Our commitment to safeguarding

Our Values

Tellmi has been developed to improve the wellbeing of children aged 11 - 25. We believe the best way to support young people with mild to moderate anxieties or concerns is to empower them to support each other in a safe moderated environment with additional help from supportive professionals who can assess any potential risk of harm and take steps behind the scenes to direct the young person to appropriate support. 

Tellmi is committed to the safeguarding of unborn babies, children, families and adults. We aim to both protect users from harm and ensure that their right to confidentiality is properly upheld, in keeping with the law and good practice guidance.

Our Approach

While most of our users simply need a little extra advice or support, some are more vulnerable. We have procedures in place to safeguard the welfare of all our users in line with our commitment to enabling young people to be curious, open and ask difficult questions without harm or fear of reprisal. 

The presence of counsellors, advisors and trained moderators in the Tellmi team enables us to work safely and effectively with younger age groups, helping young people to resist peer pressure, identify where they may be at risk, build their self esteem and develop positive personal relationships.

The Tellmi App incorporates a sophisticated system for monitoring and tracking potential safeguarding risks. The system is based on best practices used in secondary schools. This enables us to spot patterns of concern as well as issues that must be dealt with immediately.

Our Commitment To Confidentiality

Young people have told us that confidentiality is one of their top concerns when seeking answers to private or personal questions or problems. Perceived lack of confidentiality significantly deters young people from seeking support and advice from teachers, peers, parents or support agencies.

Upholding young people’s right to confidentiality, except when they are at risk of serious harm, is a crucial factor in supporting young people’s access to high quality confidential services that can promote wellbeing. It encourages the development of a relationship of trust that enables young people to talk freely and honestly about their situation. This enables their peers to provide personalised support and enables the moderators to assess whether the individuals are at risk of harm and take appropriate steps to safeguard their well-being.

Confidentiality at Tellmi means that no identifiable information about any individual is disclosed or passed to anyone, or any agency outside Tellmi, other than in the most exceptional circumstances. Tellmi is a preventative service offering counselling services, therefore we are exempt from needing parental consent for any age of child. See our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for more information on how we use data. 

Tellmi recognises legal restrictions such as the age of consent or the use of alcohol, tobacco or drugs and where appropriate we will offer guidance and support on health and safety. With regard to sexual activity, although it is illegal for any child under the age of 16 to engage in sexual activity the Home Office do not seek to prosecute children aged 13 - 15 where the action is consensual and between children of a similar age. This means that we do not need to disclose details of discussions about sex between our users. However, if child under the age of 13 was to disclose that they have engaged in sexual activity, it would be classified as rape with any consent of the individual deemed irrelevant by law (Sexual Offences Act, 2003). In this instance, Tellmi would be required to verify the illegal activity and report to the relevant authorities if applicable.

Furthermore, in line with our confidentiality policy, we would not necessarily refer young people over the age of 13 years to the authorities unless we felt that they were at risk of harming themselves or others.