Level Up Living
Safeguarding Policy
Our commitment to safety, wellbeing and personal development
1. Our commitment to safeguarding
At Level Up Living, safeguarding is central to everything we do. We are committed to providing a safe, respectful, inclusive and supportive environment where young adults can develop life skills, build confidence, improve communication and form meaningful social connections.
We use structured online gaming, coaching and planned activities to help participants develop skills that extend beyond the game itself. We recognise that every individual has different strengths, communication styles and support needs, and we aim to create an environment where everyone feels respected, valued and able to participate.
We take our responsibility to protect participants from abuse, neglect, exploitation, discrimination and avoidable harm seriously.
Our priority is to support participants' safety, dignity, independence and wellbeing throughout their involvement with Level Up Living.
2. Who we support
Level Up Living provides services exclusively to adults aged 18 and over, primarily young adults aged 18+, including autistic and other neurodivergent people and individuals with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
We recognise that adults may have circumstances or additional support needs that make them vulnerable to particular risks. We aim to respect each participant's individuality, autonomy and right to make informed decisions while remaining alert to concerns about their safety.
We do not provide services to individuals under the age of 18.
Our services are available to participants across the UK.
3. Our approach to safe and supportive sessions
Group sessions and life-skills development
Group sessions are our preferred long-term approach because they provide opportunities for participants to practise real-world skills in a structured and supportive environment.
Through gaming and planned activities, participants can work on:
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Communication and social interaction.
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Teamwork, cooperation and leadership.
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Emotional awareness and regulation.
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Problem-solving and decision-making.
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Confidence, independence and resilience.
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Respect for others, boundaries and different perspectives.
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Our sessions are structured around personal development objectives, rather than gaming alone. Activities are designed to encourage participation, reflection and the gradual development of transferable life skills.
One-to-one sessions are also available where appropriate to a participant's needs and goals.
Safe spaces and the freedom to step away
We recognise that activities, social interactions and emotions can sometimes become overwhelming. Participants are encouraged to communicate how they are feeling, request support or take a break when needed.
Our mentors provide opportunities for participants to speak openly, raise concerns and ask for help. Participants can step away from an activity or use an appropriate quieter space where available.
We aim to create an environment in which asking for support is welcomed and participants are not pressured to continue an activity when they are uncomfortable.
Respectful behaviour and professional boundaries
We expect everyone involved with Level Up Living to treat others with dignity and respect.
Bullying, harassment, discrimination, intimidation, exploitation and inappropriate behaviour are not acceptable.
Our mentors are expected to maintain appropriate professional boundaries, communicate respectfully and respond appropriately to concerns. We aim to ensure that participants feel listened to, supported and treated fairly.
4. What safeguarding means
Safeguarding involves taking appropriate steps to protect people from abuse, neglect, exploitation and other forms of harm.
We remain alert to concerns including:
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Physical abuse or inappropriate physical contact.
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Emotional or psychological abuse, intimidation or coercion.
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Sexual abuse, harassment or exploitation.
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Financial abuse, fraud or manipulation.
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Neglect and self-neglect.
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Domestic abuse and controlling behaviour.
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Discriminatory abuse, including disability-related harassment.
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Bullying, cyberbullying and harmful online interactions.
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Inappropriate conduct by a facilitator or another person in a position of trust.
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Other circumstances in which a participant may be at risk of harm.
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This list is not exhaustive. Concerns may arise during sessions, through online interactions, through information shared by a participant or through observations made by a mentor.
We recognise that safeguarding is an ongoing responsibility and that concerns must be taken seriously even when the full circumstances are not yet known.
5. Online gaming safety
Online gaming is a central part of our approach to life-skills development. We recognise its benefits while acknowledging that online environments can present risks.
We aim to maintain appropriate boundaries and promote respectful communication during online activities.
Our approach includes:
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Encouraging respectful behaviour and cooperation.
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Addressing inappropriate behaviour and interactions.
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Taking concerns about cyberbullying, harassment or harmful communication seriously.
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Providing opportunities for participants to ask for help or step away.
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Maintaining appropriate professional boundaries in communications with participants.
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Seeking further advice or support where an online safety concern requires action beyond our own responsibilities.
We recognise that online safety extends beyond the immediate session and that concerns may need to be addressed through appropriate safeguarding procedures.
6. Safeguarding responsibilities and leadership
Both Level Up Living business owners currently share responsibility for addressing safeguarding concerns and maintaining safe practice.
Our designated Director Safeguarding Lead monitors safeguarding issues and concerns and helps oversee our safeguarding arrangements.
Our co-founders have undertaken safeguarding training and hold enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks.
Our responsibilities include recognising and responding to concerns, maintaining professional boundaries, recording relevant information securely, seeking appropriate advice and referring concerns to the relevant authorities when necessary.
Where a concern involves one of the safeguarding leads, or a participant or another person feels unable to raise a concern internally, the matter may be referred directly to the relevant local authority safeguarding team or the police.
We recognise the importance of appropriate external escalation rather than relying solely on internal procedures.
7. Responding to safeguarding concerns
If a participant discloses abuse, neglect, exploitation or another safeguarding concern, we aim to respond calmly, respectfully and without judgement.
We will seek to:
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Listen carefully and take the concern seriously.
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Consider any immediate risks to the participant or another person.
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Take appropriate and proportionate steps to address the risk.
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Record relevant information accurately and securely.
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Seek advice from appropriate safeguarding professionals where necessary.
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Refer concerns to the relevant authorities when appropriate or required.
We will not attempt to conduct our own investigation into suspected abuse where doing so could increase risk or interfere with an appropriate external investigation.
We recognise the importance of responding appropriately to distress, emergencies and situations in which someone may be at immediate risk.
If someone is in immediate danger or requires urgent emergency assistance, call 999.
8. Emergency information and documentation
We collect relevant emergency contact details and required documentation as part of our arrangements for supporting participants.
This information helps us respond appropriately if an emergency or serious safeguarding concern arises.
We aim to ensure that relevant information is available to authorised personnel when it is needed for a legitimate safeguarding or emergency purpose.
Emergency details and associated documentation are handled with appropriate regard to privacy, confidentiality and data protection requirements.
9. Session recordings, videos and images
We take the privacy and dignity of our participants seriously.
Full session recordings may be made as part of our activities. We may also capture screenshots, images and videos of gaming activities to document activities, showcase achievements or support other agreed uses, including website and marketing content.
Before recordings are used or shared for promotional or other agreed external purposes, we take steps to remove identifying details, including participants' faces, names and voices.
We recognise that other information, such as usernames, chat messages, avatars or contextual details, may still identify an individual. We therefore take care to consider what information remains visible or audible before material is shared.
We seek appropriate permission for the intended use of recordings and images and communicate proposed changes to their use through our established arrangements with participants and, where appropriate, their parents or carers.
Participation in Level Up Living does not automatically mean that a participant agrees to identifiable content being used for promotional purposes.
We aim to respect participants' preferences and ensure that permissions reflect the intended use of the material.
10. Personal information, progress records and confidentiality
We maintain individual records to support continuity of care within our service, reflect on how sessions have gone, document relevant observations and understand participants' progress and support needs.
These records may include information about a participant's responses to activities, development, engagement and relevant safeguarding observations.
Access to individual records is restricted to authorised personnel who need the information for their responsibilities, including the relevant mentors, safeguarding leads and authorised business operators.
We take appropriate steps to protect these records against unauthorised access, loss or disclosure.
Personal information is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable data protection requirements. We aim to collect and retain information that is relevant to our service and to manage it appropriately.
We respect participants' privacy and autonomy. However, confidentiality cannot be guaranteed where information needs to be shared lawfully to protect someone from harm, address a safeguarding concern or meet another legal obligation.
Where appropriate, we will explain why information needs to be shared and involve the participant in decisions about next steps.
11. Communication with participants, parents and carers
We recognise the value of appropriate communication between participants, families, carers and other professionals involved in their support.
We provide updates about sessions, activities and programme structures where appropriate. More regular updates may also be arranged when agreed and beneficial to the participant.
Changes to session structures, planned activities or approaches to support may be communicated to participants and, where appropriate, their parents or carers.
As our service is designed for adults aged 18 and over, we respect each participant's autonomy, privacy and right to make decisions about their own information.
Information is shared with parents, carers or other professionals where appropriate, taking account of the participant's wishes, consent, confidentiality, safeguarding needs and applicable legal requirements.
We aim to work collaboratively while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries and respecting each participant as an individual.
12. Reporting concerns about Level Up Living
Participants, parents, carers, referring organisations and other professionals are encouraged to raise concerns about a participant's safety or wellbeing, or about the conduct of a facilitator.
All concerns will be taken seriously and handled as sensitively as possible.
You can contact either of our safeguarding leads:
Richard Miller
Email: richard@levelupliving.online
Telephone: 07555 185384
William Smith
Email: william@levelupliving.online
Telephone: 07746 380469
If your concern involves one of our safeguarding leads, or you do not feel comfortable raising it internally, you may contact the relevant local authority adult safeguarding team or the police directly.
Because Level Up Living supports participants across the UK, the appropriate local authority safeguarding service will depend on the circumstances and location involved.
We will not tolerate retaliation against anyone who raises a safeguarding concern in good faith.
You do not need to be certain that abuse or harm has occurred before raising a concern.
13. Working within our responsibilities
Level Up Living is a coaching and personal development service. We are not a substitute for statutory safeguarding services, emergency services, clinical assessment or specialist care.
We recognise the limits of our expertise and will seek appropriate advice or refer concerns when they exceed our responsibilities or competence.
We aim to work constructively with relevant professionals and organisations where this is appropriate and lawful, while respecting participants' privacy and rights.
14. Policy review and continuous improvement
We recognise that safeguarding practice must develop alongside our service and the needs of the people we support.
We are committed to reviewing our safeguarding arrangements regularly and improving our practices when necessary.
This policy will be reviewed at least annually and sooner if there is a significant safeguarding incident, a change in our service, relevant changes to legislation or guidance, or an identified need for improvement.
Our safeguarding approach is informed by relevant adult safeguarding principles, the Care Act 2014 and associated statutory guidance, applicable data protection requirements and relevant Disclosure and Barring Service guidance.
15. Our commitment to every Level Upper
At Level Up Living, we believe that people learn and grow best when they feel safe, respected and supported.
We are committed to creating opportunities for young adults to develop confidence, communication, emotional awareness, independence and social connection through meaningful, structured activities.
Safeguarding is not simply a policy. It is an ongoing responsibility that informs how we plan sessions, support participants, communicate with families and respond when concerns arise.
Every Level Upper deserves to feel safe, valued and supported as they learn, grow and connect.
For further information about our data handling and service arrangements, please refer to our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.
Policy owner: Level Up Living
Version: 1.0
Date adopted: 18/10/2026
Review date: [18/10/2026, within 12 months]
Safeguarding leads: Richard Miller and William Smith