Safeguarding Children: Recognition, Response & Support
Article by: Seamus Doherty
Safeguarding Children: Recognition, Response & Support
Safeguarding Children is Everyone's Responsibility - A Shared Duty
Comprehensive guide aligned with Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023
What is Safeguarding Under Working Together 2023?
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as:
- Providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge
- Protecting children from maltreatment, whether that is within or outside the home, including online
- Preventing impairment of children's mental and physical health or development
- Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
- Promoting the upbringing of children with their birth parents, or otherwise their family network through a kinship care arrangement, whenever possible and where this is in the best interests of the children
- Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes in line with the outcomes set out in the Children's Social Care National Framework
Child Protection is part of Safeguarding - it refers to activity undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm.
Key Legal Framework:
- Children in Need: Those unlikely to achieve or maintain a reasonable standard of health or development without services
- Child Protection: Part of Safeguarding - activity to protect specific children who are suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm
- Significant Harm: The threshold that justifies compulsory intervention in family life
- Multi-Agency Working: Shared responsibility across all sectors and professionals
- Early Help: Providing support as soon as problems emerge to prevent escalation
🎯 Key Principles of Working Together 2023
👥 Child-Centered Approach
Children and families at the heart of decision-making with their voices heard and needs prioritised. Understanding the child's lived experience.
🏠 Whole Family Focus
Working with the whole family to understand and respond to children's needs in their family context and wider community.
🤝 Partnership Working
Effective multi-agency partnerships sharing information, coordinating responses, and working together to safeguard children.
⚡ Early Help
Providing support as soon as problems emerge to prevent escalation and improve outcomes for children and families.
📊 Evidence-Based Practice
Using research, evidence, and professional judgment to inform decisions and interventions for children.
🎯 Proportionate Response
Ensuring responses are proportionate to the level of risk, need, and circumstances of each individual child and family.
🔍 Professional Curiosity
Maintaining an inquisitive approach, asking questions, and not accepting things at face value when concerns arise.
⚖️ Rights-Based Approach
Recognising children's rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and domestic legislation.
🤝A Shared Responsibility
Emphasises collaboration across agencies, parents, carers, and families, building trusting relationships and tailored support for families. Clear expectations for all involved.
⚠️ Types of Abuse and Neglect
Physical Abuse
Hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm. May include fabricated or induced illness (FII).
Emotional Abuse
Persistent emotional maltreatment causing severe adverse effects on emotional development. Includes conveying worthlessness, threats, intimidation.
Sexual Abuse
Forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities, including non-contact activities like viewing sexual images or grooming.
Neglect
Persistent failure to meet basic physical and/or psychological needs, including food, clothing, shelter, medical care, education, or emotional needs.
Disability-Specific Abuse
Abuse that targets children's vulnerabilities related to their disabilities, including withholding aids, medications, or appropriate care.
Domestic Abuse Impact
Children experiencing or witnessing domestic abuse are victims in their own right, suffering psychological and emotional harm.
Honour-Based Abuse
Abuse committed to protect or defend "honour" including forced marriage, female genital mutilation, and honour-based violence.
Child-on-Child Abuse
Harmful behaviour between children including bullying, sexual violence, harassment, and harmful sexual behaviour.
Online Abuse
Cyberbullying, online grooming, exposure to harmful content, sharing of indecent images, and exploitation through digital platforms.
🌐 Extra-Familial Harm & Contextual Safeguarding
Extra-familial abuse refers to harm that occurs to children outside their family system. Contextual Safeguarding recognises that children's experiences of abuse and neglect can occur in various contexts beyond the home:
🔥 Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE)
Including county lines drug trafficking, modern slavery, gang involvement, and exploitation for criminal activities.
💻 Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)
Including online grooming, trafficking for sexual purposes, commercial sexual exploitation, and harmful sexual behaviour.
⚔️ Serious Youth Violence
Knife crime, gang violence, serious violence involving children as victims or perpetrators, and weapon-related offenses.
🏳️🌪️ Radicalisation / Extremism
Influence by extremist ideologies or radical groups targeting children, potentially online or in person.
⚠️💔 Teenage Relationship Abuse (Coercive Control)
Any form of abuse occurring within intimate relationships among young people.
💊 Substance Abuse
Exploitation through drug and alcohol use, county lines involvement, and substance-related harm.
🌐 Online Exploitation
Digital grooming, sharing of indecent images, live-streaming abuse, sextortion, and exposure to harmful content.
💳💰 Financial Exploitation
Children manipulated into facilitating money laundering or financial crimes (either knowlingly and/or unknowingly.
🏫 School-Based Harm
Including bullying, harmful sexual behaviour, child-on-child abuse, and exposure to extremist ideologies.
🚶 Missing from Home/Care
Children who go missing are particularly vulnerable to exploitation, abuse, and harm from various sources.
🏢 Community-Based Abuse
Abuse occurring in community settings including sports clubs, youth groups, religious settings, and other community spaces.
🚗 Transport-Related Risks
Risks associated with children traveling independently, including exploitation during transit and grooming at transport hubs.
🚨 Warning Signs and Risk Indicators
Recognising Signs of Abuse and Neglect
Physical Indicators
- Unexplained injuries, bruises, or marks in various stages of healing
- Burns, bite marks, or unusual injuries inconsistent with explanation
- Poor hygiene, inappropriate clothing for weather conditions
- Constant hunger, tiredness, or appearing undernourished
- Frequent health problems or untreated medical issues
- Growth or developmental delays without medical explanation
- Evidence of substance misuse or inappropriate medication
Emotional Indicators
- Low self-esteem, lack of confidence, or feelings of worthlessness
- Fear of specific people, places, or situations
- Difficulty forming healthy relationships or trusting adults
- Anxiety, depression, or signs of trauma responses
- Excessive need for attention or approval from adults
- Emotional numbness or inability to express feelings
- Nightmares, sleep disturbances, or flashbacks
Sexual Indicators
- Difficulty walking, sitting, or unexplained pain in genital area
- Recurrent urinary tract infections or sexually transmitted infections
- Sudden avoidance of changing clothes or physical exams
- Inappropriate sexualised behaviour or knowledge for age
- Pregnancies or repeated emergency contraception requests
- Stained, torn, or bloody clothing/underwear
- Fear of being left alone with certain individual(s)
Neglect Indicators
- Consistently dirty, unkempt appearance or inappropriate clothing
- Lack of adequate supervision appropriate to age and development
- Frequent absence from school or educational neglect
- Untreated medical or dental problems
- Inadequate housing conditions or homelessness
- Lack of appropriate boundaries or routine
- Child taking on inappropriate adult responsibilities
- Failure to thrive emotionally or developmentally
Online Safety Concerns
- Secretive behaviour around internet or device use
- Receiving gifts or money from unknown online contacts
- Spending excessive time online, especially at night
- Becoming withdrawn after internet use
- Evidence of inappropriate online relationships
- Exposure to harmful or age-inappropriate content
- Being asked to keep online relationships secret
Extra-Familial Risk Signs
- Unexplained money, gifts, clothing, or new possessions
- Going missing frequently or staying out overnight
- Associating with unknown adults or older children
- Carrying weapons, drugs, or large amounts of money
- Evidence of online grooming or inappropriate relationships
- Involvement in criminal activities or gang associations
- Multiple mobile phones or secretive communication
Financial Exploitation Indicators
- Unexplained loss of money, possessions, or bank card use
- Child coerced into stealing, begging, or financial crimes
- Sudden expensive items or gifts inconsistent with family income
- Reluctance to discuss finances or who controls their money
- Evidence of debt or owing money to peers/adults
- Online scams, gambling, or exploitation through digital platforms
- Family pressured to sign over benefits or entitlements
Cultural / Identity-Based Abuse Indicators
- Forced marriage concerns (sudden engagement, restrictions on freedom)
- Honour-based abuse (fear of shame, secrecy, or family/community threats)
- Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) risk or signs (travel abroad, disclosure)
- Suppression or punishment linked to sexual orientation or gender identity
- Isolation from community, peers, or services due to cultural control
- Pressure to abandon personal beliefs, dress, or identity expression
- Punitive restrictions on language, religion, or cultural expression
Behavioural Changes
- Withdrawal from friends, family, or usual activities
- Significant changes in school performance or attendance
- Lack of attachment to parent, carer, or excessive compliance
- Destructive, aggressive, or inappropriate sexual behaviour
- Self-harm, suicidal thoughts, or risk-taking behaviours
- Regression to earlier behaviours (bedwetting, thumb-sucking)
- Age-inappropriate sexual knowledge or behaviour
📋 Professional Response Framework
Comprehensive 8-Step Response Process
Recognise & Assess Safety
Notice warning signs, use professional curiosity, and assess immediate safety. If child is in immediate danger, call 999. Consider safety of all children in the household.
Respond Appropriately
Create safe space for disclosure. Listen without leading questions. Reassure child it's not their fault. Don't promise absolute confidentiality. Avoid multiple interviews.
Record Accurately
Document concerns promptly using child's own words where possible. Include dates, times, observations, and actions taken. Maintain confidentiality and secure storage.
Report to Designated Lead
Share concerns with Designated Safeguarding Lead immediately. Follow organisational Safeguarding procedures and escalation protocols. Don't investigate alone.
Refer to Statutory Services
Make formal referrals to local authority children's services using proper channels. Include all relevant information and follow up if no response within timescales.
Risk Assessment & Planning
Contribute to multi-agency risk assessments. Develop safety plans. Consider needs of all children affected. Assess extra-familial risks and contextual factors.
Review & Monitor
Maintain ongoing professional curiosity. Monitor child's wellbeing and safety. Follow up on referrals and participate in multi-agency meetings as required.
Reflect & Learn
Seek supervision and support. Reflect on practice and decision-making. Learn from outcomes to improve future Safeguarding responses. Attend relevant training.
👥 Multi-Agency Safeguarding Responsibilities
Working Together 2023 creates responsibilities across all sectors. Everyone has a role to play in Safeguarding children based on our roles, responsibilities and remits:
⚖️ Legal Framework & Statutory Duties
Key Legal Protections Under Working Together 2023:
- Section 11 Duties (Children Act 2004): All organisations working with children (e.g., health, police, education) must have arrangements to safeguard and promote children’s welfare.
- Section 175/157 Duties (Education Act 2002): Schools, colleges, and education providers have a specific duty to protect children and ensure Safeguarding is embedded in policy and practice.
- Child Protection Conferences: Multi-agency meetings held when there are concerns a child is at risk of significant harm, used to agree protection plans.
- Emergency Protection Orders (Children Act 1989): Court orders granting immediate, short-term protection if a child is at immediate risk of harm.
- Care Orders (Children Act 1989): Court orders placing a child under the care of the local authority, giving them parental responsibility where long-term Safeguarding is required.
- Information Sharing (Data Protection & GDPR exemptions): Legal gateway allows professionals to share information without consent when it is necessary to safeguard a child.
- Local Safeguarding Partnerships: Statutory requirement for local authority, police, and health to work together as equal partners to oversee Safeguarding arrangements.
- Serious Case Reviews (now Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews): Independent reviews held when a child dies or suffers serious harm, aiming to learn lessons and improve future practice.
- Early Help Assessments: Coordinated, multi-agency assessment offering support at the earliest stage to prevent issues from escalating.
- Child and Family Assessments: Statutory assessments (by children’s social care) to determine whether a child is “in need” or at risk of significant harm.
📞 Essential Contacts & Support Services
24/7 Support Services for Children
Local Authority Children's Services
Your first point of contact for Safeguarding concerns during working hours
Contact: Your local Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)
Emergency Out of Hours: Contact your local authority emergency duty team
NSPCC Helpline
Free, confidential advice and support 24/7 for adults concerned about a child
Phone: 0808 800 5000
Email: help@nspcc.org.uk
Website: www.nspcc.org.uk
Childline
Free, confidential 24/7 service for children and young people
Phone: 0800 1111
Website: www.childline.org.uk
Online Chat: Available on website
CEOP (Child Exploitation & Online Protection)
Report online child abuse, grooming, and sexual exploitation
Website: www.ceop.police.uk
Report: Use online reporting tool
ThinkUKnow: Online safety education resources
Modern Slavery Helpline
For concerns about child trafficking, exploitation, and modern slavery
Phone: 08000 121 700
Website: www.modernslaveryhelpline.org
Text: 07537 404 755
Missing People
Support for missing children and their families
Phone: 116 000 (free 24/7)
Text: 116 000
Website: www.missingpeople.org.uk
The Children's Society
Support for vulnerable children including those at risk of exploitation
Phone: 0300 303 7000
Website: www.childrenssociety.org.uk
Barnardo's
Services for vulnerable children and young people
Phone: 020 8550 8822
Website: www.barnardos.org.uk
Services: Local support services across UK
Internet Watch Foundation
Report online child sexual abuse images and videos
Website: www.iwf.org.uk
Report: Anonymous online reporting
Emergency - Immediate Danger
Police, Fire, Ambulance
Silent Solution: Call 999, press 55 when prompted if you cannot speak
Text: Text 'HELP' to 61016 for non-emergency assistance when travelling on public transport. This service is provided by British Transport Police
