Confidentiality Statement

HoardingUK helpline and email support are free and confidential services. Confidentiality is held within the service which means we may discuss issues about your support within the organisation. Managers review all cases and we may seek advice from other HoardingUK colleagues. We have this confidentiality statement to ensure the users of our services are able to make choices about what they disclose to us.

All professionals have a duty to disclose to relevant authorities if you tell us:

You are going to hurt yourself or someone else
You are money laundering
You are people or drug trafficking
You are involved in terrorist activities
You are the victim of or perpetrator of modern slavery (may need to describe: slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and domestic servitude)
You are the victim/perpetrator of Honour Based Violence, Forced Marriage, or Female Genital Mutilation which has occurred in the last 5 years or is of imminent risk.

Other areas which may require that we raise a Safeguarding Alert include:

Physical abuse
Domestic violence
Sexual abuse
Psychological/Emotional abuse
Financial abuse
Discriminatory abuse
Organisational abuse
Neglect /Acts of omission

The Care Act (2014) suggests Safeguarding self-neglect which includes hoarding. HoardingUK is committed to empowering choice and control.  As such we have not disclosed information to authorities without consent.  If we felt this were to necessary, you be informed and supported by HUK (we would not become a part of the statutory services we remain independent).  As stated, we have never done this and if we were to feel it necessary to protect the organisation, it would be unlikely that statutory services would engage due to the lack of consent.

Social Care Institute for Excellence overview of confidentiality

Overview of Safeguarding and other legal frameworks