It is my policy to ensure that I am safe, and that the adults and children I work with in my role as Sleep Practitioner are safe.

Keeping Myself Safe

In order to keep myself safe when visiting you in your home, I will:

• Give your address to a family member prior to my visit, and advise them when I expect to return home.

• Text my family member to inform them that I have arrived at your home.

• Send further texts as required.

• Text when I have left your home.

If I do not text my family member when promised, and if I do not respond to a follow-up text from them, they may come to the address themselves and/or contact the police.

If, upon arrival at your home, I have reservations about entering, I will not do so. In this case, the contract will be terminated and any monies paid will be refunded, or the visit will be re-scheduled via Zoom.

To minimise the risk of allegations of abuse being made against me, I will ensure that whilst visiting you in your home, I am not left alone with your child/ren. If an allegation of abuse is made against me, I will immediately report it to the Local Authority Designated Officer.

Keeping Children Safe

It is my professional duty to report any child protection concerns – including bruising in non-independently mobile infants – to the relevant body.

It is not within my professional remit to keep adults safe from domestic abuse. However, if I suspect that an adult is being abused within a family which has engaged my services – or abuse is disclosed to me – it is my professional duty to ensure that any children in the home are not at risk of harm. It is therefore my policy to report any potential abuse to the relevant body.

If you are the victim of domestic abuse and wish to access support, contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000247, or follow the link to their website here.

Use of mobile phones and other devices

When I visit you in your home, I will bring my mobile phone with me in case of emergency, and to send and receive texts for my own safety. I will not use it to take photographs or make audio/video recordings of you, your child, or your home. Please do not use your mobile phone or other devices to record me in any way.

Personal Data

I have registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in order to legally record information in my role as Sleep Practitioner. This may include photos or videos sent for professional reasons (e.g. to use as part of a review) as well as personal information such as names and contact details. See my Privacy Policy for further details of how your personal data is used and stored.