As a registered charity, in line with Charity Commission guidance, we're committed to protecting those people who come into contact with us as part of our everyday work, from harm.

Mental health crisis support

There will be times when people are in crisis and don’t know who to reach out to.

For people experiencing immediate danger or wanting to report a crisis call 999 and state the county the person needing help is in, you will also need a contact number for that person if you are not calling about yourself. If you, or the person you’re concerned about is not in immediate danger, but you need assistance, you can also call the police on 101. You can also present at A&E.

Alternatively, if the crisis is of a suicidal nature, call the Samaritans on 116 123 or access information at the Samaritans. You can call The National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 0800 6895652 or access information at the National Suicide Prevention Helpline.  

For young people (up to aged 35) experiencing suicidal thoughts contact 0800 0684141 or access information at Papyrus. 

You can also contact the local mental health crisis team. Please search: mental health crisis team and include your postcode if you need to talk to someone straight away.

Additional support for mental health issues can be found at Mind by accessing information at Mind and Young Minds.   

Support for those seeking counselling

To find out more about accessing therapy through the NHS go to the NHS website for England and Wales, the NHS Safeguarding guide the NHS website for Scotland and the NHS website for Northern Ireland. 

BACP is a professional body for counsellors and psychotherapists and you can find one of our qualified members by searching our BACP Find a Therapist directory. 

You can search for counsellors nearby and you can specify concerns that you would like them to help with. Our counsellors do charge for their services and they set their own prices. You can find more information about therapy, what therapy can help with and what to expect in BACP's about therapy section of our website.

If you need a free of charge service, you can find further sources of help using the support and services guide from Mind. 

Additional resources and support

NSPCC: if you have concerns about a child’s safety, you can report a concern in the keeping children safe section of the NSPCC website or ring 0808 8005000 or search the NSPCC's website for other information.

Youth Access: find free counselling and other forms of support for children and young people at Youth Access.

Barnardo’s: providing help and support for young people, fostering and adoption services, and support for parents and carers in England and Wales at Barnardo's. 

Childline: the UK’s free, national helpline for children and young people in trouble or danger at Childline. 

Safeguarding for the counselling profession - England, Wales and Northern Ireland

All practitioners working with children and young people should be aware of the local Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH), as well as being familiar with the safeguarding policies and procedures of any organisation or agency in which members work. Those in private practice should familiarise themselves with local safeguarding procedures for both adults and children and young people (including safeguarding in pregnancy and for infants).

The MASH multi-agency safeguarding system operates in each geographical area, and information about how to make a referral via MASH in the area the child (or parent) lives in is provided online by each county. To access information, search MASH plus the county name, or see links below for each nation across the UK.

In Scotland you'd need to contact your local appointed children’s social work team or the Children’s Reporter. Details of this can be found on NSPC Scotland’s webpage.

Safeguarding adults

Local authorities have social workers who deal specifically with cases of abuse and neglect. Call the person's local council and ask for the adult safeguarding co-ordinator. You can also speak to the police or report a concern to a person’s GP.

Safeguarding guidance and how to report concerns linked to children, young people, babies and families

If you suspect that a child or a young person is experiencing, or is at risk of abuse or neglect, it can be reported to the local authority, children's services, the police or the NSPCC on 0808 8005000.

If the suspected or alleged abuse involves an adult in a position of trust, such as a professional or volunteer working with children, contact the local safeguarding board or search for the  Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO). For adults or children with care and support needs, contact the lead Person in a Position of Trust, in England this Local Authority worker is named as the (PiPoT). The PiPoT has a responsibility for investigating allegations when a person in a position of trust has harmed or poses a risk of harm to someone in their care. Each nation has an equivalent role.

England

Statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children is updated regularly and provides guidance on inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

Report concerns to a local council by searching on the Government website. 

Scotland

Providing Scotland with a consistent framework and shared language for promoting, supporting and safeguarding the wellbeing of children and young people at Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC).

Read child protection guidance on the Scottish Government website.

Report child protection concerns on the Scottish Government website.  

Northern Ireland

Ensuring there are no barriers to protecting children and young people up to the age of 18 in Northern Ireland at The Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland.

Read child protection guidance on the Northern Ireland Department of Health website.

Report child protection concerns on the Northern Ireland Department of Health website. 

Wales

Ensuring protection for children and young people in Wales at Safeguarding Wales.

Read guidance for children, young people, families and adults on the Welsh Government website. 

Report child protection concerns on the Welsh Government website. 

Additional sources of support

BACP GPiA resources:

Modern slavery and the National Referral Mechanism: read details about the Government’s work to end modern slavery, including details about how to refer victims into the National Referral Mechanism.

Preventing counter terrorism: read about the Let's talk about it initiative, designed to provide practical help and guidance to the public in order to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.

Child Sexual Exploitation: read the Government's guide for practitioners.

Reporting sexual abuse: read about the Government's supportive campaign to report sexual abuse.

Female genital mutilation: read information on the NHS website relating to female genital mutilation.

Karma Nirvana: working to end honour based abuse in the UK at Karma Nirvana. 

Stop-SO: preventing harmful sexual behaviours through therapy at Stop-SO. 

Lucy Faithful Foundation: preventing child sexual abuse at the Lucy Faithful Foundation. 

Internet Watch Foundation: important work being done to monitor how AI is being used to create child sexual abuse imagery at the Internet Watch Foundation. 

The Aim Project: training around preventing and working with harmful sexual behaviours between children at The Aim Project.

Mankind UK: counselling for men affected by unwanted sexual experience at Mankind UK. 

Safelives: working to end domestic abuse at Safelives. 

Rape Crisis England and Wales. 

Rape Crisis Scotland.

Rape Crisis Northern Ireland. 

Legal support services

Children and Families Advisory Service (CAFCASS).  

NAGALRO: The Professional Association for children's guardians, family court advisers and independent social workers at NAGALRO.

Coram BAAF: supporting agencies and professionals who work with children and young people, with membership available for additional benefits at Coram BAAF.

Coram Children’s Legal Centre: providing free legal information, advice and representation to children, young people, families, carers and professionals in immigration, community care, education and family law at Coram Children's Legal Centre.   

Coram BAAF Adoption and Fostering Academy.

Law Society Children Panel: providing a list of experienced solicitors across the UK who are accredited specifically in children's law and practice. A list is updated monthly by the Law Society, and available to download at the: Current members link relating to children, law and accreditation.

Ofsted: supporting concerns relating to safeguarding in schools, email Ofsted directly or click on the Ofsted website. 

Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Guardian ad Litem Agency. 

Scotland

Children’s Hearings Scotland. 

Wales 

Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) Cymru Central. 

Eire Republic of Ireland

Child and Family Agency. 

Department of Health and Children. 

Ombudsman for Children.