Safeguarding Children

Scope of this chapter

We all have a responsibility to make sure children are safe from harm and abuse. This chapter will provide guidance on the behaviours and signs that could indicate a child is at risk, managing disclosures from a child and reporting concerns.

Relevant Regulations

Working Together to Safeguard Children

Keeping Children Safe in Education

Amendment

In May 2026, this chapter was reviewed in full to reflect the March 2026 changes to Working Together to Safeguarding Children.

May 1, 2026

1. When to raise a concern

A Safeguarding Children concern must be raised where there is reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering (or is likely to suffer) significant harm. This also applies where there are concerns about an unborn child.

This may relate to a child who lives with the person being supported, a child who visits them or is visited by them, or a child that you encounter in any other circumstances, whether or not known to Children’s Services.

A child is defined as anyone under the age of 18.

Harm is defined as the ill treatment or impairment of a child’s health and development, including harm caused by seeing or hearing ill-treatment of another, such as in cases of domestic violence.

It includes:

Abuse and neglect by an adult/adults or another child;
Harm caused by a failure to act to prevent harm;
Both Intentional and unintentional harm;
The impact of witnessing harm to others, including in cases of domestic abuse;
Harm from online or digital activity.

2. Child abuse and neglect

Child abuse and neglect are the most common causes of significant harm to children.

The following definitions and examples are drawn from Working Together to Safeguard Children and Keeping Children Safe in Education, which are the two primary frameworks for safeguarding children practice in England.

It is essential that all staff understand what abuse and neglect are and are able to recognise when it may be occurring.

Physical abuse	Hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child.
Physical abuse	It may also include fabricating the symptoms of, or deliberately inducing, illness in a child.
Emotional abuse	Conveying to children that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person.
	Not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or 'making fun' of what they say or how they communicate.
	Imposing age or developmentally inappropriate expectations on children. This means expecting too much from a younger child or not permitting an older child to develop or learn.
	Seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another including domestic abuse situations.
	Serious bullying (including cyberbullying).
	Causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger.
	Exploiting and corrupting child/ren.
Sexual abuse	Forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing.
Sexual abuse	It may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, including via online activity.
Neglect	The persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. This may include a failure to provide adequate food, clothing and shelter, to protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger, to ensure adequate supervision, or to ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment.
Domestic abuse (from 16)	Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence and abuse between those aged 16 or over, who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender and sexuality. Children may be directly or indirectly affected by domestic abuse, including through seeing or hearing its impact.

3. Disclosure by a child

If a child discloses that they are suffering or have suffered significant harm or have caused or may cause harm to others, the initial response should be to:

Listen carefully to what they say;
Observe their behaviour and circumstances;
Clarify the nature of the concern;
Offer reassurance that they are being taken seriously and about how they will be kept safe;
Explain what action will be taken, by whom and within what timeframe.

The child must not be questioned in any way, or given assurances of absolute confidentiality, as this may compromise subsequent police investigations, particularly in cases of sexual abuse.

Where appropriate and depending on the child’s age and understanding, they should be asked for their views what action should be taken. However, it should be explained that whilst their view will be taken into account, the service has a duty to act in their best interests and to ensure their safety and the safety of others.

4. Further guidance

Your local Safeguarding Children’s Partnership (SCP) is a key source of detailed multi-agency procedures and guidance.

They will help professionals navigate the process around:

What to tell a child who discloses abuse;
What the process looks like after a disclosure;
Likely timeframes and next steps;
What to expect if you become involved in a Children’s Services safeguarding enquiry.

5. How to raise a concern

The process for making a referral to the local authority Children’s Services should be easily accessible to all.

An appropriate and proportionate record should be made of any concerns raised and actions you took.

The local authority will determine the best course of action based on the nature of the concern.

Note: If you deem a child to be at immediate risk of harm or in need of urgent medical attention, dial 999.

6. Training

All staff should receive basic awareness training to support them in meeting their duty to safeguard children.

Last Updated: April 30, 2026

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