and Play Therapy Centre Child Protection Policy. Section 7

5. Procedures

Our Child Safeguarding Statement has been developed in line with requirements under the Children First Act 2015, Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2017), and Tusla’s Child Safeguarding: A Guide for Policy, Procedure and Practice as well as with best-practice guidance for Play and Creative Arts Therapists through Play Therapy Ireland / UK. In addition to the procedures listed in our risk assessment, the following procedures support our intention to safeguard children while they are availing of our service and can be found in Arch Creative and Play Therapy Centre Child Protection Policy, available at the office and/ or on request:

Procedure for the safe recruitment of staff to work with children as well the access to and utilising of child safeguarding training and information;
Procedure for the provision of clinical supervision and yearly CPD training of staff;
Procedure to share information about the child protection policy and good practices with families and children
Procedure to respond to concerns of children's welfare and safety and the reporting of child protection or welfare concerns to Tusla;
Procedure for the management of allegations of abuse or misconduct against staff of a child availing of our service;
Procedure for maintaining and publicising to service users a list of the person who provides role of designated liaison officer/ mandated person

6. Implementation

We recognise that implementation is an on-going process. Arch Creative and Play Therapy is committed to the implementation of this Child Safeguarding Statement and the procedures that support our intention to keep children safe from harm while availing of our service.

This Child Safeguarding Statement will be reviewed on 20th February 2024, or as soon as practicable after there has been a material change in any matter to which the statement refers.

For queries, please contact:

Janine Nehrig, Accredited Play Therapist,

Arch Creative and Play Therapy Centre, 7 The Crescent, O'Connell Avenue, Limerick, Co. Limerick

t. 089 4153493

e. archtherapy@hotmail.com

info. www.archtherapy.ie

Play Therapy (a form of Child Counselling/ Child Therapy/ Child Psychotherapy) and Creative Therapy (a form of Adult Counselling/ Adult Therapy/ Psychotherapy) and Clinical Supervision/ Creative Supervision is provided by a trained and experienced Accredited Play Therapist, Janine Nehrig. Janine is a member of Play Therapy Ireland PTIrl, the Psychological Society of Ireland PSI and the Register of Play and Creative Arts Therapists, Accredited Register, accredited and regulated by the UK government Professional Standards Authority PSA. Clinical Supervision is further accepted by the Irish Association of Creative Arts Therapists IACAT. ARCH Creative and Play Therapy Centre is located in Limerick City, County Limerick, Munster and is within convenient reach of nearby villages and cities in County Clare, Tipperary, Galway, Cork and Kerry, including Abbeyfeale, Adare, Annacotty, Askeaton, Ballina, Ballybrophy, Ballycahill, Ballyhahill, Ballyhea, Ballylanders, Birr, Borrisoleigh, Broadford, Bruff, Bruree, Caherconlish, Cappagh, Cappamore, Castleconnell, Charleville, Clarecastle, Cloonlara, Croagh, Croom, Crusheen, Dolla, Doon, Dromcollogher, Ennis, Ennistymon, Fedamore, Foynes, Glin, Grange, Hospital, Kildimo, Kilfannane, Kilkishen, Killaloe, Kilmallock, Kilmurry, Kilrush, Lisnagry, Milford, Mitchelstown, Montpelier, Murroe, Nenagh, Newcastle West, Newmarket-on-Fergus, Newport, Newtown, Patrickswell, Quin, Rathkeale, Roscrea, Shannon, Sixmilebridge, Tarbert, Templemore, Thurles, Tipperary Town, Toomvara, Tulla, Tullamore, etc.