Safeguarding in Everyday Practice: What Every Adult in School Should Know

Safeguarding is part of every role in a school, from the headteacher to the person on the gate in the morning. Most of the time it is quiet work: noticing, listening, writing things down and passing them on. Occasionally it matters enormously.

This article explains the basics for teachers, teaching assistants, trainees and other staff in England. It is general information, not legal advice. Your school’s child protection and safeguarding policy, and your Designated Safeguarding Lead, are always your first points of reference.

The statutory guidance

Schools and colleges in England must have regard to “Keeping children safe in education”, statutory guidance from the Department for Education. It is updated most years, usually with a new edition in force from September, so make sure you are reading the current edition rather than one saved on your laptop from a few years ago.

The guidance is clear that safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility, and that everyone who comes into contact with children has a role to play. Staff who work directly with children are expected to read at least Part one of the guidance. Many schools ask staff to confirm that they have read it when they join and again each year.

The guidance also asks staff to keep an attitude of “it could happen here”. Abuse, neglect and exploitation happen in every kind of community and every kind of school. Assuming it could not happen to a pupil you know well is one of the ways concerns get missed.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead

Every school should have a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), a named member of staff who takes lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection. Most schools also have one or more deputy DSLs.

The DSL’s role includes receiving concerns from staff, deciding what action to take, making referrals to children’s social care or the police where needed, keeping records, and working with other agencies. They also make sure staff receive safeguarding training.

You should know:

• who the DSL and deputies are, and what they look like
• how to contact them during the school day, and what to do if they are not available
• where to find the school’s safeguarding policy
• how your school records concerns, whether on paper or through an online system

If you do not know any of these, ask today.

Noticing concerns

Keeping children safe in education describes the main categories of abuse (physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect) and a wide range of specific safeguarding issues. You are not expected to be an expert in all of them. You are expected to notice when something does not seem right and to pass it on.

Signs can be small and easy to dismiss on their own:

• a change in behaviour, mood or appearance
• frequent unexplained injuries, or explanations that do not fit
• a pupil who seems hungry, tired or unkempt most days
• reluctance to go home, or fear of a particular person
• unexplained gifts, money or new phones
• attendance that drops, or repeated absences with weak explanations
• something a pupil says, writes or draws

None of these proves anything. That is not your job to establish. Your role is to notice, record and report.

The guidance also notes that children may not feel ready or know how to tell someone that they are being abused, exploited or neglected. Some will hint, test your reaction, or say something sideways. A pupil who says “I don’t want to go home tonight” deserves your attention, even if they laugh it off.

When a pupil tells you something

If a pupil discloses something to you, stay calm. Your reaction will shape whether they keep talking, to you or to anyone else.

Some general principles, in line with most school policies:

• Listen. Let the pupil talk in their own words.
• Do not ask leading questions or press for details. Open prompts such as “Tell me more” are enough. Investigating is not your role.
• Reassure them that they have done the right thing in telling you, and that they will be taken seriously.
• Explain that you will need to share what they have told you with someone whose job is to help keep them safe.
• Write down what was said as soon as you can, using the pupil’s own words.

The guidance is direct about one point: staff should never promise a child that they will not tell anyone about a report of abuse. It is natural to want to say “I won’t tell anyone” when a frightened child asks. That promise cannot be kept, and breaking it later can damage the child’s trust. Instead you might say: “I can’t keep this a secret, because I need to make sure you are safe. I will only tell the people who need to know.”

Act straight away

Keeping children safe in education says that if staff have any concerns about a child’s welfare, they should act on them immediately and speak to the DSL or a deputy. Do not wait until the end of the week, and do not decide on your own that it was probably nothing.

If the DSL is not available, the guidance says this should not delay appropriate action. Staff should consider speaking to a senior leader or taking advice from children’s social care, and then tell the DSL as soon as they can. Where a child is suffering or likely to suffer harm, a referral to children’s social care, and to the police if appropriate, should be made immediately. Your school’s procedures will set out exactly how this works locally.

Recording concerns

The guidance says all concerns, discussions and decisions, and the reasons for those decisions, should be recorded in writing. A good record:

• is made as soon as possible
• states facts, not opinions or interpretations
• uses the pupil’s exact words where they spoke
• includes the date, time, place and who was present
• is signed or logged with your name

Record what you saw and heard. “Bruise about 3cm across on left forearm, pupil said ‘I fell off my bike'” is useful. “Looks like he’s being hit at home” is an opinion, and it belongs in a conversation with the DSL rather than in the record.

Concerns about adults

Safeguarding also covers concerns about the behaviour of staff, volunteers or other adults in school. The guidance says concerns about a member of staff should be referred to the headteacher or principal, and your school policy will explain what to do if the concern is about the headteacher. Schools should also have whistleblowing procedures. If something an adult does makes you uneasy, report it through the proper route.

Online safety

Many safeguarding concerns now involve phones, social media and gaming. Computing teachers are often the first to hear about something that happened online. Treat an online concern in the same way as any other: listen, record, report to the DSL.

Looking after yourself

Hearing a disclosure or dealing with a serious concern can be upsetting. It is normal to replay it afterwards. Talk to the DSL about how you are feeling, keeping confidentiality in mind, and use any staff support your school offers.

Further reading

• Department for Education. Keeping children safe in education: statutory guidance for schools and colleges (current edition, published on GOV.UK).
• Your school’s child protection and safeguarding policy.