Purpose
You and Me Counselling aim to provide counselling services that is available to all children/young people and their families experiencing mental Health issues, such as depression, self-harm, social Anxiety, parental separation, anger management, abuse, and many other issues. We aim to provide
access to affordable counselling for any client who approaches us, whether referred, or otherwise.

We offer a wide range of modalities and will aim to meet the requirements of as many individuals as possible.

Scope
This policy applies to staff and volunteers working for our organisation, and includes all digital and printed documents produced or maintained by You and Me Counselling, including but not limited to reports, newsletters, and promotional materials.

You and Me Counselling is committed to providing services that are inclusive and accessible to everyone, regardless of ability or needs.

New documents we publish and documents you need to download or fill in to access one of the services we provide should be fully accessible.

Policy
We understand that gender, race, sexual orientation, language, personal financial position, substance abuse/dependency and physical disabilities are all factors that may cause a person to feel they are unable to access counselling.

We will ensure that all who work for You and Me Counselling are alert that a person or family may have particular needs or requirements that may limit their access to our service.

Where those needs or requirements are identified, they should be discussed with that person to determine whether You and Me Counselling has the capability to meet them. If we are able to meet them, we will arrange for sessions to commence. All who are working with the individual(s) should
review regularly that the client’s needs are being met.

If we are unable to satisfy the agreed needs, the client will be referred to an appropriate service provider

Limitations
Due to the premises and staff available to us, we are aware of limitations to our services. These are areas that we will continue to improve upon over the coming years.

1. We currently only offer counselling in English
2. Some premises are currently unable to offer wheelchair accessible rooms. Any individuals requiring this will be offered sessions in wheelchair accessible locations, or offered online or telephone counselling.

Compliance with WCAG
We aim to ensure that all pages on our website conform to the Level AA standard of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. These guidelines help us make sure that our website is always accessible and user-friendly for everyone.

1. How we are making our website accessible
   Our site has been designed by following World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards, the suggested best practice. We have built our pages to comply with the standards and guidelines available and strive to continue extending this compliance.
   
   
2. Language
   •  All text is written in plain English and is clear and concise
   •  Acronyms are given a complete definition when we use them for the first time on a page
   •  Pages have clear and descriptive titles
   •  Paragraphs and sentences are kept short and direct
   
   
3. Structure
   •  Headings and sub-headings are clear and in the correct size
   •  Text is aligned to the left side of pages
   •  Bullet points and numbers are included to make content scannable and break up text
   
   
4. Format
   •  All links have descriptive names
   •  Provide alternative (alt) text for all images
   
   
5. Accessibility on your device
   Your accessibility preferences can be changed to work on different devices and with other technologies. We have looked at the most common devices and technology brands and outlined how you can make these changes to suit your personal needs:
   •  Help with using your computer, tablet or phone
   •  Apple Accessibility Support
   •  Google Accessibility Support
   •  Microsoft Accessibility Support
   
   
6. Accessibility on your browser
   Our website has been built to display correctly on the following common browsers:
   •  Firefox
   •  Chrome
   •  Edge
   •  Safari

   If you need to improve your browser experience, you can change this within the browser settings.

7. Technical information about the accessibility of our documents
   You and Me Counselling is committed to making our documents accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018

   If you are having trouble using the You and Me Counselling website or any of our affiliated sites, please contact us and we will be happy to support you.

   Contact us: You and Me Counselling, 24th North Street, Hornchurch, RM11 1QX.

   Email: info@youandmecounselling.org.uk

   Date of Adoption: 4th January 2024

   Date of Last Review: August 2025

   Review date: January 2028