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Introduction
School counsellors provide emotional and therapeutic support to children and young people, often helping them manage anxiety, low mood, trauma, or difficulties with relationships and behaviour. They may be employed directly by the school, by a local authority or education trust, or by voluntary organisations or private companies commissioned to provide counselling services within the school setting. The employment model varies widely between schools, meaning that counsellors’ access to school records, safeguarding systems and professional supervision varies too. Counsellors typically keep confidential records of sessions, including observations, things the child has said, emotional responses, and progress against therapeutic goals.
If there are concerns about child sexual abuse, the school counsellor should share any relevant information with the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead/Person (DSL/DSP), who can ensure this information is shared appropriately. For more information about the DSL/DSP’s role in a multi-agency assessment of the child, see the What information do early years settings, schools and colleges hold that may be useful? page.
The following documents may contain useful information for sharing with other practitioners in situations where there are concerns about child sexual abuse:
- Counselling session notes (which may contain details of emotional, behavioural, or wellbeing concerns).
- Records of reports of harm made by children.
- Assessments of mental health, resilience, and coping strategies.
- Care plans or support strategies agreed with the child, their parents, and/or school staff.
- Progress reviews and outcome monitoring.
Practitioners in early years settings, schools and colleges must share safeguarding information in accordance with the following legal frameworks:
- The Children Acts 1989 and 2004 establish a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, including a responsibility to share information where it is in the child’s best interests.
- Keeping Children Safe in Education in England, and Keeping Learners Safe in Wales, are statutory guidance requiring all staff to share safeguarding concerns with the DSL/DSP, who in turn must share information with relevant external organisations when necessary.
- Further statutory guidance, Working Together to Safeguard Children in England and Working Together to Safeguard People, Volume 5 in Wales, outline the obligation on schools and colleges to participate in multi-agency safeguarding arrangements, including information sharing.
- The Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) permit the sharing of personal data without consent where it is necessary to protect a child from harm or to fulfil statutory safeguarding duties.
- The Education Act 2002 (Section 175), the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014, the Non-Maintained Special Schools (England) Regulations 2015 and the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 require school governing bodies and proprietors to ensure their functions are carried out with a view to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.
As noted above, the information shared must be necessary to protect the child, accurate, and interpreted in context.