- Recognise the signs that should prompt a safeguarding concern
- Know what to do in the first ten minutes after a disclosure
- Record a concern in a way that stands up to scrutiny
What safeguarding actually asks of you
Safeguarding is not about investigating. It is about noticing, and passing what you notice to the person whose job it is to act.
In practice your duty is short:
- Notice a change, a mark, a comment, a pattern.
- Respond calmly if someone tells you something.
- Record what was said or seen, in their words.
- Report to the designated safeguarding lead the same day.
You do not need to be sure. A concern is not an accusation.
Signs worth a second look
Most concerns start as something small that does not fit:
- Sudden change in behaviour, attendance or appearance
- Being withdrawn, jumpy, or reluctant to go home
- Unexplained injuries, or explanations that keep changing
- Adults who seem to have too much influence over someone
- Comments made lightly that carry weight ("I sleep in the car sometimes")
One sign on its own may mean nothing. A pattern, or a sign plus a gut feeling, is enough to report.
A learner tells you, quietly at the end of a session, that things at home are 'really bad' and asks you not to tell anyone. What do you do?
Recording it properly
A good record is factual, timed and in the person's own words.
- Write what was said, not what you think it meant.
- Use quotation marks for their exact words.
- Note the date, time, place and who else was present.
- Describe what you saw without interpretation ("a 3cm bruise on the left forearm"), not a diagnosis.
- Sign and date it, and pass it to the safeguarding lead through your agreed route.
If you would not be comfortable reading it aloud in a review, rewrite it.
5 questions. Pick an answer to see whether it is right and why.
1.A colleague asks you to keep a disclosure secret. What is the right response?
2.How soon should a concern normally be reported?
3.Which is the best written record?
4.You are not sure a concern is serious enough. What should you do?
5.Someone is in immediate danger. What comes first?
Know your own setting
Every organisation differs on names, forms and routes. Before you close this page, make sure you can answer three questions without looking them up:
- Who is your designated safeguarding lead, and their deputy?
- Where does a concern get recorded?
- What happens out of hours?
If you work in education, your statutory duties sit in your setting's safeguarding policy and the government guidance it follows. Check both rather than relying on memory.
Write one sentence: what would you do differently in the first ten minutes after a disclosure?
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