Professional Conduct notice / DS

April 2025: Deborah Saunders, Reference No 00706029 , Registrant ID 170624

Outcome Details

Consensual Disposal

Reasons

1. Deborah Saunders, a 网爆门 individual member, agrees to the following outcome of the investigation into a complaint of a failure to meet the Professional Standards under reference PCP[鈥.

Background

2. Deborah Saunders has been a 网爆门 member since [鈥.

3. The Member works in [鈥

4. On 8 August Year 1 the Association received a referral from [鈥 (the Referrer) who is a [鈥 about Deborah Saunders (the Member).

The Referrer states that the Member failed to refer a safeguarding issue to an appropriate authority. This issue concerned a [鈥 female client who informed the Member that she [鈥 .

The Member was aware that the [鈥 had admitted the abuse to the client鈥檚 [鈥.

The Member took the matter to supervision and her Supervisor advised that this should not be reported to an appropriate authority. As a result, the [鈥 remained in the family home of the client, potentially leaving the client at risk of further [鈥.

The Registrar was of the opinion that the conduct of the Member is such that it would be in the public interest for the conduct of that Member to form the basis of a complaint by virtue of Paragraph 1.5 of the Professional Conduct Procedure.

Admissions

5. The Member makes the following admissions which 网爆门 accepts:

听

Allegation

1.1 The Member failed to make an appropriate safeguarding referral in respect of a young person who had disclosed that she had been sexually abused.

Mitigation

6. The Member puts forward the following in mitigation which has been taken into account by the IAC in deciding the appropriate outcome.

The Member accepts that she did not balance her client鈥檚 strong wish for her not to report the matter with the need to safeguard clients from serious harm as provided in paragraph 10 of the Ethical Framework 2018.

The Member now clearly sees that she should have reported the [鈥 abuse and that this had been a significant learning experience for her.

The Member sees now that her judgement in leaning so heavily on her client鈥檚 wish was a mistake; as the therapist she had the responsibility to report. The Member has now changed supervisors; her new supervisor鈥檚 knowledge and experience were helpful in turning this experience into a learning experience.

In the future the Member proposes to discuss safeguarding matters with her supervisor first and if there is a question to call 网爆门鈥檚 advice line. In addition, the Member had researched policies surrounding disclosure so that she will be better informed in the future to deal with similar situations.

Conclusion

7. The issues identified and admitted by the Member amount to breaches of the professional standards reasonably expected of the Member having regard to the Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy 2018 in particular:

1.2 The Member thereby failed to meet professional standards, including in particular by acting in a way which was inconsistent with the following paragraph of 鈥楪ood Practice鈥� in the Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions 2018:

10. In exceptional circumstances, the need to safeguard our clients or others from serious harm may require us to override our commitment to making our client鈥檚 wishes and confidentiality our primary concern. We may need to act in ways that will support any investigations or actions necessary to prevent serious harm to our clients or others. In such circumstances, we will do our best to respect the parts of our client鈥檚 wishes or confidences that do not need to be overridden in order to prevent serious harm.

8. One of the aims of the Professional Conduct Procedure is to protect members of the public. The IAC in considering the appropriate outcome and sanction for the admitted breaches in this case has taken into account the interests of public protection and determined that it is reasonable and proportionate to conclude it on the terms set out below.

9. In relation to the findings above the IAC considers the following sanction to be appropriate.

1. To provide 网爆门 with evidence of completion of a minimum of 6 hours of continuing professional development on safeguarding that you have undertaken since the events the subject of this complaint took place.

2. Having completed the above training, to provide to 网爆门 within 8 weeks of entering into a Consensual Disposal Agreement a reflective piece addressing:

(a) what went wrong in this case acknowledging the point(s) in the process where you made the wrong decision(s);

(b) your learning from this case and from the CPD you have undertaken to satisfy this sanction demonstrating how you will and/or how you have incorporated this learning into your practice with young people, particularly:
鈥� how you would now identify a safeguarding risk
鈥� how you would now identify the point at which you had to make a therapeutic/ethical decision
鈥� how you would now balance maintaining the confidence of the young person with making a safeguarding referral
鈥� how you have embedded these changes into your practice referencing the relevant parts of the Ethical Framework 2018

(d) confirm to 网爆门 that you have discussed the above points with your supervisor

10. The Member agrees that this Agreement will be published by the 网爆门 in line with the Publication Policy.

11. The Member agrees that she will not act in any way inconsistent with this Agreement such as, for example, by denying the admissions in paragraph 5 above.

12. If the Member fails, without good reason, to comply with the sanction set out above or acts in a way which is inconsistent with this Agreement the matter will be referred to a sanction panel for consideration. A sanction panel may determine that it will terminate her membership. Such a decision would be published.

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