Safeguarding Policy

1. Purpose & Commitment

Below the Surface exists to support the mental wellbeing of military personnel, veterans, and their families — people who may be experiencing stress, low mood, trauma, or crisis. We are committed to protecting the safety, dignity, and wellbeing of everyone who interacts with the app, our content, and our team.

This policy sets out the principles we follow to safeguard children and adults at risk, how we design our product responsibly, and how concerns are raised and handled.

2. Scope

This policy applies to:

• All users of the Below the Surface application and website.
• All staff, contractors, volunteers, and content creators who work on the product.
• All content published in the app, including educational material, scenarios, and AI-generated insights.

3. Who We Aim to Protect

We recognise that our users may include people who are vulnerable. In this policy:

• A child is anyone under the age of 18.
• An adult at risk is any person aged 18 or over who may be unable to protect themselves from harm or abuse, for example due to mental ill health, trauma (including PTSD), injury, isolation, or the pressures of service and deployment.

The app is intended for adults. It is not designed or marketed for use by children under 13, and content is written with an adult service audience in mind.

4. Our Safeguarding Principles

• Safety first: The wellbeing of users always takes priority over other considerations.
• Signposting to real help: Where users may be in distress, the app consistently directs them to professional and emergency support.
• Do no harm: Content is reviewed to avoid material that could be triggering, unsafe, or that could encourage self-harm.
• Privacy by design: We collect no identifying personal data. This protects users but also means we cannot monitor individuals — so clear signposting is essential.
• Take concerns seriously: Every safeguarding concern raised with us is treated seriously, promptly, and confidentially.

5. Recognising When Someone May Be at Risk

Signs that a person may need urgent support can include:

• Talking about wanting to die, feeling hopeless, or having no reason to live.
• Talking about being a burden to others.
• Withdrawing from friends, family, or normal activities.
• Extreme mood changes, agitation, or reckless behaviour.
• Increased use of alcohol or drugs.
• Disclosing abuse, neglect, or being harmed by others.

If you notice these signs in yourself or someone else, please use the emergency contacts at the top of this page.

6. How We Design the App Responsibly

• Crisis signposting and emergency contact information are made available within the app.
• Wellbeing content is prepared in advance and reviewed by a person before publication. It is not a substitute for clinical care.
• Some content is drafted with the assistance of AI tools during its creation. This happens ahead of time, not live within the app — the app does not run AI on your device or in response to what you do. Any AI-assisted content is reviewed by a person and is written to be supportive, and to avoid material that is harmful, diagnostic, or inappropriate in a crisis.
• Content is never presented as a substitute for professional help, and users are consistently pointed towards real support.
• The app avoids collecting sensitive identifying data, reducing the risk of personal information being exposed.

7. Reporting a Concern

If you are worried about the safety of a user, about content within the app, or about the conduct of anyone connected to Below the Surface, please tell us.

How to report

• Email our safeguarding contact: admin@yourcaio.co.uk
• Please include what happened, who is involved (if known), and whether anyone is in immediate danger.

If someone is in immediate danger, always contact the emergency services first (999 in the UK), then report to us.

8. How We Respond to Concerns

• We acknowledge safeguarding reports as quickly as reasonably possible.
• Concerns are reviewed by our designated safeguarding contact.
• Where appropriate, we will refer matters to the relevant authorities (police, local authority adult or children's safeguarding teams, or the appropriate service welfare channels).
• We record concerns and actions taken securely and confidentially, sharing information only where necessary to protect someone from harm or where required by law.
• We review content or features that have contributed to a concern and make changes where needed.

9. Our Team's Responsibilities

Everyone working on Below the Surface is expected to:

• Be aware of this policy and act in the best interests of users' safety.
• Report any safeguarding concern promptly to the designated safeguarding contact.
• Never ignore, dismiss, or delay acting on a disclosure or concern.
• Handle any personal or sensitive information respectfully and confidentially.

10. Confidentiality & Information Sharing

We treat safeguarding information confidentially. However, confidentiality cannot be guaranteed where there is a risk of serious harm. In those situations, relevant information may be shared with emergency services, safeguarding authorities, or other agencies to protect the person at risk, in line with our legal obligations.

11. Review of This Policy

This policy is reviewed at least once a year, and sooner if there is a significant incident, a change in the law, or a change to how the app works. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last updated.

12. Contact

For any safeguarding question or concern about Below the Surface:

• Email: admin@yourcaio.co.uk
• Through the App Store or Google Play Store listing