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safeguarding policies include the care act 2014, safeguarding groups act 2006, the children's act 2008, in the core of these policies undergoes procedures such as DBS enhancement check, mentoring, and review of concerns.

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safeguarding can be explained as protecting a vulnerable individual from inflicting harm, or having it inflicted on them, neglect and abuse.

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safeguarding policies make it clear what your organisation or group will do to keep children safe. people and organisations working together to prevent and stop both the risk and experience of abuse and neglect.

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Safeguarding policies are pieces of legislation designed with the Safeguarding principles in mind. The most important one is the care act of 2014

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Every voluntary sector organisation must have key documents that help it manage safeguarding well. You must have them if your organisation is a charity or if you work regularly with children or adults at risk. These documents set out what your organisation will do to keep people safe.You must make sure that everyone, no matter what their role, understands the documents and uses them in the day-to-day running of the organisation. Every year you must review how you’re doing and address areas for improvement that have come up.Your policy should cover all the key risks for the groups you work with and the activities you do.The amount of detail in your policies and how often you review them depends on what your charity does, where it works, who with, and the level of risk. Everyone, including your staff, volunteers and people you work with, should be aware of how you manage safeguarding. Your policy and procedures should be easily available, either online or on paper (or both).Keep a record of any changes you make to your safeguarding policy. You must have a clear plan of how you’ll make sure everyone knows about the changes and keep track of how effective they are.We recommend these resources to help you write your policy:Guide to writing a safeguarding policy statement for children (NSPCC Learning) Writing a safeguarding adults policy and procedure document (Ann Craft Trust)Reporting procedureYour safeguarding policy may contain several different procedures depending on your organisation and activities. However, you will always need a reporting procedure that clearly explains how people can make their worries known and how you will handle any problems.The reporting procedure needs to set out:who to speak tohow issues should be reportedwhere information will be stored and shared internallyhow you’ll share this with police, social services or regulators if necessary.More about reporting proceduresFor an introduction to drafting reporting procedures, see our recognise, respond, report pageIf you are your organisations Designated Safeguarding Lead and want detailed guidance on receiving, assessing and managing any safeguarding concerns, see our Designated Safeguarding Leads Handbook.Code of conductA code of conduct sets out your expectations of staff and volunteers. You should include clear expectations of what people should do and say, and what they must not. This will help raise awareness of illegal, unsafe, unprofessional and unwise behaviour. Being clear about standards of behaviour is an important part of safeguarding.What you should do with your code of conduct:Involve staff, volunteers and even your participants in creating the code so you can make sure people feel it protects everyone.Make sure everyone in the organisation is aware it applies to them and they must follow all its standards.Be clear about what will happen if someone doesn’t follow it.Include specific standards or expectations for roles with particular responsibilities if necessary.Keep a record to show that all your staff and volunteers have seen and understood it and agree to follow it.Make sure the code allows participants to question staff and volunteers if they think they’re doing something wrong.More about the importance of a good code of conductNeed an example? You can find pdfs of sample behaviour codes for children and adults (from NSPCC Learning) or NCVO members can use a sample code of conduct for trustees.For a reminder about the importance of using your code of conduct well see our code of conduct in day-to-day safeguarding section.A risk policy and registerCharity trustees and senior managers of organisations must regularly review what risks their organisation faces, including safeguarding risks. They must have a plan showing how they’ll manage those risks. You should do this by keeping an up-to-date risk register. This document shows that you have thought about how likely and severe risks are. It also covers how you plan to reduce those risks and helps you see how safeguarding sits alongside other risk management.See The Charity Commission guidance on risk management.NCVO members can use this risk register template.If you deliver an online service, use the digisafe guidance and templates to assess and mitigate risk.If you want practical advice on managing risks in specific places, activities, and with equipment and resources try the National Youth Agency Safeguarding and Risk Management Hub. Trustees’ annual reportEvery registered charity has to send an annual report and accounts to the Charity Commission. It’s good practice for charities of any size to include a risk management statement in their report. Where its income is over £500,000, it must include this by law.The risk management statement should state all major risks the charity faces and how it controls those risks. This will include safeguarding matters, especially if you regularly work with children or adults at risk or have had an increase of reports of harm in the organisation.Registered charities with income over £1 million must, by law, include extra information about fundraising in their trustees’ annual report. This statement must include details of its approach to fundraising and measures taken to protect the public, including vulnerable people, from unreasonably intrusive or persistent fundraising approaches, and undue pressure to donate. Look at the Charity Commission templates for your annual report.Related documents, policies and proceduresYou’ll need to think about the big picture and how your organisation’s mission statement, policies and procedures contribute to safeguarding.These links take you to more detailed and specific policies relating to safeguarding.To see if there is a specific guide that suits your organisation's work with children, look at safeguarding children for voluntary and community groups  (from NSPCC Learning)To see if there is a specific guide that suits your organisation's work with young people, look at the Safeguarding and Risk Management Hub (from the National Youth Agency).To see if there are policies that can be adapted or used as they are to strengthen your safeguarding framework from international development experience look at the Safeguarding policy templates (from BOND).Whoever you work with, use a checklist or framework that helps you pick the right guide for what you do.The following Knowhow links take you to templates for our members to use which help create a safer organisation. Membership is free for small organisations and you can follow the links and then sign up.health and safety policy equality and diversity policywhistleblowing policy bullying, harassment and sexual harassment policy. These are tools for looking at overall good practice in your organisation.The Governance Code, which makes sure your trustees are carrying out their duties correctlyThe Charity Ethical Principles, which aim to make charities a safer place. Page last edited Jun 18, 2021Help us to improve this page – give us feedback.Safeguarding contents listWhat is safeguarding?Steps to a safer organisationUnderstanding the risksRecognise, respond and reportRoles and responsibilitiesPolicies and proceduresChoosing staff, volunteers and trusteesGetting people involvedSafeguarding day-to-dayChecklists, training and other supportWhat to do if you're worriedWorking overseasAbout these safeguarding pages

# data[].attributes.subject
Every voluntary sector organisation must have key documents that help it manage safeguarding well. You must have them if your organisation is a charity or if you work regularly with children or adults at risk. These documents set out what your organisation will do to keep people safe.You must make sure that everyone, no matter what their role, understands the documents and uses them in the day-to-day running of the organisation. Every year you must review how you’re doing and address areas for improvement that have come up.Your policy should cover all the key risks for the groups you work with and the activities you do.The amount of detail in your policies and how often you review them depends on what your charity does, where it works, who with, and the level of risk. Everyone, including your staff, volunteers and people you work with, should be aware of how you manage safeguarding. Your policy and procedures should be easily available, either online or on paper (or both).Keep a record of any changes you make to your safeguarding policy. You must have a clear plan of how you’ll make sure everyone knows about the changes and keep track of how effective they are.We recommend these resources to help you write your policy:Guide to writing a safeguarding policy statement for children (NSPCC Learning) Writing a safeguarding adults policy and procedure document (Ann Craft Trust)Reporting procedureYour safeguarding policy may contain several different procedures depending on your organisation and activities. However, you will always need a reporting procedure that clearly explains how people can make their worries known and how you will handle any problems.The reporting procedure needs to set out:who to speak tohow issues should be reportedwhere information will be stored and shared internallyhow you’ll share this with police, social services or regulators if necessary.More about reporting proceduresFor an introduction to drafting reporting procedures, see our recognise, respond, report pageIf you are your organisations Designated Safeguarding Lead and want detailed guidance on receiving, assessing and managing any safeguarding concerns, see our Designated Safeguarding Leads Handbook.Code of conductA code of conduct sets out your expectations of staff and volunteers. You should include clear expectations of what people should do and say, and what they must not. This will help raise awareness of illegal, unsafe, unprofessional and unwise behaviour. Being clear about standards of behaviour is an important part of safeguarding.What you should do with your code of conduct:Involve staff, volunteers and even your participants in creating the code so you can make sure people feel it protects everyone.Make sure everyone in the organisation is aware it applies to them and they must follow all its standards.Be clear about what will happen if someone doesn’t follow it.Include specific standards or expectations for roles with particular responsibilities if necessary.Keep a record to show that all your staff and volunteers have seen and understood it and agree to follow it.Make sure the code allows participants to question staff and volunteers if they think they’re doing something wrong.More about the importance of a good code of conductNeed an example? You can find pdfs of sample behaviour codes for children and adults (from NSPCC Learning) or NCVO members can use a sample code of conduct for trustees.For a reminder about the importance of using your code of conduct well see our code of conduct in day-to-day safeguarding section.A risk policy and registerCharity trustees and senior managers of organisations must regularly review what risks their organisation faces, including safeguarding risks. They must have a plan showing how they’ll manage those risks. You should do this by keeping an up-to-date risk register. This document shows that you have thought about how likely and severe risks are. It also covers how you plan to reduce those risks and helps you see how safeguarding sits alongside other risk management.See The Charity Commission guidance on risk management.NCVO members can use this risk register template.If you deliver an online service, use the digisafe guidance and templates to assess and mitigate risk.If you want practical advice on managing risks in specific places, activities, and with equipment and resources try the National Youth Agency Safeguarding and Risk Management Hub. Trustees’ annual reportEvery registered charity has to send an annual report and accounts to the Charity Commission. It’s good practice for charities of any size to include a risk management statement in their report. Where its income is over £500,000, it must include this by law.The risk management statement should state all major risks the charity faces and how it controls those risks. This will include safeguarding matters, especially if you regularly work with children or adults at risk or have had an increase of reports of harm in the organisation.Registered charities with income over £1 million must, by law, include extra information about fundraising in their trustees’ annual report. This statement must include details of its approach to fundraising and measures taken to protect the public, including vulnerable people, from unreasonably intrusive or persistent fundraising approaches, and undue pressure to donate. Look at the Charity Commission templates for your annual report.Related documents, policies and proceduresYou’ll need to think about the big picture and how your organisation’s mission statement, policies and procedures contribute to safeguarding.These links take you to more detailed and specific policies relating to safeguarding.To see if there is a specific guide that suits your organisation's work with children, look at safeguarding children for voluntary and community groups  (from NSPCC Learning)To see if there is a specific guide that suits your organisation's work with young people, look at the Safeguarding and Risk Management Hub (from the National Youth Agency).To see if there are policies that can be adapted or used as they are to strengthen your safeguarding framework from international development experience look at the Safeguarding policy templates (from BOND).Whoever you work with, use a checklist or framework that helps you pick the right guide for what you do.The following Knowhow links take you to templates for our members to use which help create a safer organisation. Membership is free for small organisations and you can follow the links and then sign up.health and safety policy equality and diversity policywhistleblowing policy bullying, harassment and sexual harassment policy. These are tools for looking at overall good practice in your organisation.The Governance Code, which makes sure your trustees are carrying out their duties correctlyThe Charity Ethical Principles, which aim to make charities a safer place. Page last edited Jun 18, 2021Help us to improve this page – give us feedback.Safeguarding contents listWhat is safeguarding?Steps to a safer organisationUnderstanding the risksRecognise, respond and reportRoles and responsibilitiesPolicies and proceduresChoosing staff, volunteers and trusteesGetting people involvedSafeguarding day-to-dayChecklists, training and other supportWhat to do if you're worriedWorking overseasAbout these safeguarding pages

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What are safe guarding policies ?
Safeguarding policy stamens outlines what your organisation or group will do to keep vulnerable people safe and also children’s. The organisation that you’re employed by should include commitment to safeguarding of everyone who might be expose to harm.

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Every voluntary sector organisation must have key documents that help it manage safeguarding well. You must have them if your organisation is a charity or if you work regularly with children or adults at risk. These documents set out what your organisation will do to keep people safe.

You must make sure that everyone, no matter what their role, understands the documents and uses them in the day-to-day running of the organisation. Every year you must review how you're doing and address areas for improvement that have come up.

Your policy should cover all the key risks for the groups you work with and the activities you do.

The amount of detail in your policies and how often you review them depends on what your charity does, where it works, who with, and the level of risk. Everyone, including your staff, volunteers and people you work with, should be aware of how you manage safeguarding. Your policy and procedures should be easily available, either online or on paper (or both).

Keep a record of any changes you make to your safeguarding policy. You must have a clear plan of how you'll make sure everyone knows about the changes and keep track of how effective they are.

We recommend these resources to help you write your policy:

Reporting procedure

Your safeguarding policy may contain several different procedures depending on your organisation and activities. However, you will always need a reporting procedure that clearly explains how people can make their worries known and how you will handle any problems.

The reporting procedure needs to set out:

who to speak to

how issues should be reported

where information will be stored and shared internally

how you'll share this with police, social services or regulators if necessary.

More about reporting procedures

Code of conduct

A code of conduct sets out your expectations of staff and volunteers. You should include clear expectations of what people should do and say, and what they must not. This will help raise awareness of illegal, unsafe, unprofessional and unwise behaviour. Being clear about standards of behaviour is an important part of safeguarding.

What you should do with your code of conduct:

Involve staff, volunteers and even your participants in creating the code so you can make sure people feel it protects everyone.

Make sure everyone in the organisation is aware it applies to them and they must follow all its standards.

Be clear about what will happen if someone doesn't follow it.

Include specific standards or expectations for roles with particular responsibilities if necessary.

Keep a record to show that all your staff and volunteers have seen and understood it and agree to follow it.

Make sure the code allows participants to question staff and volunteers if they think they're doing something wrong.

More about the importance of a good code of conduct

A risk policy and register

Charity trustees and senior managers of organisations must regularly review what risks their organisation faces, including safeguarding risks. They must have a plan showing how they'll manage those risks. You should do this by keeping an up-to-date risk register. This document shows that you have thought about how likely and severe risks are. It also covers how you plan to reduce those risks and helps you see how safeguarding sits alongside other risk management.

Trustees' annual report

Every registered charity has to send an annual report and accounts to the Charity Commission. It's good practice for charities of any size to include a risk management statement in their report. Where its income is over £500,000, it must include this by law.

The risk management statement should state all major risks the charity faces and how it controls those risks. This will include safeguarding matters, especially if you regularly work with children or adults at risk or have had an increase of reports of harm in the organisation.

Registered charities with income over £1 million must, by law, include extra information about fundraising in their trustees' annual report. This statement must include details of its approach to fundraising and measures taken to protect the public, including vulnerable people, from unreasonably intrusive or persistent fundraising approaches, and undue pressure to donate.

Related documents, policies and procedures

You'll need to think about the big picture and how your organisation's mission statement, policies and procedures contribute to safeguarding.

These links take you to more detailed and specific policies relating to safeguarding.

The following Knowhow links take you to templates for our members to use which help create a safer organisation. Membership is free for small organisations and you can follow the links and then sign up.

These are tools for looking at overall good practice in your organisation.

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Every voluntary sector organisation must have key documents that help it manage safeguarding well. You must have them if your organisation is a charity or if you work regularly with children or adults at risk. These documents set out what your organisation will do to keep people safe.

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Safeguarding policies are outlined procedures an organization will put in place to keep people safe . it details the organisation or body's commitment to respond to protection concerns, bullying and  the framework for action in the event of a breach of safeguarding 

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Safeguarding policies are outlined procedures an organization will put in place to keep people safe . it details the organisation or body's commitment to respond to protection concerns, bullying and  the framework for action in the event of a breach of safeguarding 

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Responding to abuse.
Responding to allegations of abuse made against a child.
Recruiting the right people to work and volunteer with children.
Preventing and responding to bullying.
Responding to concerns about online abuse.
Ensuring photographs and images of children are taken, stored and shared appropriately.

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A child is defined as anyone who is below the age of 18. This type of safeguarding is protecting them from abuse, maltreatment or exploitation, as well as preventing any harm to their health or ability to develop. Individuals caring for children should also make sure they have safe and effective care and effective outcomes in life.

Safeguarding a child means you are identifying and protecting them from harm.

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A vulnerable adult is someone who is above the age of 18 and is unable to care for themselves and not able to protect themselves from harm. One of the differences with safeguarding adults is that while preventing them from risk abuse of neglect, they also need support maintaining control of their own lives.

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additionally to uphold safe premises for service uses.

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recognising signs of abuse and recording how many times a person has shown signs of abuse, respond to the allegations of abuse or the signs of abuse. preventing and responding to to bulling, abuse, concerns both on and offline. referring to services for those abused.

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They provide with explicit and clear guidelines on what to do in the event of an incident. They also provide legal support against malpractice.

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Recognise involves identifying and being alert to signs that constitute abuse such as restriction at place of work, looking poorly kept etc

Respond is taking actions to interfere and investigate on the signs picked up.

Report involves escalation of the findings of the investigation to appropriate authorities or individuals for further investigations and actions

Record entails documenting the findings from the investigation, either from victims confession or the confessions of alleged safeguarding offenders.

Refer is synonymous to report

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Providers must have regard to the following guidance

13.-(1) Service users must be protected from abuse and improper treatment in accordance with this regulation.

All providers must make sure that they have, and implement, robust procedures and processes that make sure that people are protected. Safeguarding must have the right level of scrutiny and oversight, with overall responsibility held at board level or equivalent.

13(2) Systems and processes must be established and operated effectively to prevent abuse of service users.

As part of their induction, staff must receive safeguarding training that is relevant, and at a suitable level for their role. Training should be updated at appropriate intervals and should keep staff up to date and enable them to recognise different types of abuse and the ways they can report concerns.

Staff must be aware of their individual responsibilities to prevent, identify and report abuse when providing care and treatment. This includes referral to other providers.

Staff must understand their roles and associated responsibilities in relation to any of the provider's policies, procedures or guidance to prevent abuse.

Information about current procedures and guidance about raising concerns about abuse should be accessible to people who use the service, advocates, those lawfully acting on their behalf, those close to them and staff.

Providers should use incidents and complaints to identify potential abuse and should take preventative actions, including escalation, where appropriate.

Providers should work in partnership with other relevant bodies to contribute to individual risk assessments, developing plans for safeguarding children and safeguarding adults at risk, and when implementing these plans. This includes regularly reviewing outcomes for people using the service.

Providers and their staff must understand and work within the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 whenever they work with people who may lack the mental capacity to make some decisions.

13(3) Systems and processes must be established and operated effectively to investigate, immediately upon becoming aware of, any allegation or evidence of such abuse.

Providers must take action as soon as they are alerted to suspected, alleged or actual abuse, or the risk of abuse. Where appropriate, this action should be in line with the procedures agreed by local Safeguarding Adults or Children Boards.

Providers and staff must know and understand the local safeguarding policy and procedures, and the actions they need to take in response to suspicions and allegations of abuse, no matter who raises the concern or who the alleged abuser may be. These include timescales for action and the local arrangements for investigation.

Staff must be aware of, and have access to, current procedures and guidance for raising and responding to concerns of abuse. Staff should have access to support from line management when considering how to respond to concerns of abuse.

Managers and staff must understand their individual responsibilities to respond to concerns about abuse when providing care and treatment, including investigating concerns.

Staff must understand their roles and associated responsibilities in supporting the actions the provider takes in responding to allegations and concerns about abuse.

Providers should make sure that staff are kept up to date about changes to national and local safeguarding arrangements.

Where appropriate, staff must follow local safeguarding arrangements to make sure that allegations are investigated internally or externally. Providers must make sure that they respond without delay to the findings of any investigations.

When people who use services make allegations of abuse, or actually experience abuse, they must receive the support they need.

Where allegations of abuse are substantiated, providers must take action to redress the abuse and take the necessary steps to ensure the abuse is not repeated. This may involve seeking specialist advice or support.

When required to, providers must participate in serious case reviews. Any changes to practice and/or recommendations relating to the provider must be implemented.

13(4) Care or treatment for service users must not be provided in a way that-

13(4)(a) includes discrimination against a service user on grounds of any protected characteristics (as defined in Section 4 of the Equality Act 2010) of the service user,

Staff must understand their individual responsibilities in preventing discrimination in relation to the protected characteristics set out in s.4 of the Equality Act 2010. These are: age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; and sexual orientation.

Providers should have systems for dealing with allegations and acts of discrimination regardless of who raises the concern or who the allegation is against. This includes policies and procedures that describe the required actions and the timescales in which to take action.

Providers must support people who use services when they make allegations of discrimination or actually experience discrimination. They must not unlawfully victimise people who use services for making a complaint about discrimination.

When allegations of discrimination are substantiated, providers must take corrective action and make changes to prevent it happening again. This may involve seeking specialist advice or support.

13(4)(b) includes acts intended to control or restrain a service user that are not necessary to prevent, or not a proportionate response to, a risk of harm posed to the service user or another individual if the service user was not subject to control or restraint,

See Regulation 13(7) for the meaning of restraint in relation to this regulation.

As part of their induction, staff must receive training that is relevant to their role and at a suitable level to make sure any control, restraint or restrictive practices are only used when absolutely necessary, in line with current national guidance and good practice, and as a last resort. The provider should make arrangements to keep staff up to date at appropriate intervals.

If using restraint, providers must make sure that restraint:

Is only used when absolutely necessary.

Is proportionate in relation to the risk of harm and the seriousness of that harm to the person using the service or another person.

Takes account of the assessment of the person's needs and their capacity to consent to such treatment.

Follows current legislation and guidance.

Providers and staff should regularly monitor and review the approach to, and use of, restraint and restrictive practices.

Where a person lacks mental capacity to consent to the arrangements for their care or treatment, including depriving them of their liberty, providers must follow a best interest process in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005, including the use of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, where appropriate.

13(4)(c) is degrading for the service user, or

Providers and staff must take all reasonable steps to make sure that people who use services are not subjected to any form of degradation or treated in a manner that may reasonably be viewed as degrading, such as:

not providing help and aids so that people can be supported to attend to their continence needs, and

making sure people are not:

left in soiled sheets for long periods

left on the toilet for long periods and without the means to call for help

left naked or partially or inappropriately covered

made to carry out demeaning tasks or social activities

ridiculed in any way by staff.

This list is not exhaustive.
Providers should consult and consider the views of people using their service when defining the meaning of 'degrading'.

13(4)(d) significantly disregards the needs of the service user for care or treatment.

Care and treatment must be planned and delivered in a way that enables all a person's needs to be met. This includes making sure that enough time is allocated to allow staff to provide care and treatment in accordance with the person's assessed needs and preferences. There should be policies and procedures that support staff to deliver care and treatment in accordance with the requirements detailed in the plan(s) of care.

When a person lacks the mental capacity to consent to care and treatment, a best interests process must be followed in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Other forms of authority such as advance decisions must also be taken into account.

Staff should raise any concerns with the provider about their ability to provide planned care. When concerns are raised, the provider should respond appropriately and without delay.

13(5) A service user must not be deprived of their liberty for the purpose of receiving care or treatment without lawful authority.

Providers must act at all times in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards: Code of Practice and the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Code of Practice.

Hospitals and care homes must follow the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

Other types of services must ensure that any deprivation of the liberty of a person who lacks mental capacity is authorised by the Court of Protection.

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Regulation 13: Safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment

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Our guidance explains how care providers can meet this requirement, which is one of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. Its intention is to safeguard people who use services from suffering any form of abuse or improper treatment while receiving care and treatment.

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safeguarding policies imply that all health care professionals work in line and have a clear objective to administer efficient adequate health care, policies should be regularly checked by staff to ensure they are always working in parallel policies of their organisations. this vigorously enables stability, safety, and a clear objective for those giving and receiving care

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Introduction

It can be very hard for children and young people to speak out about abuse. Often they fear there may be negative consequences if they tell anyone what's happening to them.

Some may delay telling someone about abuse for a long time, while others never tell anyone, even if they want to.

It's vital that children and young people are able to speak out and that whoever they tell takes them seriously and acts on what they've been told.

Even if a child doesn't tell someone verbally about what's happened to them, there may be other indicators that something is wrong. People who work with children need to be able to recognise the signs and know how to respond appropriately.

This page outlines best practice for recognising and responding to abuse and some of the issues which may arise when working with children who have been abused.

You should use this information when writing your group or organisation's child protection procedures.

Looking to write a safeguarding policy statement but unsure where to start?

Our advice covers what your safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures should include, as well as tips for writing a policy statement and links to relevant legislation.

Identifying concerns

Identifying concerns

Disclosure

Disclosure is the process by which children and young people start to share their experiences of abuse with others. This can take place over a long period of time - it is a journey, not one act or action.

Children may disclose directly or indirectly and sometimes they may start sharing details of abuse before they are ready to put their thoughts and feelings in order.

Not all disclosures will lead to a formal report of abuse or a case being made or a case being taken to court, but all disclosures should be taken seriously.

It takes extraordinary courage for a child to go through the journey of disclosing abuse.

It's vital that anyone who works with children and young people undertaking this journey is able to provide them with the support they need.

How disclosure happens

Children and young people may disclose abuse in a variety of ways, including:

directly- making specific verbal statements about what's happened to them

indirectly - making ambiguous verbal statements which suggest something is wrong

behaviourally - displaying behaviour that signals something is wrong (this may or may not be deliberate)

non-verbally - writing letters, drawing pictures or trying to communicate in other ways.

Children and young people may not always be aware that they are disclosing abuse through their actions and behaviour.

Sometimes children and young people make partial disclosures of abuse. This means they give some details about what they've experienced, but not the whole picture. They may withhold some information because they:

are afraid they will get in trouble with or upset their family

want to deflect blame in case of family difficulties as a result of the disclosure

feel ashamed and/or guilty

need to protect themselves from having to relive traumatic events.

When children do speak out it is often many years after the abuse has taken place (McElvaney, 2015).

Barriers to disclosure

There are many reasons why children and young people might find it hard to talk about their experiences of abuse or neglect. They might be reluctant to seek help because they feel they don't have anyone to turn to for support. They may have sought help in the past and had a negative experience, which makes them unlikely to do so again or they may not have the knowledge or words to describe their experience.

Some children and young people may also:

blame themselves for the abuse or feel shame or guilt - feelings which can be made worse through the use of 'victim-blaming' language or labelling

experience feelings of isolation

be afraid of negative reactions from parents, caregivers, peers and professionals

worry they will be causing trouble and making the situation worse

be concerned about confidentiality

feel too embarrassed to talk to an adult about a private or personal problem

feel that they will not be taken seriously

lack trust in the people around them (including parents) and in the services provided to help them

find formal procedures overwhelming

not know about the support services available to them, or be unable to access these services

(Allnock and Kiff, 2023; Mental Health Foundation and Camelot Foundation, 2006).

Not all children and young people realise they have experienced abuse, for example if they have been groomed.

Spotting the signs of abuse

Children and young people who have been abused may want to tell someone, but not have the exact words to do so. They may attempt to disclose abuse by giving adults clues, through their actions and by using indirect words (Allnock and Miller, 2013; Cossar et al, 2013).

Adults need to be able to notice the signs that a child or young person might be distressed and ask them appropriate questions about what might have caused this.
> Read more about the different types of child abuse and neglect
> Read our factsheet on the definitions and signs of child abuse

Child protection training can help increase adults' confidence in recognising the indicators of abuse and understanding the different ways a child might try to share what they have experienced.
> Learn more about child protection training requirements and how you can continually update your knowledge > See our child protection training courses
You should never wait until a child or young person tells you directly that they are being abused before taking action. Instead, ask the child if everything is OK or discuss your concerns with your organisation's designated safeguarding lead, or the NSPCC helpline.

Waiting for a child to be ready to speak about their experiences could mean that the abuse carries on and they, or another child, are put at further risk of significant harm (Cossar et al, 2013).

Not taking appropriate action quickly can also affect the child's mental health. They may feel despairing and hopeless and wonder why no-one is helping them. This may discourage them from seeking help in the future and make them distrust adults.

Helping children disclose abuse

Helping children disclose abuse

It's important to create an environment where children and young people are comfortable about speaking out if anything is worrying them. They need to:

be able to recognise abuse and know it is wrong

know who they can talk to about it.

The people they choose to disclose to need to listen, understand and respond appropriately so the child gets the help, support and protection they need.

Talking PANTS (the underwear rule) is a simple way to talk to children as young as four about staying safe from sexual abuse. It helps children to:

name their body parts and know which parts should be private

know the difference between appropriate and inappropriate touch

understand they have the right to say "no"

think about who they trust and who they can ask for help.

> See the PANTS resources for schools and teachers > Find Talk PANTS resources for parents on the NSPCC website
Our Speak out Stay safe service for primary schools helps children understand abuse in all its forms and know how to protect themselves.
> Find out more about Speak out. Stay safe
Our Childline service offers children and young people confidential help and advice. Calls to 0800 1111 are free and children can also contact Childline online or find advice on the Childline website.
> Visit the Childline website > Download or order Childline posters and wallet cards
Encouraging children and young people to seek help and support

Many children and young people will seek help because they know where to go and believe that it will make a difference.

Others may not have the confidence to seek support or be too scared to ask for help. They may not get the help they need until they reach crisis point (Garvey et al, 2009).

Make it as easy as you can for young people to find and take up the offer of help.

Reinforce positive messages about those who seek help - seeking help is a sign of strength.

Encourage parents to support their children in seeking help.

Be positive about young people, their capacity for change and their resilience.

Listen to the people you help - improve your services using feedback from service users.

Shout about your work - lack of awareness is a significant barrier to young people seeking help.

See the whole person - engage with young people both in terms of their strengths and their weaknesses.

Build trust - treat young people with respect.

Help young people to help each other - equip young people with the skills and tools to support their friends/peers and family members.

Consider the role of new technologies - these should be complementary to other ways of supporting young people.

(Garvey et al, 2009).
> Read our tips on having difficult conversations with children and young people
Through Childline, children and young people can access a range of support including:

information and advice

online and telephone counselling

peer support message boards

therapeutic tools.

> Visit the Childline website

Responding to disclosures

Responding to disclosures

We carried out research to find out how adults can better respond to a child who is disclosing abuse (Baker et al, 2019). We found three key interpersonal skills that help a child feel they are being listened to and taken seriously:

show you care, help them open up: Give your full attention to the child or young person and keep your body language open and encouraging. Be compassionate, be understanding and reassure them their feelings are important. Phrases such as 'you've shown such courage today' help.

take your time, slow down: Respect pauses and don't interrupt the child - let them go at their own pace. Recognise and respond to their body language. And remember that it may take several conversations for them to share what's happened to them.

show you understand, reflect back: Make it clear you're interested in what the child is telling you. Reflect back what they've said to check your understanding - and use their language to show it's their experience.

> Download our free poster to help you remember these skills and embed them in your practice

If a child tells you they are experiencing abuse, it's important to reassure them that they've done the right thing in telling you. Make sure they know that abuse is never their fault.

Never talk to the alleged perpetrator about the child's disclosure. This could make things a lot worse for the child.

Watch our animation on how to respond to a child's disclosure of abuse

Non-biased approach

It's vital that any child who is trying to disclose abuse feels that they are being listened to and taken seriously.

But there can be a risk that if professionals just believe the child's account without thoroughly investigating the situation, this can lead to unfair bias against the alleged abuser as formal investigations progress (Child Protection Resource, 2021; Transparency Project, 2018).

This means it's important to maintain an unbiased approach when responding to disclosures and follow your organisation's procedures to ensure each case is treated in a fair and transparent manner and that the child gets the protection and support that they need.

Making notes

It's important to keep accurate and detailed notes on any concerns you have about a child. You will need to share these with your nominated child protection lead.

Include:

the child's details (name, age, address)

what the child said or did that gave you cause for concern (if the child made a verbal disclosure, write down their exact words)

any information the child has given you about the alleged abuser.

For more information about child protection and how to record concerns, sign up for one of our child protection elearning courses.
> Find out more about how people who work or volunteer in schools should respond to concerns about abuse > Contact the NSPCC helpline to get advice or share your concerns about a child

Information sharing

Information sharing

Why information sharing is important

Sharing information about a child's welfare helps professionals build a clearer picture of the child's life and gain a better understanding of any risks the child is facing.

Information sharing helps to ensure that an individual receives the right services at the right time and prevents a need from becoming more acute and difficult to meet (DfE, 2018a).

General principles of best practice for information sharing are outlined below. Refer to your organisation's procedures as well as local multi-agency arrangements to ensure you are following the information sharing processes that are most appropriate for your role.
> Find out more about best practice for multi-agency working
When to share information

Timely information sharing is key to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

People who work with children, whether in a paid or voluntary role, may need to share information about the children and families they are involved with for a number of reasons. These include:

you are making a referral to arrange additional support for someone in the family

someone from another agency has asked for information about a child or family

someone in the family has asked to be referred for further help

a statutory duty or court order requires information to be shared

you are concerned that a child or a member of their family may be at risk of significant harm

you think a serious crime may have been committed or is about to be committed which involves someone in the family.

You must always have a clear and legitimate purpose for sharing a child's personal information. Keep a record of the reasons why you are sharing or requesting information about a child or their family.

You should also make sure you are not putting a child's safety and welfare at risk by sharing information about them.

Some professionals have a legal duty to share information relating to safeguarding concerns. More information about this is available in the Mandatory reporting tab.

Always seek consent to share information about a child and their family. However if consent isn't given, you can still share information with relevant professionals under certain circumstances, for example if you are protecting a child from significant harm. The Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) do not affect this principle.

To learn more about getting permission to share information, see the Consent tab.
> Find out more about GDPR and children
What information to share

You need to decide what specific information is appropriate to share and who to share it with.

Prioritise the safety and welfare of the child and anyone else who may be affected by the situation.

Make sure you share the information quickly and securely. The sooner you report your concerns the better. This means the details will be fresh in your mind and action can be taken quickly.

Identify how much information should be shared. This will depend on the reasons for sharing it.

Use language that is clear and precise. Different agencies may use and understand terminology differently.

Make sure the information you are sharing is accurate. Make it clear what information is factual and what is based on opinion (yours or other people's).

Facts and opinions

When working with children and families you will gather information from a variety of sources. How you interpret this information can depend on:

any previous information received

your knowledge of research and theory

your own frame of reference.

When recording information you should be as factual as possible. If you need to give your own or somebody else's opinion make sure it is clearly differentiated from fact. You should identify whose opinion is being given and record their exact words.
> Contact the NSPCC helpline to share your concerns about a child

Seeking consent to share information

Children should be given the opportunity to decide whether they agree to their personal information being shared. If a child doesn't have the capacity to make their own decisions ask their parent or carer (unless doing so would put the child at risk of harm).

The Gillick competency and Fraser guidelines help professionals to assess whether a child is mature enough to make decisions.
> See our guidance on the Gillick competency and Fraser guidelines
You should always seek consent to share information about an adult.

Tips for getting consent:

be open and honest

make sure the person you're asking for consent understands what information will be shared and why

explain who will see the information and what it will be used for

make sure the person you're asking for consent understands the consequences of their information not being shared

get the consent in writing, in case there are any disputes in the future. If it's only given verbally, make a written record of this

make sure the person knows they can withdraw consent at any time.

Sharing information without consent
If consent is refused or if you're unable to seek consent, you can still share information with relevant professionals if this is in the public interest.
This includes protecting children from significant harm and promoting the welfare of children.

The Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) do not affect this principle.
> Find out more about GDPR and children
When deciding whether to share information without consent, you should consider each case individually.

Decide if the need to share information is in the public interest and whether it outweighs the need to maintain confidentiality.

Consider all the implications of sharing the information, for example if you are sharing sensitive details about a person's life.

If you're not sure what to do, contact the NSPCC helpline for advice.

Make sure you are following the relevant legislation and guidance. More information about this is available in the Legislation and guidance tab.

If you're sharing information without consent keep a written record explaining:

what steps you took to get consent

the person's reasons for not giving consent (if known)

why you felt it was necessary to share information without consent.

Pass a copy of this record on to the agency/agencies you're sharing the information with.
> Contact the NSPCC helpline to share your concerns about a child
Confidentiality

Never promise a child that you will keep the things they're telling you a secret. Explain that you need to share what they've told you with someone who will be able to help.

If a child or young person needs confidential help and advice direct them to Childline. Calls to 0800 1111 are free and children can also contact Childline online.

Reporting concerns

Reporting concerns

If a child is suffering or at risk of suffering significant harm, you can share information with appropriate agencies or professionals without the child's or their parent's consent
If a child is in immediate danger, call the police on 999. If a child is not in immediate danger:
Follow your organisation's safeguarding policies and procedures as soon as possible. These should provide clear guidelines on the steps you need to take if a child discloses abuse. They will state who in your organisation has responsibility for safeguarding or child protection and who you should report your concerns to.
> Find out more about the role of the nominated child protection lead

Contact your local child protection services. Their contact details can be found on the website for the local authority the child lives in.

Contact the police. They will assess the situation and take the appropriate action to protect the child.

Contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or by emailing help@nspcc.org.uk. Our trained professionals will talk through your concerns with you, give you expert advice and take action to protect the child as appropriate. This may include making a referral to the local authority.

> Read about what happens when you contact the NSPCC Helpline on the NSPCC website > Find out more about how people who work or volunteer in schools should respond to concerns about abuse
If you have made a verbal referral to local children's services you should follow this up with a written referral as soon as possible, ideally within 48 hours.

If your organisation doesn't have a clear safeguarding procedure or you're not comfortable with how your organisation has responded to your report, contact the Whistleblowing Advice Line to discuss your concerns.
> Find out about the Whistleblowing Advice Line on the NSPCC website
Further information
> How the children protection system work in each UK nation > Managing allegations of abuse against a member of staff or volunteer > How to respond to concerns about abuse if you work or volunteer in a school

Support and protection

Support and Protection

In line with your organisational safeguarding procedures, any new concerns should be added to existing information about the child and their family. A decision should then be made about next steps.

If you or your organisation made a referral to the local authority, that local authority must assess the concern alongside other information. If the local authority makes the decision that action should be taken, a meeting will take place to identify how local agencies can work together to safeguard the child or young person.

If you still have concerns following a referral, you can follow up to ask what action has been taken.

Child protection response

If a decision is made that is made that the child or young person is at risk of significant harm, following an assessment by the relevant agencies, child protection measures will be put in place. The response will differ depending on which of the UK's four nations you are in.

Read more about the child protection system in:

Other safeguarding responses

Every local area, and each nation, has its own safeguarding arrangements and follows its own procedures. For this reason, responses to safeguarding will differ depending on the area.

Child in need or receiving support

All local authorities have a duty to ensure that children assessed as in need of care and support have services made available to them in England under the Children Act 1989, in Northern Ireland under the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995, in Scotland under the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 and in Wales under the Social Services and Well-being Wales Act 2014.

Early help or early intervention

If a concern does not meet the threshold for a statutory intervention, a child or family may still be offered support through early help or intervention services.
> Read more about early help and early intervention
Childline

Children and young people can contact Childline for free and confidential support about anything, including abuse they may have experienced. Childline can be contacted online or by phone.

Children can also be signposted to Childline as a source of support following disclosure of abuse, or if a safeguarding referral has been made or is on-going.

Local services

Your organisation should also be aware, and keep staff and volunteers informed, of local services you can direct children and families to for further help and support.

The NSPCC provides a number of specialist services for children and families who have experienced, or are at risk of experiencing, abuse and neglect.
> Read more about NSPCC direct services
The NSPCC also trains and supports local organisations to adopt, implement and deliver our evidence-based services.
> Read more about delivering NSPCC services in your area
Working with children who have experienced abuse or neglect

All children, especially those who have experienced trauma or abuse, benefit when organisations promote their mental health and wellbeing.
> Find out more about promoting mental health and wellbeing
Being aware of the impact abuse or neglect can have on children can help you to understand and support them.
> Learn more about how childhood trauma affects child brain development
It's also helpful to consider how to support children who have experienced abuse or neglect. Our self-assessment tool helps schools identify the actions they should take to meet best safeguarding and child protection practices. Section 4 is focused on supporting children and families, including those who have experienced abuse.
> Use our self-assessment tool

Mandatory reporting

Mandatory reporting

Female genital mutilation (FGM)

It is illegal to carry out FGM in the UK. It is also a criminal offence for UK nationals or permanent UK residents to perform FGM overseas or take their child abroad to have FGM carried out.

In England and Wales, regulated health and social care professionals and teachers must make a report to the police, if, in the course of their duties:

they are informed by a child under the age of 18 that they have undergone an act of FGM

they observe physical signs that an act of FGM may have been carried out on a child under the age of 18.

In Wales, professionals who identify cases of FGM need to make a report to both the police and the local authority.
> Find out about FGM
Criminal Law (Northern Ireland) Act 1967

Under Section 5 of the Criminal Law (Northern Ireland) Act 1967 it is an offence to fail to report a 'relevant offence' to the police. This includes:

knowing or believing that an offence has been committed

having information which could lead to the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of an offender.

This legislation covers offences against children and adults.

Duty to report in Wales

"Relevant partners" are required to inform the local authority if they have reasonable cause to suspect a child within the local authority's area is at risk of experiencing abuse, neglect or other types of harm. This includes people who work for the local authority such as teachers and social work practitioners, health practitioners, the police, probation services and others.
> More information about reporting concerns and the child protection system in Wales
Obligation to report in the Catholic church

Under a law issued by Pope Francis in May 2019, all clerics in the Catholic Church are obliged to inform Church authorities if they are aware of or suspect sexual abuse, sexual assault or a cover-up in the management of abuse. Anyone experiencing and reporting abuse will be protected. Dioceses or Eparchies must establish a public and accessible system for reporting, and laypeople are encouraged to use these systems to report violence and abuse.

Whistleblowing

Whistleblowing

Whistleblowing is when someone reports wrongdoing on the basis that it is in the public interest for the wrongdoing to be brought to light. This is usually something they've seen at work but not always. The wrongdoing might have happened in the past, be happening now, or be something the whistleblower is concerned may happen in the near future (Gov.uk, 2019).

Our Whistleblowing Advice Line offers free advice and support to professionals with concerns about how child protection issues are being handled in their own or another organisation.

Contact the Whistleblowing Advice Line on:

Contact the Whistleblowing Advice Line if:

your or another organisation doesn't have clear safeguarding procedures to follow

concerns aren't dealt with properly or may be covered up

a concern that was raised hasn't been acted upon

you are worried that repercussions are likely to arise if you raise a concern.

This applies to incidents that happened in the past, are happening now, or may happen in the future.
> Find out more about the Whistleblowing Advice Line on the NSPCC website > Find out more about the legislation and guidance for whistleblowing

Legislation and guidance

Responding to concerns and sharing information

Key legislation

Article 16 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (PDF) states that all children have a right to privacy.

The convention also states that children should be protected from abuse and that their best interests should be prioritised when making decisions that affect them.

This means that, if a child is at risk of harm, it is in their best interests for an adult to share information with relevant agencies - even without the child's consent.

In England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the Data Protection Act 2018 sets out how personal information should be processed under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The introduction of GDPR does not affect the principle that adults should share child protection information with other agencies in order to keep a child safe.

Key guidance

Statutory guidance across the UK highlights the responsibility of those in the education, community and care sectors to safeguard children from all forms of abuse and neglect. It explains how practitioners should respond to concerns and how agencies should work together to protect children.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a quality standard on child abuse and neglect. This describes how child abuse and neglect should be recognised, assessed and responded to by health and social care practitioners in England (NICE, 2019).

There is also specific guidance on data protection and sharing personal information.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has provided a Data sharing code of practice (PDF) to help UK organisations that need to share personal data (ICO, 2011).

In England, the Department for Education (DfE) provides guidance for sharing information relating to children's services in Information sharing: advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services to children, young people, parents and carers (PDF) (DfE, 2018a).

In Northern Ireland, Chapter five of the Code of practice on protecting the confidentiality of service user information (PDF) by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS), covers disclosing personal information relating to children (DHSSPS, 2012).

The Department of Health has also provided Guidance on information sharing for child protection purposes (Department of Health, 2021).

In Wales, the Government has produced non-statutory guidance on information sharing to safeguard children (Welsh Government, 2019).

Guidance for schools

In England and Wales, the Data protection: toolkit for schools provides guidance on how schools should process and record personal information in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (DfE, 2018b).

In Northern Ireland, the Think data online resource hub hosts resources that schools can use to ensure they are GDPR compliant (Education Authority, 2021).

In Scotland, Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC): information sharing sets out guidance on information sharing for schools (Scottish Government, 2021).

Guidance for charities

In England, The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has created an online portal to help charities manage allegations of abuse or harm made against an employee or volunteer.

Complaints and whistleblowing

If you are worried that your organisation or another organisation is not responding to or sharing child protection information appropriately, it's vital that you share your concerns to keep children safe.

Legislation across the UK ensures that you shouldn't be treated unfairly or lose your job because you 'blow the whistle' (Gov.uk, 2021).

In England, Scotland and Wales, whistleblowers are protected by law under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.

In Northern Ireland, The Public Interest Disclosure (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 protects workers who 'blow the whistle' over wrongdoing.

The government provides guidance on whistleblowing for employees in England, Scotland and Wales (Gov.uk, 2021).

The Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland provides guidance on the Public Interest Disclosure (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 (Department for the Economy, 2023).

Ofsted provides guidance on sharing concerns about children's social care services in England (Ofsted, 2019).
> Contact the Whistleblowing Advice Line if you have concerns over how child protection issues are being handled in your own or another organisation

References and resources

References and resources

Allnock, D. and Kiff, J. (2023) Listening to children and young people's experiences of disclosing child sexual abuse: Insights for the proposed mandatory reporting duty in England and Wales (PDF). London: NSPCC.

Allnock, D. and Miller, P. (2013) No one noticed, no one heard: a study of disclosures of childhood abuse. London: NSPCC.

Baker, H. et al (2019) Let children know you're listening: the importance of an adult's interpersonal skills in helping to improve the child's experiences of disclosure. London: NSPCC.

Child Protection Resource (2021) Mind your language - what's the problem with 'disclosure'?. [Accessed 07/09/2021].

Cossar, J. et al (2013) 'It takes a lot to build trust'. Recognition and telling: developing earlier routes to help for children and young people (PDF). London: Office of the Children's Commissioner.

Department for Education (DfE) (2018a) Information sharing: advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services to children, young people, parents and carers (PDF). [London]: DfE.

Department for Education (DfE) (2018b) Data protection: toolkit for schools. [London]: DfE.

Department for the Economy (2023) Guide to the Public Interest Disclosure (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 (amended February 2023). [Belfast] [Accessed 18/04/2023]

Department of Health (2021) Guidance on information sharing for child protection purposes. [Accessed 07/09/2021].​

Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) (2012) Code of practice on protecting the confidentiality of service user information. [Belfast]: DHSSPS.

Education Authority (2021) Think data online resource hub. [Accessed: 07/09/2021].

Garvey et al (2009) Help-seeking behaviour in young adults. London: NFP Synergy.

Gov.uk (2021) Whistleblowing for employees. [Accessed: 07/09/2021].

Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) (2011) Data sharing code of practice (PDF). Cheshire: Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

McElvaney, R. (2015) Disclosure of child sexual abuse: delays, non-disclosure and partial disclosure. What the research tells us and implications for practice. Child Abuse Review, 24: 159-169.

Mental Health Foundation and Camelot Foundation (2006) Truth hurts: report on the national inquiry into self-harm among young people. London: Mental Health Foundation.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (2019) Child abuse and neglect: quality standard [QS179]. [Accessed 07/09/2021].

Ofsted (2019) Sharing concerns and information with Ofsted about children's social care services. [Accessed: 07/09/2021].

Scottish Government (2021) Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) information sharing. [Accessed 07/09/2021].

The Transparency Project (2018) Things children say - disclosure, allegations and why language matters. [Accessed 07/09/2021].

Welsh Government (2019) Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. Working together to safeguard people: Information sharing to safeguard children. Non-statutory guide for practitioners (PDF). [Cardiff]: Welsh Government.

Childline

If a child or young person needs confidential help and advice direct them to Childline. Calls to 0800 1111 are free and children can also contact Childline online.

You can also download or order Childline posters and wallet cards.

Elearning

Our online and face-to-face training courses can help develop your understanding of how to protect children from abuse and respond to disclosures:

Further reading

For further reading about parental mental health, search the NSPCC Library catalogue using the keywords "disclosure", "child abuse identification", "child abuse reporting", "reporting laws", "whistleblowing".
> Find out more about the Library and Information Service

Introduction

It can be very hard for children and young people to speak out about abuse. Often they fear there may be negative consequences if they tell anyone what's happening to them.

Some may delay telling someone about abuse for a long time, while others never tell anyone, even if they want to.

It's vital that children and young people are able to speak out and that whoever they tell takes them seriously and acts on what they've been told.

Even if a child doesn't tell someone verbally about what's happened to them, there may be other indicators that something is wrong. People who work with children need to be able to recognise the signs and know how to respond appropriately.

This page outlines best practice for recognising and responding to abuse and some of the issues which may arise when working with children who have been abused.

You should use this information when writing your group or organisation's child protection procedures.

Looking to write a safeguarding policy statement but unsure where to start?

Our advice covers what your safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures should include, as well as tips for writing a policy statement and links to relevant legislation.

Identifying concerns

Identifying concerns

Disclosure

Disclosure is the process by which children and young people start to share their experiences of abuse with others. This can take place over a long period of time - it is a journey, not one act or action.

Children may disclose directly or indirectly and sometimes they may start sharing details of abuse before they are ready to put their thoughts and feelings in order.

Not all disclosures will lead to a formal report of abuse or a case being made or a case being taken to court, but all disclosures should be taken seriously.

It takes extraordinary courage for a child to go through the journey of disclosing abuse.

It's vital that anyone who works with children and young people undertaking this journey is able to provide them with the support they need.

How disclosure happens

Children and young people may disclose abuse in a variety of ways, including:

directly- making specific verbal statements about what's happened to them

indirectly - making ambiguous verbal statements which suggest something is wrong

behaviourally - displaying behaviour that signals something is wrong (this may or may not be deliberate)

non-verbally - writing letters, drawing pictures or trying to communicate in other ways.

Children and young people may not always be aware that they are disclosing abuse through their actions and behaviour.

Sometimes children and young people make partial disclosures of abuse. This means they give some details about what they've experienced, but not the whole picture. They may withhold some information because they:

are afraid they will get in trouble with or upset their family

want to deflect blame in case of family difficulties as a result of the disclosure

feel ashamed and/or guilty

need to protect themselves from having to relive traumatic events.

When children do speak out it is often many years after the abuse has taken place (McElvaney, 2015).

Barriers to disclosure

There are many reasons why children and young people might find it hard to talk about their experiences of abuse or neglect. They might be reluctant to seek help because they feel they don't have anyone to turn to for support. They may have sought help in the past and had a negative experience, which makes them unlikely to do so again or they may not have the knowledge or words to describe their experience.

Some children and young people may also:

blame themselves for the abuse or feel shame or guilt - feelings which can be made worse through the use of 'victim-blaming' language or labelling

experience feelings of isolation

be afraid of negative reactions from parents, caregivers, peers and professionals

worry they will be causing trouble and making the situation worse

be concerned about confidentiality

feel too embarrassed to talk to an adult about a private or personal problem

feel that they will not be taken seriously

lack trust in the people around them (including parents) and in the services provided to help them

find formal procedures overwhelming

not know about the support services available to them, or be unable to access these services

(Allnock and Kiff, 2023; Mental Health Foundation and Camelot Foundation, 2006).

Not all children and young people realise they have experienced abuse, for example if they have been groomed.

Spotting the signs of abuse

Children and young people who have been abused may want to tell someone, but not have the exact words to do so. They may attempt to disclose abuse by giving adults clues, through their actions and by using indirect words (Allnock and Miller, 2013; Cossar et al, 2013).

Adults need to be able to notice the signs that a child or young person might be distressed and ask them appropriate questions about what might have caused this.
> Read more about the different types of child abuse and neglect
> Read our factsheet on the definitions and signs of child abuse

Child protection training can help increase adults' confidence in recognising the indicators of abuse and understanding the different ways a child might try to share what they have experienced.
> Learn more about child protection training requirements and how you can continually update your knowledge > See our child protection training courses
You should never wait until a child or young person tells you directly that they are being abused before taking action. Instead, ask the child if everything is OK or discuss your concerns with your organisation's designated safeguarding lead, or the NSPCC helpline.

Waiting for a child to be ready to speak about their experiences could mean that the abuse carries on and they, or another child, are put at further risk of significant harm (Cossar et al, 2013).

Not taking appropriate action quickly can also affect the child's mental health. They may feel despairing and hopeless and wonder why no-one is helping them. This may discourage them from seeking help in the future and make them distrust adults.

Helping children disclose abuse

Helping children disclose abuse

It's important to create an environment where children and young people are comfortable about speaking out if anything is worrying them. They need to:

be able to recognise abuse and know it is wrong

know who they can talk to about it.

The people they choose to disclose to need to listen, understand and respond appropriately so the child gets the help, support and protection they need.

Talking PANTS (the underwear rule) is a simple way to talk to children as young as four about staying safe from sexual abuse. It helps children to:

name their body parts and know which parts should be private

know the difference between appropriate and inappropriate touch

understand they have the right to say "no"

think about who they trust and who they can ask for help.

> See the PANTS resources for schools and teachers > Find Talk PANTS resources for parents on the NSPCC website
Our Speak out Stay safe service for primary schools helps children understand abuse in all its forms and know how to protect themselves.
> Find out more about Speak out. Stay safe
Our Childline service offers children and young people confidential help and advice. Calls to 0800 1111 are free and children can also contact Childline online or find advice on the Childline website.
> Visit the Childline website > Download or order Childline posters and wallet cards
Encouraging children and young people to seek help and support

Many children and young people will seek help because they know where to go and believe that it will make a difference.

Others may not have the confidence to seek support or be too scared to ask for help. They may not get the help they need until they reach crisis point (Garvey et al, 2009).

Make it as easy as you can for young people to find and take up the offer of help.

Reinforce positive messages about those who seek help - seeking help is a sign of strength.

Encourage parents to support their children in seeking help.

Be positive about young people, their capacity for change and their resilience.

Listen to the people you help - improve your services using feedback from service users.

Shout about your work - lack of awareness is a significant barrier to young people seeking help.

See the whole person - engage with young people both in terms of their strengths and their weaknesses.

Build trust - treat young people with respect.

Help young people to help each other - equip young people with the skills and tools to support their friends/peers and family members.

Consider the role of new technologies - these should be complementary to other ways of supporting young people.

(Garvey et al, 2009).
> Read our tips on having difficult conversations with children and young people
Through Childline, children and young people can access a range of support including:

information and advice

online and telephone counselling

peer support message boards

therapeutic tools.

> Visit the Childline website

Responding to disclosures

Responding to disclosures

We carried out research to find out how adults can better respond to a child who is disclosing abuse (Baker et al, 2019). We found three key interpersonal skills that help a child feel they are being listened to and taken seriously:

show you care, help them open up: Give your full attention to the child or young person and keep your body language open and encouraging. Be compassionate, be understanding and reassure them their feelings are important. Phrases such as 'you've shown such courage today' help.

take your time, slow down: Respect pauses and don't interrupt the child - let them go at their own pace. Recognise and respond to their body language. And remember that it may take several conversations for them to share what's happened to them.

show you understand, reflect back: Make it clear you're interested in what the child is telling you. Reflect back what they've said to check your understanding - and use their language to show it's their experience.

> Download our free poster to help you remember these skills and embed them in your practice

If a child tells you they are experiencing abuse, it's important to reassure them that they've done the right thing in telling you. Make sure they know that abuse is never their fault.

Never talk to the alleged perpetrator about the child's disclosure. This could make things a lot worse for the child.

Watch our animation on how to respond to a child's disclosure of abuse

Non-biased approach

It's vital that any child who is trying to disclose abuse feels that they are being listened to and taken seriously.

But there can be a risk that if professionals just believe the child's account without thoroughly investigating the situation, this can lead to unfair bias against the alleged abuser as formal investigations progress (Child Protection Resource, 2021; Transparency Project, 2018).

This means it's important to maintain an unbiased approach when responding to disclosures and follow your organisation's procedures to ensure each case is treated in a fair and transparent manner and that the child gets the protection and support that they need.

Making notes

It's important to keep accurate and detailed notes on any concerns you have about a child. You will need to share these with your nominated child protection lead.

Include:

the child's details (name, age, address)

what the child said or did that gave you cause for concern (if the child made a verbal disclosure, write down their exact words)

any information the child has given you about the alleged abuser.

For more information about child protection and how to record concerns, sign up for one of our child protection elearning courses.
> Find out more about how people who work or volunteer in schools should respond to concerns about abuse > Contact the NSPCC helpline to get advice or share your concerns about a child

Information sharing

Information sharing

Why information sharing is important

Sharing information about a child's welfare helps professionals build a clearer picture of the child's life and gain a better understanding of any risks the child is facing.

Information sharing helps to ensure that an individual receives the right services at the right time and prevents a need from becoming more acute and difficult to meet (DfE, 2018a).

General principles of best practice for information sharing are outlined below. Refer to your organisation's procedures as well as local multi-agency arrangements to ensure you are following the information sharing processes that are most appropriate for your role.
> Find out more about best practice for multi-agency working
When to share information

Timely information sharing is key to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

People who work with children, whether in a paid or voluntary role, may need to share information about the children and families they are involved with for a number of reasons. These include:

you are making a referral to arrange additional support for someone in the family

someone from another agency has asked for information about a child or family

someone in the family has asked to be referred for further help

a statutory duty or court order requires information to be shared

you are concerned that a child or a member of their family may be at risk of significant harm

you think a serious crime may have been committed or is about to be committed which involves someone in the family.

You must always have a clear and legitimate purpose for sharing a child's personal information. Keep a record of the reasons why you are sharing or requesting information about a child or their family.

You should also make sure you are not putting a child's safety and welfare at risk by sharing information about them.

Some professionals have a legal duty to share information relating to safeguarding concerns. More information about this is available in the Mandatory reporting tab.

Always seek consent to share information about a child and their family. However if consent isn't given, you can still share information with relevant professionals under certain circumstances, for example if you are protecting a child from significant harm. The Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) do not affect this principle.

To learn more about getting permission to share information, see the Consent tab.
> Find out more about GDPR and children
What information to share

You need to decide what specific information is appropriate to share and who to share it with.

Prioritise the safety and welfare of the child and anyone else who may be affected by the situation.

Make sure you share the information quickly and securely. The sooner you report your concerns the better. This means the details will be fresh in your mind and action can be taken quickly.

Identify how much information should be shared. This will depend on the reasons for sharing it.

Use language that is clear and precise. Different agencies may use and understand terminology differently.

Make sure the information you are sharing is accurate. Make it clear what information is factual and what is based on opinion (yours or other people's).

Facts and opinions

When working with children and families you will gather information from a variety of sources. How you interpret this information can depend on:

any previous information received

your knowledge of research and theory

your own frame of reference.

When recording information you should be as factual as possible. If you need to give your own or somebody else's opinion make sure it is clearly differentiated from fact. You should identify whose opinion is being given and record their exact words.
> Contact the NSPCC helpline to share your concerns about a child

Seeking consent to share information

Children should be given the opportunity to decide whether they agree to their personal information being shared. If a child doesn't have the capacity to make their own decisions ask their parent or carer (unless doing so would put the child at risk of harm).

The Gillick competency and Fraser guidelines help professionals to assess whether a child is mature enough to make decisions.
> See our guidance on the Gillick competency and Fraser guidelines
You should always seek consent to share information about an adult.

Tips for getting consent:

be open and honest

make sure the person you're asking for consent understands what information will be shared and why

explain who will see the information and what it will be used for

make sure the person you're asking for consent understands the consequences of their information not being shared

get the consent in writing, in case there are any disputes in the future. If it's only given verbally, make a written record of this

make sure the person knows they can withdraw consent at any time.

Sharing information without consent
If consent is refused or if you're unable to seek consent, you can still share information with relevant professionals if this is in the public interest.
This includes protecting children from significant harm and promoting the welfare of children.

The Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) do not affect this principle.
> Find out more about GDPR and children
When deciding whether to share information without consent, you should consider each case individually.

Decide if the need to share information is in the public interest and whether it outweighs the need to maintain confidentiality.

Consider all the implications of sharing the information, for example if you are sharing sensitive details about a person's life.

If you're not sure what to do, contact the NSPCC helpline for advice.

Make sure you are following the relevant legislation and guidance. More information about this is available in the Legislation and guidance tab.

If you're sharing information without consent keep a written record explaining:

what steps you took to get consent

the person's reasons for not giving consent (if known)

why you felt it was necessary to share information without consent.

Pass a copy of this record on to the agency/agencies you're sharing the information with.
> Contact the NSPCC helpline to share your concerns about a child
Confidentiality

Never promise a child that you will keep the things they're telling you a secret. Explain that you need to share what they've told you with someone who will be able to help.

If a child or young person needs confidential help and advice direct them to Childline. Calls to 0800 1111 are free and children can also contact Childline online.

Reporting concerns

Reporting concerns

If a child is suffering or at risk of suffering significant harm, you can share information with appropriate agencies or professionals without the child's or their parent's consent
If a child is in immediate danger, call the police on 999. If a child is not in immediate danger:
Follow your organisation's safeguarding policies and procedures as soon as possible. These should provide clear guidelines on the steps you need to take if a child discloses abuse. They will state who in your organisation has responsibility for safeguarding or child protection and who you should report your concerns to.
> Find out more about the role of the nominated child protection lead

Contact your local child protection services. Their contact details can be found on the website for the local authority the child lives in.

Contact the police. They will assess the situation and take the appropriate action to protect the child.

Contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or by emailing help@nspcc.org.uk. Our trained professionals will talk through your concerns with you, give you expert advice and take action to protect the child as appropriate. This may include making a referral to the local authority.

> Read about what happens when you contact the NSPCC Helpline on the NSPCC website > Find out more about how people who work or volunteer in schools should respond to concerns about abuse
If you have made a verbal referral to local children's services you should follow this up with a written referral as soon as possible, ideally within 48 hours.

If your organisation doesn't have a clear safeguarding procedure or you're not comfortable with how your organisation has responded to your report, contact the Whistleblowing Advice Line to discuss your concerns.
> Find out about the Whistleblowing Advice Line on the NSPCC website
Further information
> How the children protection system work in each UK nation > Managing allegations of abuse against a member of staff or volunteer > How to respond to concerns about abuse if you work or volunteer in a school

Support and protection

Support and Protection

In line with your organisational safeguarding procedures, any new concerns should be added to existing information about the child and their family. A decision should then be made about next steps.

If you or your organisation made a referral to the local authority, that local authority must assess the concern alongside other information. If the local authority makes the decision that action should be taken, a meeting will take place to identify how local agencies can work together to safeguard the child or young person.

If you still have concerns following a referral, you can follow up to ask what action has been taken.

Child protection response

If a decision is made that is made that the child or young person is at risk of significant harm, following an assessment by the relevant agencies, child protection measures will be put in place. The response will differ depending on which of the UK's four nations you are in.

Read more about the child protection system in:

Other safeguarding responses

Every local area, and each nation, has its own safeguarding arrangements and follows its own procedures. For this reason, responses to safeguarding will differ depending on the area.

Child in need or receiving support

All local authorities have a duty to ensure that children assessed as in need of care and support have services made available to them in England under the Children Act 1989, in Northern Ireland under the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995, in Scotland under the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 and in Wales under the Social Services and Well-being Wales Act 2014.

Early help or early intervention

If a concern does not meet the threshold for a statutory intervention, a child or family may still be offered support through early help or intervention services.
> Read more about early help and early intervention
Childline

Children and young people can contact Childline for free and confidential support about anything, including abuse they may have experienced. Childline can be contacted online or by phone.

Children can also be signposted to Childline as a source of support following disclosure of abuse, or if a safeguarding referral has been made or is on-going.

Local services

Your organisation should also be aware, and keep staff and volunteers informed, of local services you can direct children and families to for further help and support.

The NSPCC provides a number of specialist services for children and families who have experienced, or are at risk of experiencing, abuse and neglect.
> Read more about NSPCC direct services
The NSPCC also trains and supports local organisations to adopt, implement and deliver our evidence-based services.
> Read more about delivering NSPCC services in your area
Working with children who have experienced abuse or neglect

All children, especially those who have experienced trauma or abuse, benefit when organisations promote their mental health and wellbeing.
> Find out more about promoting mental health and wellbeing
Being aware of the impact abuse or neglect can have on children can help you to understand and support them.
> Learn more about how childhood trauma affects child brain development
It's also helpful to consider how to support children who have experienced abuse or neglect. Our self-assessment tool helps schools identify the actions they should take to meet best safeguarding and child protection practices. Section 4 is focused on supporting children and families, including those who have experienced abuse.
> Use our self-assessment tool

Mandatory reporting

Mandatory reporting

Female genital mutilation (FGM)

It is illegal to carry out FGM in the UK. It is also a criminal offence for UK nationals or permanent UK residents to perform FGM overseas or take their child abroad to have FGM carried out.

In England and Wales, regulated health and social care professionals and teachers must make a report to the police, if, in the course of their duties:

they are informed by a child under the age of 18 that they have undergone an act of FGM

they observe physical signs that an act of FGM may have been carried out on a child under the age of 18.

In Wales, professionals who identify cases of FGM need to make a report to both the police and the local authority.
> Find out about FGM
Criminal Law (Northern Ireland) Act 1967

Under Section 5 of the Criminal Law (Northern Ireland) Act 1967 it is an offence to fail to report a 'relevant offence' to the police. This includes:

knowing or believing that an offence has been committed

having information which could lead to the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of an offender.

This legislation covers offences against children and adults.

Duty to report in Wales

"Relevant partners" are required to inform the local authority if they have reasonable cause to suspect a child within the local authority's area is at risk of experiencing abuse, neglect or other types of harm. This includes people who work for the local authority such as teachers and social work practitioners, health practitioners, the police, probation services and others.
> More information about reporting concerns and the child protection system in Wales
Obligation to report in the Catholic church

Under a law issued by Pope Francis in May 2019, all clerics in the Catholic Church are obliged to inform Church authorities if they are aware of or suspect sexual abuse, sexual assault or a cover-up in the management of abuse. Anyone experiencing and reporting abuse will be protected. Dioceses or Eparchies must establish a public and accessible system for reporting, and laypeople are encouraged to use these systems to report violence and abuse.

Whistleblowing

Whistleblowing

Whistleblowing is when someone reports wrongdoing on the basis that it is in the public interest for the wrongdoing to be brought to light. This is usually something they've seen at work but not always. The wrongdoing might have happened in the past, be happening now, or be something the whistleblower is concerned may happen in the near future (Gov.uk, 2019).

Our Whistleblowing Advice Line offers free advice and support to professionals with concerns about how child protection issues are being handled in their own or another organisation.

Contact the Whistleblowing Advice Line on:

Contact the Whistleblowing Advice Line if:

your or another organisation doesn't have clear safeguarding procedures to follow

concerns aren't dealt with properly or may be covered up

a concern that was raised hasn't been acted upon

you are worried that repercussions are likely to arise if you raise a concern.

This applies to incidents that happened in the past, are happening now, or may happen in the future.
> Find out more about the Whistleblowing Advice Line on the NSPCC website > Find out more about the legislation and guidance for whistleblowing

Legislation and guidance

Responding to concerns and sharing information

Key legislation

Article 16 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (PDF) states that all children have a right to privacy.

The convention also states that children should be protected from abuse and that their best interests should be prioritised when making decisions that affect them.

This means that, if a child is at risk of harm, it is in their best interests for an adult to share information with relevant agencies - even without the child's consent.

In England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the Data Protection Act 2018 sets out how personal information should be processed under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The introduction of GDPR does not affect the principle that adults should share child protection information with other agencies in order to keep a child safe.

Key guidance

Statutory guidance across the UK highlights the responsibility of those in the education, community and care sectors to safeguard children from all forms of abuse and neglect. It explains how practitioners should respond to concerns and how agencies should work together to protect children.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a quality standard on child abuse and neglect. This describes how child abuse and neglect should be recognised, assessed and responded to by health and social care practitioners in England (NICE, 2019).

There is also specific guidance on data protection and sharing personal information.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has provided a Data sharing code of practice (PDF) to help UK organisations that need to share personal data (ICO, 2011).

In England, the Department for Education (DfE) provides guidance for sharing information relating to children's services in Information sharing: advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services to children, young people, parents and carers (PDF) (DfE, 2018a).

In Northern Ireland, Chapter five of the Code of practice on protecting the confidentiality of service user information (PDF) by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS), covers disclosing personal information relating to children (DHSSPS, 2012).

The Department of Health has also provided Guidance on information sharing for child protection purposes (Department of Health, 2021).

In Wales, the Government has produced non-statutory guidance on information sharing to safeguard children (Welsh Government, 2019).

Guidance for schools

In England and Wales, the Data protection: toolkit for schools provides guidance on how schools should process and record personal information in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (DfE, 2018b).

In Northern Ireland, the Think data online resource hub hosts resources that schools can use to ensure they are GDPR compliant (Education Authority, 2021).

In Scotland, Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC): information sharing sets out guidance on information sharing for schools (Scottish Government, 2021).

Guidance for charities

In England, The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has created an online portal to help charities manage allegations of abuse or harm made against an employee or volunteer.

Complaints and whistleblowing

If you are worried that your organisation or another organisation is not responding to or sharing child protection information appropriately, it's vital that you share your concerns to keep children safe.

Legislation across the UK ensures that you shouldn't be treated unfairly or lose your job because you 'blow the whistle' (Gov.uk, 2021).

In England, Scotland and Wales, whistleblowers are protected by law under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.

In Northern Ireland, The Public Interest Disclosure (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 protects workers who 'blow the whistle' over wrongdoing.

The government provides guidance on whistleblowing for employees in England, Scotland and Wales (Gov.uk, 2021).

The Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland provides guidance on the Public Interest Disclosure (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 (Department for the Economy, 2023).

Ofsted provides guidance on sharing concerns about children's social care services in England (Ofsted, 2019).
> Contact the Whistleblowing Advice Line if you have concerns over how child protection issues are being handled in your own or another organisation

References and resources

References and resources

Allnock, D. and Kiff, J. (2023) Listening to children and young people's experiences of disclosing child sexual abuse: Insights for the proposed mandatory reporting duty in England and Wales (PDF). London: NSPCC.

Allnock, D. and Miller, P. (2013) No one noticed, no one heard: a study of disclosures of childhood abuse. London: NSPCC.

Baker, H. et al (2019) Let children know you're listening: the importance of an adult's interpersonal skills in helping to improve the child's experiences of disclosure. London: NSPCC.

Child Protection Resource (2021) Mind your language - what's the problem with 'disclosure'?. [Accessed 07/09/2021].

Cossar, J. et al (2013) 'It takes a lot to build trust'. Recognition and telling: developing earlier routes to help for children and young people (PDF). London: Office of the Children's Commissioner.

Department for Education (DfE) (2018a) Information sharing: advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services to children, young people, parents and carers (PDF). [London]: DfE.

Department for Education (DfE) (2018b) Data protection: toolkit for schools. [London]: DfE.

Department for the Economy (2023) Guide to the Public Interest Disclosure (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 (amended February 2023). [Belfast] [Accessed 18/04/2023]

Department of Health (2021) Guidance on information sharing for child protection purposes. [Accessed 07/09/2021].​

Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) (2012) Code of practice on protecting the confidentiality of service user information. [Belfast]: DHSSPS.

Education Authority (2021) Think data online resource hub. [Accessed: 07/09/2021].

Garvey et al (2009) Help-seeking behaviour in young adults. London: NFP Synergy.

Gov.uk (2021) Whistleblowing for employees. [Accessed: 07/09/2021].

Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) (2011) Data sharing code of practice (PDF). Cheshire: Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

McElvaney, R. (2015) Disclosure of child sexual abuse: delays, non-disclosure and partial disclosure. What the research tells us and implications for practice. Child Abuse Review, 24: 159-169.

Mental Health Foundation and Camelot Foundation (2006) Truth hurts: report on the national inquiry into self-harm among young people. London: Mental Health Foundation.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (2019) Child abuse and neglect: quality standard [QS179]. [Accessed 07/09/2021].

Ofsted (2019) Sharing concerns and information with Ofsted about children's social care services. [Accessed: 07/09/2021].

Scottish Government (2021) Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) information sharing. [Accessed 07/09/2021].

The Transparency Project (2018) Things children say - disclosure, allegations and why language matters. [Accessed 07/09/2021].

Welsh Government (2019) Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. Working together to safeguard people: Information sharing to safeguard children. Non-statutory guide for practitioners (PDF). [Cardiff]: Welsh Government.

Childline

If a child or young person needs confidential help and advice direct them to Childline. Calls to 0800 1111 are free and children can also contact Childline online.

You can also download or order Childline posters and wallet cards.

Elearning

Our online and face-to-face training courses can help develop your understanding of how to protect children from abuse and respond to disclosures:

Further reading

For further reading about parental mental health, search the NSPCC Library catalogue using the keywords "disclosure", "child abuse identification", "child abuse reporting", "reporting laws", "whistleblowing".
> Find out more about the Library and Information Service

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Recognising and responding to child abuse and neglect | NSPCC Learning

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What to do if you have concerns that a child you know through your work or volunteering has experienced abuse and neglect. How to respond if a child discloses abuse to you. What information you should record and how to report your concerns.

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Recognise- always be alert to any signs and symptoms of abuse, ensure that you have had the adequate training to be able to easily spot any signs

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https://www.ideagen.com/thought-leadership/blog/what-are-the-5-rs-of-safeguarding

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The 5 Rs of safeguarding are a useful way to remember how to keep people safe. If you don’t know what they are, this blog explains all you need to know.

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health proffesionals respond to incidences of safeguarding by recording incidence and allegations of safeguarding and afterwards escalate such safeguarding concerns to appropraite authorities and supervisory bodies or departments for further disciplinary procedures

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All staff have a responsibility to follow the 5 R's (Recognise, Respond, Report, Record & Refer) whilst engaged on PTP's business, and must immediately report any concerns about learners welfare to a Designated Officer.

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All staff have a responsibility to follow the 5 R's (Recognise, Respond, Report, Record & Refer) whilst engaged on PTP's business, and must immediately report any concerns about learners welfare to a Designated Officer.

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Response- if a safeguarding incident occurs it is crucial that you respond in consideration to your training, responding fast will reduce any risk posed, depending on the outcome of the event a referral to the appropriate organisation may be done, as a result, capacity may be taken away within the best interest.

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What are the 5 R's of safeguarding? All staff have a responsibility to follow the 5 R's (Recognise, Respond, Report, Record & Refer) whilst engaged on PTP's business, and must immediately report any concerns about learners welfare to a Designated Officer....

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1) RecogniseIn order to safeguard vulnerable adults and young people, you must know how to identify the signs and indicators of abuse and neglect. Training in spotting these signs can be very helpful, as distinguishing between behaviours can vary from person to person, whilst those certified in safeguarding training have also been taught the correct response to detect signs of abuse. Private dialogue with your organization's appointed safeguarding official is encouraged if a concern is raised about an individual to another staff member or the individual who may be suffering has approached a staff member other than the safeguarding lead.2) RespondRespond appropriately when you have a concern about abuse or neglect. Someone who has experienced or is experiencing some kind of abuse will likely be very vulnerable, so your behavior in dealing with this is crucial. You should remain calm and ask open questions, encouraging them to give just enough information to validate the claim. Whilst you should not make any promises about what will follow, you should take any allegation seriously and assure them that reporting their concerns was the right thing to do. Your safeguarding policy will detail the steps you should take to respond safely and effectively to any potential safeguarding issue.3) ReportYour organization should have a designated person responsible for dealing with safeguarding issues, whilst a deputy should also be appointed in the event that the designated safeguarding official is out of the office or the allegation is made against them. You should be able to find out who this person is in your safeguarding policy. Once you have responded to a safeguarding concern with the vulnerable person, you should report it immediately to your designated safeguarding lead, who will then take responsibility for acting upon the issue. You may check that the issue is being acted on appropriately, however, for the confidentiality of the person concerned, it may be unnecessary for the safeguarding lead to share further details with you.4) RecordEnsure you record everything you have seen or heard in relation to the issue. Complete memorization of every detail of the conversation is not expected, however, you should record exactly what the individual has alleged, using the individual's keywords and phrases. Record, as well, your own observations and interpretations, clearly distinguishing between your accounts and those of the individual raising the allegation, before passing it on to the safeguarding lead, who should keep it only accessible to responsible for safeguarding issues.5) ReferRefer your concerns to the correct authority. It's normally your designated safeguarding lead that will report this, so it's best to make sure you pass on everything you have. They should then decide on the appropriate action to take, perhaps consulting with the appropriate people, either inside the organization or outside, in order to arrive at a safe conclusion for the individual.Put someone's safety firstIf you spot anything that may be a safeguarding concern, or somebody else makes you aware of one, you must act on it immediately, in order to protect those who may be vulnerable. Ensuring you are aware of your organization's safeguarding official is a good way of making the process swifter in the event of a safeguarding issue arising in the future.

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1) RecogniseIn order to safeguard vulnerable adults and young people, you must know how to identify the signs and indicators of abuse and neglect. Training in spotting these signs can be very helpful, as distinguishing between behaviours can vary from person to person, whilst those certified in safeguarding training have also been taught the correct response to detect signs of abuse. Private dialogue with your organization's appointed safeguarding official is encouraged if a concern is raised about an individual to another staff member or the individual who may be suffering has approached a staff member other than the safeguarding lead.2) RespondRespond appropriately when you have a concern about abuse or neglect. Someone who has experienced or is experiencing some kind of abuse will likely be very vulnerable, so your behavior in dealing with this is crucial. You should remain calm and ask open questions, encouraging them to give just enough information to validate the claim. Whilst you should not make any promises about what will follow, you should take any allegation seriously and assure them that reporting their concerns was the right thing to do. Your safeguarding policy will detail the steps you should take to respond safely and effectively to any potential safeguarding issue.3) ReportYour organization should have a designated person responsible for dealing with safeguarding issues, whilst a deputy should also be appointed in the event that the designated safeguarding official is out of the office or the allegation is made against them. You should be able to find out who this person is in your safeguarding policy. Once you have responded to a safeguarding concern with the vulnerable person, you should report it immediately to your designated safeguarding lead, who will then take responsibility for acting upon the issue. You may check that the issue is being acted on appropriately, however, for the confidentiality of the person concerned, it may be unnecessary for the safeguarding lead to share further details with you.4) RecordEnsure you record everything you have seen or heard in relation to the issue. Complete memorization of every detail of the conversation is not expected, however, you should record exactly what the individual has alleged, using the individual's keywords and phrases. Record, as well, your own observations and interpretations, clearly distinguishing between your accounts and those of the individual raising the allegation, before passing it on to the safeguarding lead, who should keep it only accessible to responsible for safeguarding issues.5) ReferRefer your concerns to the correct authority. It's normally your designated safeguarding lead that will report this, so it's best to make sure you pass on everything you have. They should then decide on the appropriate action to take, perhaps consulting with the appropriate people, either inside the organization or outside, in order to arrive at a safe conclusion for the individual.Put someone's safety firstIf you spot anything that may be a safeguarding concern, or somebody else makes you aware of one, you must act on it immediately, in order to protect those who may be vulnerable. Ensuring you are aware of your organization's safeguarding official is a good way of making the process swifter in the event of a safeguarding issue arising in the future.

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The 5 R's of safeguarding are a set of guidelines on how to act upon a safeguarding concern if you are caring for or dealing with vulnerable adults or children. Understanding what might be a safeguarding concern first requires us to answer the all-important question:

What is safeguarding?

Safeguarding is about being ready and prepared to protect others from abuse, neglect, harm, bullying and harassment in a safe manner.

Safeguarding definitions vary slightly when it comes to safeguarding adults and safeguarding children, with one of the principal differences being an adult's right to self-determination - the ability to make their own choices. This does not necessarily mean that all adults can protect themselves, leaving many adults at risk of various types of abuse, such as physical, sexual, psychological or financial abuse. The safeguarding of vulnerable adults, perhaps due to their advanced age or intellectual impairments, is therefore of paramount importance to their safety.

Protecting children, under 18 years of age, from abuse and neglect is the primary intention of safeguarding children, whilst it also entails ensuring that they grow up in safe and effective care to give them optimum chances in both childhood and adulthood. There are 6 principles that can be applied when safeguarding children, which provide a framework for the safety and security of young people.

In short, safeguarding concerns keeping vulnerable people safe.

What are the 5 Rs of Safeguarding?

1) Recognise

In order to safeguard vulnerable adults and young people, you must know how to identify the signs and indicators of abuse and neglect. Training in spotting these signs can be very helpful, as distinguishing between behaviours can vary from person to person, whilst those certified in safeguarding training have also been taught the correct response to detect signs of abuse. Private dialogue with your organization's appointed safeguarding official is encouraged if a concern is raised about an individual to another staff member or the individual who may be suffering has approached a staff member other than the safeguarding lead.

Respond appropriately when you have a concern about abuse or neglect. Someone who has experienced or is experiencing some kind of abuse will likely be very vulnerable, so your behavior in dealing with this is crucial. You should remain calm and ask open questions, encouraging them to give just enough information to validate the claim. Whilst you should not make any promises about what will follow, you should take any allegation seriously and assure them that reporting their concerns was the right thing to do. Your safeguarding policy will detail the steps you should take to respond safely and effectively to any potential safeguarding issue.

Your organization should have a designated person responsible for dealing with safeguarding issues, whilst a deputy should also be appointed in the event that the designated safeguarding official is out of the office or the allegation is made against them. You should be able to find out who this person is in your safeguarding policy. Once you have responded to a safeguarding concern with the vulnerable person, you should report it immediately to your designated safeguarding lead, who will then take responsibility for acting upon the issue. You may check that the issue is being acted on appropriately, however, for the confidentiality of the person concerned, it may be unnecessary for the safeguarding lead to share further details with you.

Ensure you record everything you have seen or heard in relation to the issue. Complete memorization of every detail of the conversation is not expected, however, you should record exactly what the individual has alleged, using the individual's keywords and phrases. Record, as well, your own observations and interpretations, clearly distinguishing between your accounts and those of the individual raising the allegation, before passing it on to the safeguarding lead, who should keep it only accessible to responsible for safeguarding issues.

Refer your concerns to the correct authority. It's normally your designated safeguarding lead that will report this, so it's best to make sure you pass on everything you have. They should then decide on the appropriate action to take, perhaps consulting with the appropriate people, either inside the organization or outside, in order to arrive at a safe conclusion for the individual.

Put someone's safety first

If you spot anything that may be a safeguarding concern, or somebody else makes you aware of one, you must act on it immediately, in order to protect those who may be vulnerable. Ensuring you are aware of your organization's safeguarding official is a good way of making the process swifter in the event of a safeguarding issue arising in the future.

We provide a wide range of online Safeguarding training courses to meet your organization's needs, which also include courses like Conflict Management, Internet Safety Awareness, Preventing Radicalisation and Safeguarding Adults Train the Trainer.

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Safeguarding Adults & Children - The 5 R's of Safeguarding

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The 5 R's of safeguarding are a set of guidelines on how to act upon a safeguarding concern if you are caring for or dealing with vulnerable adults or children. Understanding what might be a safeguarding concern first requires us to answer the all-important question: Safeguarding is about being ready and prepared to protect others from abuse, neglect, harm, bullying and harassment in a safe manner.

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links and supporting academic literatures

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links and supporting academic literatures

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NHS England » About NHS England Safeguarding

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The 5 Rs of safeguarding are a useful way to remember how to keep people safe. If you don’t know what they are, this blog explains all you need to know.

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The 5 Rs of safeguarding are a useful way to remember how to keep people safe. If you don’t know what they are, this blog explains all you need to know.

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Refer- it is the responsibility of the organisationally managers to refer safeguarding issues, however, if risks are more urgent and it is expected that someone is under instant threat, the relevant local authorities should be contacted or police services

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Recognise: the ability to see what the signs and symptoms of abuse and neglect can be in order to be able to spot it in a potential victim.
Respond: not ignoring a safeguarding issue and taking action accordingly to the victim's needs.
Report: escalate it to the person in your team in immediate charge of safeguarding issues in a private and respectful manner.
Record: gather information including testimonials, paraphrases, and time and date stamps of the events; to maintain a faithful record.
Refer: making the decision to escalate it to the local authorities to decide if further action is needed. This should only be done by the Safeguarding Deputy.

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Report- concern needs to be reported without delay, confidentiality needs to always be obtained unless service user is in danger, only share information with those who are a part of the safeguarding process confidentiality is broken the service user needs to be made aware and the relevant teams informed.

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Using the do’s and don’t’s factsheet below, discuss the actions to take in the following case studies:Mrs Smith is 64 and lives alone.  She has hearing loss and mobility difficulties.  She told her home care worker that over the past few months her neighbour had been asking her to lend him money, and recently he had started to ask for money on a more frequent basis and he was not always paying the money back. 

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Using the do’s and don’t’s factsheet below, discuss the actions to take in the following case studies:Mrs Smith is 64 and lives alone.  She has hearing loss and mobility difficulties.  She told her home care worker that over the past few months her neighbour had been asking her to lend him money, and recently he had started to ask for money on a more frequent basis and he was not always paying the money back. 

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Record- it is essential that all incidents and near-miss on the report you need include a date, time, who it involves, is there a chance it will happen again, can it be prevented, it is important that all records are easily assessable and readable to those who need to see them, it is just as important they are kept in a safe place.

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Dos and don’ts if there are concerns that an adult is at risk of abuse or neglect

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Dos and don’ts if there are concerns that an adult is at risk of abuse or neglect

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  If you suspect financial abuse, consider placing cheque books, bank cards etc. into a plastic bag in case they are required as evidence 

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  If you suspect financial abuse, consider placing cheque books, bank cards etc. into a plastic bag in case they are required as evidence 

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Do record what was said using ONLY the person’s own words 

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Do record what was said using ONLY the person’s own words 

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 Don’t discuss the incident with anyone else except your line manager/superviso

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 Don’t discuss the incident with anyone else except your line manager/superviso

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Don’t, in any circumstances, discuss the issue with the person alleged to have cause harm

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Don’t, in any circumstances, discuss the issue with the person alleged to have cause harm

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 Do provide information to the person about the steps that will be taken and reassure them that the issue will be taken seriously

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 Do provide information to the person about the steps that will be taken and reassure them that the issue will be taken seriously

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Using the do's and don't guidelines, we record all the woman has said and promptly escalate the issue to the supervisor or hospital or care management