Our policies

Safeguarding Policy

Last updated: 22 April 2026 · Version 1.0

If a child or adult is in immediate danger, call 999.

For non-emergency but urgent concerns about a child, contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or email help@nspcc.org.uk. Children and young people can contact Childline on 0800 1111.

Memory Robin is a family-led platform designed for families living with grief, including bereaved children. Safeguarding is not an add-on for us. It is one of the reasons we exist, and one of the reasons we are taking the time to build Memory Robin responsibly.

This policy explains how we keep children and vulnerable adults safe across our platform, and how to raise a concern if you have one.

1. Our commitment

We believe every child has the right to be safe, respected and listened to. We are committed to:

  • Keeping children and vulnerable adults safe from harm in everything we do
  • Building Memory Robin, Guardian Robin and Pocket Robin around safeguarding principles from the outset
  • Listening to concerns and acting on them quickly
  • Working alongside charities, clinicians and safeguarding experts as we grow
  • Complying with our obligations under the Children Act 1989, the Children Act 2004, Working Together to Safeguard Children, and the ICO's Age Appropriate Design Code (Children's Code)

2. Who this policy applies to

  • Everyone at Memory Robin: founders, contractors, advisors and any future employees or volunteers
  • Everyone we engage with through the Website and platform, including pilot families, professionals, and the children their adults will one day introduce to Pocket Robin
  • Anyone acting on our behalf or using our brand

3. Designated Safeguarding Lead

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL): An independent qualified safeguarding professional engaged on retainer, to be named here on appointment, before our first pilot family is onboarded.

Safeguarding contact: info@memoryrobin.com

Memory Robin's DSL function is deliberately outsourced. The responsibility carries clinical and statutory weight that we believe should sit with someone whose profession is safeguarding, not with a founder fitting it around commercial and product duties. Our DSL is responsible for receiving safeguarding concerns, recording them confidentially, and deciding next steps, including escalation to statutory services where appropriate. A deputy DSL will be in post before any pilot family is onboarded; both will be named on this page once recruited.

4. How we work to keep children safe

Adult-first access model

Children never enter Memory Robin or Guardian Robin on their own. A verified adult, a parent, carer, or appointed trusted adult, must create the account, provide consent, and decide what each child sees and when. Pocket Robin, our future children's companion, will only ever be activated by an approved adult guardian.

No direct contact with children

At this pre-launch stage, Memory Robin staff do not communicate directly with children. All communication about a child goes through their verified adult. This will remain true after launch, with exceptions only where safeguarding guidance, clinical input or family request makes appropriate direct engagement necessary, and only with informed consent and a documented reason.

Platform design

We will design Pocket Robin in line with the ICO's Age Appropriate Design Code, which means (among other things):

  • Data minimisation, collecting only what is needed
  • High-privacy defaults
  • Transparent language a child can understand
  • No geolocation or behavioural advertising
  • No dark patterns that nudge children toward choices against their interests
  • Clear routes to get help inside the app

Content and tone

We build around clinical guidance on bereavement for children. Content is reviewed for age-appropriateness, for the way it talks about death and dying, and for how it signposts children to a trusted adult or specialist service when something is outside what Memory Robin is equipped to hold.

Screening and training

Anyone engaging with families on behalf of Memory Robin will undergo appropriate checks before doing so, including DBS checks where required by the nature of their role. All team members complete safeguarding training before any family-facing work, refreshed at least annually.

5. Recognising a concern

A safeguarding concern can look like many things. It might be something a family member tells us, something we observe in content submitted to the platform, or something flagged to us by a partner charity. Concerns we will always take seriously include:

  • Any suggestion that a child is at immediate risk of harm
  • Indicators of abuse: physical, emotional, sexual or neglect
  • Disclosure of self-harm, suicidal thoughts or significant distress
  • Content uploaded to the platform that appears to sexualise, threaten or harm a child
  • Concerns that a vulnerable adult is being exploited or coerced
  • Anyone using Memory Robin in a way that undermines a child's safety or wellbeing

6. Raising a concern

If you have a safeguarding concern relating to Memory Robin, however small, please raise it with us. You do not need to be certain, you just need to be worried.

We will:

  • Acknowledge your concern within 1 working day
  • Record it confidentially and securely
  • Assess whether an immediate referral to statutory services is needed
  • Communicate next steps to you, where it is appropriate to do so
  • Review whether there are changes we can make to prevent the same thing happening again

7. When we will escalate externally

We will refer a concern to external authorities without delay where:

  • A child or adult is in immediate danger (we will call 999)
  • A crime may have been committed (we will contact the police)
  • A child may be at risk of significant harm (we will contact the relevant Local Authority Children's Services / Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub, and the NSPCC where appropriate)
  • An adult at risk may be being abused or neglected (we will contact the relevant Local Authority Adult Social Care)

We will try to tell you we are doing so, unless doing so would itself put a child at greater risk.

8. Confidentiality

Safeguarding information is handled on a strict need-to-know basis. We will not share details more widely than required to keep the person safe or to meet our legal duties. Personal data within safeguarding records is handled under our Privacy Policy and applicable data protection law.

9. Getting it wrong, and learning from it

We are a small team at the beginning of long, careful work. We will not always get everything right. Where we fall short, we will be honest about it, repair the harm wherever we can, and make changes so it does not happen again. If you think we have handled a concern poorly, please tell us, or contact one of the external escalation routes below.

10. External support and escalation

11. Review

This policy is version 1.0, written at launch. We will review it at least annually, and sooner if there is a material change in our platform, team or regulatory environment. Significant updates will be reflected in the version number and "last updated" date.

Once we formally appoint our Advisory Board, including a safeguarding-specialist member, this policy will be reviewed by that member before its first major revision.

12. Contact

Safeguarding concerns: info@memoryrobin.com
General enquiries: info@memoryrobin.com