Risk Policy Overview

Sanctus Risk & Safeguarding Policy

Overview for Sanctus Partners

This document is intended as an overview for Sanctus Partners on how our Sanctus Coaches are trained to assess risk in a Sanctus session and signpost accordingly. Please note that this document includes potentially distressing content.

Sanctus Risk Policy Overview for Sanctus Partners

• Introduction
• Roles and responsibilities within this policy
• Sanctus Definition of Risk
• Risk Flowchart
• Assessing Risk
• Rating the Risk and Taking Action
  • 1. Immediate Threat – Emergency Protocol
    • Immediate Threat – Emergency Protocol – UK Based
  • 2. Short-Medium Term Threat – UK Based
  • International High Risk: Immediate Threat Across Borders
  • Steps for Immediate Threat High Risk Across Borders
    • After the session (for High Risk Only)
• Disclaimer for Immediate Threat High Risk Across Borders
  • Our Commitment to Safe Practice
  • Shared Understanding of Limitations
  • Support for Coaches
    • All Coaches are required to:
• Refusal Policy

Introduction

This policy aims to:

• Support coaches in feeling equipped in handling risk
• Support the safety of our coaches
• Support the safety of our clients via the consistent upskill of our Sanctus Coaches in handling risk
• Safeguard our coaches and Partners’ employees
• Ensure that Sanctus follows the ethical guidelines of the coaching bodies our coaches adhere to
• Ensure the organizational safety of Sanctus and its practitioners

This policy applies to all Sanctus Coaching Products, including Drop-In, Connected Leadership and all other packages.

This policy is part of an International Coaching Federation accredited Risk Training provided by Sanctus Coaching only.

Roles and responsibilities within this policy

• Sanctus Coach: to deliver one to one coaching and ensure the safety of clients by thoroughly assessing risk when it presents in the room and applying the guidelines listed in this policy.
• Practice Lead: to periodically review the risk policy and its application to provide best practice standards for the Sanctus coaching cohort. To support coaches after a high risk protocol was followed and ensure records are submitted and kept safe.
• Supervisor: to facilitate a collaborative group reflection space for coaches to explore learnings and challenges in their practice. Through the delivery of supervision sessions, to support coaches’ development, wellbeing and ensure the quality of coaches work for their clients, the systems they operate in and the coaching profession as a whole.
• Partner Point of Contact: to function as a first port of call in the organization for Sanctus HQ representatives, such as Partner Managers, Operations or Practice Leads.

Sanctus definition of risk

Sanctus defines ‘risk’ as mental health challenges outside the scope of coaching that cannot be effectively nor safely worked on in the Sanctus coaching space.

As a result, an individual ‘at risk’ is an individual who is a threat or potential threat to their own safety or the safety of others, in the immediate, short- or medium- term.

From the International Coach Federation ICF White paper on when to refer a coaching client to therapy: “When issues are raised by a client that are outside the scope of services, it falls under a coach’s ethical responsibility to help the client identify and access other resources.”

Part of the Sanctus invitation is to show up fully and work holistically on our wellbeing. Consequently, there may be times when individuals bring issues or experiences to the Sanctus Coaching space that may fall outside the remit of coaching and require the coach to:

1. assess the level of risk to the client or anyone else
2. adopt a more appropriate approach, which may include sharing information, resources and empower the client to find the appropriate support outside of Sanctus.

Some of the High Risk scenarios include:

• Suicidal thoughts;
• Self-harming behavior;
• Risk of harm to others;
• Substance abuse or addiction;
• Severe depression or anxiety;
• Addiction;
• PTSD or Trauma symptoms;
• Psychotic, dissociative or regressive symptoms;
• Other issues that impact daily functioning.

There may also be other Low – Medium Risk instances when a sanctus Coach may decide to refer an individual onto further support such as therapy, which fall under the ‘Low – Medium Risk’ section of this guide.

Risk flowchart

Assessing risk

Sanctus Coaches are trained to recognise and handle risk in a Sanctus session. All Sanctus Coaches will follow the below steps to assess the level of risk in what the individual is bringing and decide how to proceed.

Sanctus Coaches will:

1. Notice warning signs
2. Gather relevant information to assess how severe the risk is
3. Ask for Coachee details (phone number and current location)
4. Rate the risk between low, medium, high and immediate
5. Take action

Note: A thorough form of contracting is done at the very beginning of every client’s work with a Sanctus Coach. Here Sanctus Coaches will explain how clients can use the sessions and introduce the concept of extending or breaking confidentiality should there be a safety risk to the client or to others.

Rating the risk and taking action

In assessing risk in a coaching session, the Sanctus Coach’s job is to assess how immediate the risk is, which allows them to know how to respond.

• No Risk:
  If a Sanctus Coach rates that there is no risk (most things in the Sanctus coaching space) – coaching is the right approach. No action needed in this instance.
  
  Coaching is helpful and appropriate for something like 65-70% of mental health topics people are managing. These are instances where things do not significantly interfere with a person’s day-to-day functioning, though it might cause some subjective distress (e.g. individual drinks often resulting in hangovers which cause some tiredness and poor concentration but they are still able to work and relate effectively).

• Low – Medium Risk:
  The Coach is not worried that someone is a threat to themselves or someone else in the immediate or short-term, but there is something outside of the remit of coaching that is stopping them from living their life fully.
  
  Empowerment Support is the best approach. In plain terms, these are the instances where the Coach feels other kinds of support would best serve the individual, either instead of or in addition to coaching. Empowerment Support involves signposting to other resources or providers (e.g. access to the Sanctus Directory or NHS Self-Help Therapies so that the individual can self-refer), providing the individual with information (e.g. helping them to understand the difference between CBT and talk therapy), and creating a space for them to reflect on the steps they would like to take in order to support themselves beyond Sanctus coaching.

• High Risk
  If a Coach identifies an individual as high risk, the steps they take will depend on the immediacy of the risk and on whether the risk is to the individual themselves or to someone else, but in all cases involves accessing other resources quickly.
  
  In an emergency situation, a Sanctus Coach strives to:
  • Remain non-judgmental;
  • Remain as calm as possible;
  • Reassure the individual that they are there to help them find a way through;
  • Identify protective factors to hold them in safety;
  • Work on reducing the risk and encourage the person to disclose to others who can help.
    
• Risk of safety to the individual may present itself as the individual having persistent and disabling or disturbing symptoms much of the time, and they are unable to function normally in day-to-day activities.
• It may also mean that the individual is having suicidal thoughts with ideation around how or when they would take their life.
• Risk of safety to others may present itself as the individual committing or considering committing violence against another person; harming or neglecting children or vulnerable adults; or planning on committing an act of terrorism or some other threat to public interest.
• Risk of safety to others may also include the Coach feeling emotionally or physically unsafe with this individual in the session. The procedure for addressing instances where the coach feels unsafe with an individual can be found in our Refusal Policy.

To guide Sanctus Coaches within High Risk, Sanctus identifies a different course of action depending on how imminent the threat is:

Immediate Threat – Emergency Protocol: the very present and imminent possibility that someone has a plan to take their own life or harm someone else and may activate the plan in a Sanctus session or straight after.

Short-Medium Term Threat: the presence of ideation of harm to self (including suicidal thoughts) or others with the abscence of a plan.

1. Immediate threat – emergency protocol

We define immediate threat as the very present and imminent possibility that someone has a plan to take their own life or harm someone else and may activate the plan in a Sanctus session or straight after.

The Coach should consider:

• ⚠️If they are working across borders, go to Steps for Immediate Threat High Risk Across Borders
• ⚠️If they are both in the UK, the Coach will follow the steps below

Immediate threat – emergency protocol – UK based

Contracting for Safety
Sanctus Coaches will support coachees find ways they can keep themselves safe in the immediate, including agreeing to physically distance themselves from harm or methods they are considering to harm themselves.

Call 999

• Contact the police (999) for immediate support to be sent to the client. The client will need to provide their location, whether it is the office or their home, so Coaches will strive as much as possible to work with the individual to support them. If the individual is not able to collaborate with the Coach, they will collaborate with the emergency services to locate the client.
• Coaches will ask the individual if they would want to notify someone, or if they would like them to contact someone on their behalf.
• If the client is able to reach out to a loved one, a housemate or a colleague/HR professional in the moment, instead of calling 999 they could together make their way to the closest Accident and Emergency (A&E Department), there they will always find a dedicated liaison Psychiatry or Mental Health team to support when in crisis. The Coach won’t leave the client alone until support arrives.

In these difficult circumstances, even after having followed all the right steps to support and empower, there is always the possibility that an individual may choose to take their own life. This can be extremely distressing and it is a time to seek support. Should you have any questions or are seeking advice, please contact practiceleads@sanctus.io.

2. Short-medium term threat – UK based

We define short-medium threat as the presence of ideation of harm to self (including suicidal thoughts) or others, with the abscence of an immediate plan or intention.
In this case, the Coach will contract for safety to help the client distance themselves from risk or their plan, and help the client reach out for support.

Contracting for Safety

Sanctus Coaches will support coachees find ways they can keep themselves safe in the immediate, including agreeing to physically distance themselves from harm or methods they are considering to harm themselves.

Some of this might include things like:

• Considering what has worked for them in the past;
• Connecting with a loved one;
• Focusing on this moment and surviving today rather than the future;
• Talking about how they are feeling with someone they trust or a support helpline (such as Samaritans 116 123 24 hrs or Papyrus 0800 068 41 41 for people under 35, not 24 hrs); more International Emergency Services here
• Getting themselves to a safe place, like a friend or family member’s house or a safe haven.
• An active strategy to make the weapon / means of harm difficult to reach (Eg. lock away the poison, so it is more difficult to get to).

Make a clear plan for what they will do to keep themselves safe and when. The Coach will encourage the client to share this plan with a loved one, close friend or family member as a way to help them being held in safety outside of the Sanctus space.

Getting additional support:

• Agreeing on ways to broaden out their foundation of support:
• Talking to a trusted friend or family member (should do this during the session);
• Reaching out to their GP for an emergency appointment or 111 if it is out of hours or for information on local crisis support services (should do this during the session);
• International Emergency Services here
• Contacting the company’s Employee Assistance Programme if there is one (can do this during the session);
• Contacting HR (can do this during the session);
• Agreeing to call an emergency helpline number if they are feeling desperate or like they need someone to speak to.
• The coach will provide information on emergency helpline numbers and the Mental Health Services Directory either in the session or by follow up email.

Help the individual in reaching out to a GP/family member/111 during the session and in the Coach’s presence, as a way to start the process of taking responsibility for their safety.

If the above step feels impossible in the moment, help the individual to make a clear plan for who they will reach out to outside of Sanctus and when.

Mention to the client that, should they in the future feel like they cannot keep themselves safe outside of the session and they are in immediate danger of harming themselves or others, suggest they:

• Go to the closest Accident and Emergency (A&E Department).
• Call 999 OR 911/988 (for U.S.) OR 000 (For Australia) to request an ambulance if they cannot go to the hospital themselves
• International Emergency Services

After the session

Sanctus Coaches commit to:

1. handling the risk assessment in a way that no email follow up would be needed, so not to blur boundaries of the coaching remit
2. logging the incident in the Risk Procedure Checklist and write a one page step by step report of High Risk cases
3. sending the Log of the High Risk incident and report to Practice Leads and checking in with them straight after the session
4. If needed, discussing with Practice Lead the feelings they are left with after the risk assessment and any support need (Practice Lead to make space before end of day)
5. Consider bringing the topic to their next Supervision session

It is a matter of the utmost importance for clients to feel safe in a Sanctus session and for Sanctus Coaches to provide a safe space. That duty does not extend outside of the Sanctus space. The responsibility of the Sanctus Coach does not go beyond the immediate session and Sanctus expressly disclaims any responsibility for the personal choices and actions of individuals, including but not limited to decisions related to their mental health and well-being.

International high risk: immediate threat across borders

Sanctus Coaches support employees internationally and across borders. Santus Coaches may also be based outside of the UK and may be coaching across borders. It is particularly important to be aware of this when handling high immediate risk.

❌ No, Coaches cannot dial another country’s emergency number from the UK and be connected to that country’s emergency services.
Depending on which country the Coach is based in, international emergency numbers will either not work or connect them to their local emergency services.
❌ No, Coaches’ local emergency services cannot connect them to foreign emergency services. When Coaches call their local emergency number:

• They are connected to their local based dispatchers (police, ambulance, fire).
• Local based dispatchers do not have the ability to transfer their call to another country’s emergency system.

Steps for immediate threat high risk across borders

Contracting for Safety

Sanctus Coaches will support coachees find ways they can keep themselves safe in the immediate, including agreeing to physically distance themselves from harm or methods they are considering to harm themselves.

Here are the steps Coaches will follow:

1. Empower the client to connect directly with their local emergency service or see themselves to their local A&E, as a way to handover their risk to the most appropriate support system outside of Coaching. This may not always be possible for the client, as they may be experiencing severe distress and not be able to take action and keep themselves safe.
2. If the above is not possible and the client has given the Coach their location details, Coaches will share this info and the name of the Coachee at risk with bookings@sanctus.io and CC practiceleads@sanctus.io and partnerteam@sanctus.io as they will be able to contact the POC to support their employee
   • Inform the client their details have been shared and support is being arranged
3. If the client has not consented to giving the Coach their location details, the Coach will:
   • contact bookings@sanctus.io and CC practiceleads@sanctus.io and partnerteam@sanctus.io and share the name of the coachee at risk, as they will be able to contact the Partner POC to handover the risk handling to the employer
   • Inform the client support is being arranged
4. The Coach will stay connected to the client and help them grounding them until the risk has been safely handed over to the right support system outside of Coaching. If step 3 applies, someone in Sanctus HQ will circle back to confirm status updates with them.

If the Coach has initiated a High Risk Short to Medium Term Threat Protocol with someone connecting from a different country than them, they will follow the Short-Medium Term Threat process as usual and refer the client to International Helplines for their location.

After the session (for High Risk Only)

Sanctus understands that handing over the safety of a client outside of the Sanctus space can sometimes come with feelings of distress and anxiety for the coach. However Sanctus does not invite coaches to email a client after a risk assessment, as it may confuse the client as to what the role of a Sanctus Coach is.

The Sanctus Coach aim is to:

1. handle the risk assessment in a way that no email follow up would be needed
2. log the incident in the Risk Procedure Checklist
3. fill in a High Risk Report
4. send the Log of the incident to Practice Leads practiceleads@sanctus.io straight after the session.
5. if needed, discuss with PL the feelings they are left with after the risk assessment and any need they may have. (A Practice Lead will make space to speak to the Coach before the end of the day)
6. consider bringing the topic to their next Supervision session

It is a matter of the utmost importance for clients to feel safe in a Sanctus session and for Sanctus Coaches to provide a safe space. That duty does not extend outside of the Sanctus space. The responsibility of the Sanctus Coach does not go beyond the immediate session.

Disclaimer for Immediate Threat High Risk Across Borders

Sanctus recognises the inherent limitations in managing high risk and immediate threats when coaching takes place across international borders. While we are committed to responding with care, urgency, and responsibility, there are practical limitations that can impact response times and intervention options when working internationally. We acknowledge that:

• Emergency responses may be delayed or limited due to jurisdictional, legal, or logistical constraints.
• Emergency services cannot be contacted internationally through local numbers or transferred between countries.
• Coaches may not have access to real-time support services available in a Coachee’s location.

Our commitment to safe practice

Before sessions:

• We clearly communicate the scope and boundaries of coaching during Partner and Coachee onboarding and direct coachees to the right support systems.
• We are very intentional with the words we use in our marketing campaigns and client outreach, to make sure we are very clear on the remit of Coaching
• Our Terms & Conditions ensure that clients and partners are informed about how risk is handled.
• We train all coaches in this Risk Policy yearly and we review this policy regularly to continue to apply safe practices.

During sessions:

• We invite Coaches to proactively signpost other interventions, such as therapy or crisis support, when a Coachee’s needs fall outside the scope of coaching.
• We require Coaches to follow this policy to ensure the safety of their Clients.
• We remain available to support Coaches in supporting Clients by providing immediate support

After sessions:

• We provide ongoing forms of support like Supervision and yearly Risk Training.
• We require Coaches to log the High Risk incidents so we can review that the policy was followed, the client’s safety was prioritised and offer any support needed.

Shared understanding of limitations

By working across borders, all parties acknowledge that:

• Some safety responses may be constrained by local infrastructure or access.
• There may be legal or procedural delays in sharing information across borders.
• Immediate action is not always guaranteed, especially where location details are unknown or withheld.

Support for coaches

• Sanctus equips Coaches with the training, tools, and team support necessary to handle risk ethically and confidently:
• Structured risk protocols for urgent decision-making
• A clear escalation and communication process
• Immediate Sanctus Team support when needed
• Annual risk training, regular refreshers and supervision

All Coaches are required to:

• Be trained and follow the Sanctus Coaching Risk Policy and attend regular Supervision
• Hold appropriate professional liability insurance for cross-border online coaching

We are committed to continuously improving our practices in line with international ethics, safeguarding standards, and our values. Your feedback is very important to us, please should you have any thoughts around this do contact practiceleads@sanctus.io.

Refusal policy

Sanctus coaches maintain the right to refuse coaching or entry to the Sanctus coaching space to individuals who they feel are a threat to their physical, psychological or emotional safety, or the safety of the individual seeking to use the space. This may be due to physical, verbal or emotional abuse towards the coach or the threat of the same, or due to a perceived lack of emotional stability or contact with reality on behalf of the individual, such as an individual who is psychotic.

In any instance where this is the case, the Sanctus coach will:

• Seek to address the topic directly with the individual, if the coach deems it safe to do so.
• Bring the issue to the Practice Team at Sanctus and/or to supervision.
• If this does not resolve the issue or the coach does not feel it safe to address directly with the individual, the coach will break confidentiality and request that Sanctus communicate to the individual that they may not use the Sanctus space, and block them from booking sessions, if necessary.
• If necessary, Sanctus will also notify HR at the partner company, and in extreme cases involve the police if needed.

This information is stated in the Sanctus Terms and Conditions, which individuals must have read, understood and agreed to via our Platform in order to book a Sanctus session.