Child Safeguarding Statement | Shine Bright Clinic

1. Name of service being provided

Shine Bright Clinic, operated by Shine Bright Clinic Limited, 3 Landscape Road, Churchtown, Dublin, D14 WC65. The clinic is a provider of a relevant service under Schedule 1 of the Children First Act 2015 (paragraph 1(c): a health care centre providing mental health services to children, and paragraph 4: assessment which may lead to treatment).

2. Nature of service and principles to safeguard children from harm

Shine Bright Clinic provides specialist assessment of ADHD, autism spectrum disorder and cognitive ability for children and young people aged 2 to 18, together with ADHD medication initiation, titration and review where clinically indicated. Assessments are carried out by a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist (the Clinical Lead). Additional clinicians approved by the Clinical Lead (for example a clinical nurse specialist or advanced nurse practitioner) may carry out parts of the assessment, medication reviews or school observations. Children attend with a parent or guardian, by appointment, at a single clinic location; ADHD assessments may, at the family’s request, be held by secure video call. The clinic does not provide residential care, group activities, childcare or unsupervised activities, and children do not have access to clinic internet or devices. The clinic does not contact schools except, with a parent’s written consent, to arrange a school observation; all other school-related correspondence goes through parents.

We are committed to safeguarding the children who use our service. We believe that the welfare of every child attending the clinic is paramount and we will observe the following principles:

The child’s safety, welfare and best interests come first in every decision we make.
Children are listened to, believed and taken seriously. Any concern for a child’s safety or welfare is acted on without delay.
Every person who works at or for the clinic, whether employed, contracted or a director, is Garda vetted before any contact with children and follows our Code of Behaviour.
Parents and guardians are partners in their child’s care. A parent or guardian is present for all physical measurements and remains on the premises throughout the visit.
Clinicians may see a young person alone where this is clinically appropriate; non-clinical staff are never alone with a child.
We work in partnership with Tusla (Child and Family Agency) and comply with Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2017) and the Children First Act 2015.
Our registered medical practitioners and registered nurses are mandated persons under the Act and understand their statutory reporting obligations.
Children’s personal information is treated with the highest level of confidentiality, and children are never photographed or recorded.

3. Risk assessment

We have carried out an assessment of any potential for harm to a child while availing of our services, including the area of online safety when accessing the internet. “Harm” is used as defined in the Children First Act 2015: 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.

	Risk identified	Procedure in place to manage risk identified
1	Risk of harm to a child by a member of staff or a contractor during one-to-one clinical contact (clinical interview, physical measurements).	Garda vetting of every director, employee and contractor before any contact with children. Parent/guardian present for all physical measurements. Where the clinician sees a young person alone, this is at clinical discretion, the parent remains immediately outside, the door is unlocked, and the fact and purpose are recorded in the clinical record. Non-clinical staff are never alone with a child. Code of Behaviour; Safe Recruitment Procedure.
2	Risk of harm to a child from another adult attending the clinic, including conflict between separated parents or guardians.	Consent Policy: one legal guardian’s consent is required and any other guardian is to be informed; guardianship and attendance are confirmed at booking. Where the clinic becomes aware of an objection from another guardian, the assessment is paused for discussion. Staff de-escalation guidance; a child is never left between disputing adults; An Garda Síochána contacted if a child is at immediate risk.
3	Risk that signs of abuse or neglect observed during assessment are not recognised or not reported.	All staff complete Tusla’s Children First e-learning before starting and every 3 years; clinicians are mandated persons and follow the Reporting Procedure. Designated Liaison Person (DLP) contactable on every clinic day. Informal consultation with the Tusla Duty Social Work team where the threshold is unclear. Safeguarding is a standing item at the governance meeting.
4	Risk that a disclosure made by a child during assessment is handled inappropriately.	Disclosure guidance in our Safeguarding Procedures and Children First training: listen, do not promise secrecy, do not lead or question beyond what is needed to establish safety, record the child’s own words verbatim as soon as possible, and inform the DLP the same day.
5	Risk of harm to a child if an allegation or concern about a worker is not managed properly.	Procedure for the Management of Allegations Against Workers: two separate tracks (child protection reporting to Tusla; and contractual action), protective measures while the matter is considered, and immediate suspension of patient contact where necessary.
6	Risk of harm through inappropriate collection, use or sharing of a child’s personal information or images.	No photography, video or audio recording of children by anyone. Children’s images never used in marketing. Data Protection Policy and Privacy Notice; secure electronic records with role-based access. Information shared only with the GP, with other professionals with consent, or where legally required. No direct correspondence with schools except to arrange a school observation with a parent’s written consent; school letters and reports are given to parents.
7	Risk of harm arising from remote or online contact with a child.	Online (video) appointments are offered for ADHD assessments only, at the family’s request, through the clinic’s secure clinical system on a clinic device. A parent or guardian is with the child at the same location for the call; a young person may choose to speak to the clinician on their own for part of it, with the parent or guardian nearby, and this is recorded in the clinical record. Identity is confirmed at the start, and sessions are never recorded. Clinical contact outside appointments is through the clinic’s monitored email only, with a parent or guardian, and is recorded in the clinical record. Workers never contact a child through personal phones, email or social media.
8	Risk of a child leaving the premises unsupervised or being collected by an unauthorised adult, noting that children attending may be impulsive or have additional needs.	Child remains in the care of their parent/guardian in the waiting area and is released only to the adult(s) named on the consent form. Identity of the accompanying adult confirmed at check-in.
9	Risk that a worker who is unsuitable to work with children is engaged.	Safe Recruitment and Selection Procedure: Garda vetting through the clinic, verification of professional registration (Medical Council / NMBI), two references, identity check, professional indemnity, and Clinical Lead approval before any clinician starts.
10	Risk that a child in need of protection is not identified because the clinic accepts straightforward referrals only.	Every referral is screened and every assessment includes attention to wider welfare concerns regardless of complexity. Where a concern is identified in a child who is declined or referred on, the Reporting Procedure applies in full and the GP is informed.
11	Risk of harm to a child during a school observation.	Observations are rare, take place only with a parent’s written consent and the principal’s agreement, and are carried out by a Garda-vetted clinical nurse specialist in a classroom or other shared area with school staff present. The worker is never alone with the child, and the observation and its purpose are recorded in the clinical record.

4. Procedures

Our Child Safeguarding Statement has been developed in line with requirements under the Children First Act 2015, the Children First: National Guidance, and Tusla’s Child Safeguarding: A Guide for Policy, Procedure and Practice. 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:

Procedure for the management of allegations of abuse or misconduct against workers/volunteers of a child availing of our service
Procedure for the safe recruitment and selection of workers and volunteers to work with children
Procedure for provision of and access to child safeguarding training and information, including the identification of the occurrence of harm
Procedure for the reporting of child protection or welfare concerns to Tusla
Procedure for maintaining a list of the persons (if any) in the relevant service who are mandated persons
Procedure for appointing a relevant person

All procedures listed are available upon request and are set out in the Appendix to this Statement.

5. Implementation

We recognise that implementation is an ongoing process. Our service 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 1 October 2028, or as soon as practicable after there has been a material change in any matter to which the statement refers (including the addition of any new service, location or category of worker).

This Statement has been provided to all workers, is displayed in the clinic’s waiting area and on our website, and is available to parents and guardians, Tusla and members of the public on request.

For queries, please contact: Dr Laura Bond, Relevant Person under the Children First Act 2015, hello@shinebrightclinic.ie. Deputy Relevant Person: Stephen Creedon, hello@shinebrightclinic.ie.

Safeguarding procedures

These procedures support the Child Safeguarding Statement and are available on request. “Worker” means any director, employee, contractor or student engaged by Shine Bright Clinic.

A. Reporting of child protection or welfare concerns to Tusla

A.1 Designated Liaison Person (DLP): Dr Laura Bond, Clinical Lead. Deputy DLP: Stephen Creedon. The DLP or Deputy is contactable on every clinic day.

A.2 Any worker with a concern about a child’s safety or welfare tells the DLP without delay, on the same day. Concerns are never held over or discussed only informally.

A.3 Mandated persons (registered medical practitioners and registered nurses) must report to Tusla, using the Mandated Report Form, any knowledge, belief or reasonable suspicion that a child has been, is being, or is at risk of being harmed at or above the threshold set out in the Children First Act 2015. A mandated person may make the report jointly with the DLP, but the statutory obligation remains personal and cannot be delegated.

A.4 Concerns below the mandated threshold, or concerns held by a non-mandated worker, are reported by the DLP to Tusla using the Child Protection and Welfare Report Form where there are reasonable grounds for concern.

A.5 Where it is unclear whether the threshold is met, the DLP consults informally with the Tusla Duty Social Work team for the child’s area before deciding. The consultation and outcome are recorded.

A.6 Parents/guardians are informed that a report is being made unless doing so would place the child at further risk; the decision and reasons are recorded.

A.7 A safeguarding record is kept separately from the clinical record, containing the concern, the child’s own words where a disclosure was made, actions taken, who was informed and when. Retained in line with our Data Protection Policy.

A.8 Where a child is in immediate danger and Tusla cannot be contacted, An Garda Síochána is contacted without delay.

B. Management of allegations against workers

B.1 Any allegation or concern that a worker may have harmed a child is reported at once to the DLP (or, if it concerns the DLP, to the Deputy DLP), and to Tusla where reasonable grounds for concern exist, following Procedure A.

B.2 Two separate processes run in parallel: (i) the child protection process, reported to Tusla and, where a crime may have been committed, to An Garda Síochána; and (ii) the contractual or employment process concerning the worker.

B.3 The first priority is the safety of the child. Protective measures are taken immediately, including suspending the worker’s patient contact pending the outcome. Suspension is a neutral act and is not a finding.

B.4 The worker is informed of the allegation and given an opportunity to respond, but only after the DLP has established that doing so will not place the child at further risk or interfere with a Tusla or Garda process.

B.5 The directors decide any contractual action on the basis of the outcome. A written record is kept of all steps taken.

C. Safe recruitment and selection of workers

C.1 No person begins work involving contact with children until all of the following are complete: Garda vetting through Shine Bright Clinic (existing vetting from another organisation is not accepted); photographic identity check; verification of current professional registration (Medical Council or NMBI) including any conditions; two professional references, one from the most recent clinical role; evidence of professional indemnity; and Clinical Lead approval.

C.2 Vetting is renewed at least every 3 years or sooner if required. Any change in a worker’s registration status or any conviction, caution or investigation must be disclosed to the directors immediately.

C.3 Every worker receives this Statement, the Code of Behaviour and the Safeguarding Procedures at induction and signs to confirm they have read them.

D. Child safeguarding training and information

D.1 Every worker completes Tusla’s Children First e-learning programme before starting and repeats it every 3 years. Certificates are kept on file.

D.2 Clinicians additionally maintain their professional bodies’ safeguarding requirements. The DLP and Deputy DLP undertake DLP-specific training where available.

D.3 Induction covers: recognising signs of harm; how to respond to a disclosure; the Code of Behaviour; who the DLP is and how to reach them; and record-keeping.

D.4 Safeguarding is a standing agenda item at the governance meeting.

E. List of mandated persons

E.1 The Business Lead maintains a list of mandated persons working at or for the clinic (registered medical practitioners and registered nurses). The list is updated whenever a worker joins or leaves and is available on request.

E.2 Current mandated persons: Dr Laura Bond (Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Medical Council No. 409036). Any registered nurse who joins the clinic is added to this list when they start.

F. Appointment of the Relevant Person

F.1 The directors appoint the Relevant Person, who is the first point of contact in respect of this Statement. Currently: Dr Laura Bond. Deputy: Stephen Creedon. Contact details are on the Statement and displayed in the clinic.

G. Code of Behaviour (summary)

Treat every child with respect and dignity; use age-appropriate language; never shout at, ridicule or physically restrain a child except to prevent immediate harm.
Clinicians may see a young person alone where clinically appropriate, with the parent immediately outside and the door unlocked, and record that they did so. Non-clinical staff are never alone with a child.
Physical contact is limited to what is clinically necessary (measuring height, weight, blood pressure, pulse) and is explained to the child first, with the parent present.
Never photograph, film or record a child; never contact a child or family through personal accounts or devices.
Never accept gifts of value from, or offer gifts to, a child or family; do not socialise with patient families outside the clinical relationship.
Report every concern, however small, to the DLP the same day. If in doubt, report.

H. Parental presence and chaperones (summary)

A parent or guardian is present for all physical measurements and remains on the premises throughout the appointment.
The consultant may see a young person alone for part of the assessment at clinical discretion; the parent remains immediately outside and this is noted in the record.
A young person or parent may ask for a parent or a second worker to be present at any time.