A guide to school safeguarding processes

Schools should be a safe place for young people, providing an environment that makes them feel safe, supported and comfortable. In this blog, we take you through staff's responsibilities to safeguarding, including the training that should be taken, concerns to be aware of and how to properly report and manage concerns.  

What are staff’s responsibilities in safeguarding? 

All staff should follow the school's safeguarding policies and procedures, and the statutory guidance provided by each nation of the UK. 

• England 

• Scotland 

• Wales 

• Northern Ireland 

Staff must ensure that they understand these so that any instances of abuse can be reported and responded to appropriately.  

However, staff's responsibilities go beyond simply following the safeguarding process. They also have a responsibility to their students on a more holistic level – creating a relationship and an environment where students feel comfortable coming to them with concerns, and where they can spot when something is out of character for that student. Any concerns must be reported following the school’s policies and procedures. This helps the Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) see and respond to a bigger picture where required. 

What safeguarding training do staff need? 

Safeguarding training is a legal requirement for all staff as mandated by Department for Education's Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) guidance. This includes induction training and ongoing annual updates as a minimum.  

Staff should receive general introductory training; however, they (or their school) may wish to undertake further, more specific training in subjects such as: 

• Online safety 

• Mental health and wellbeing 

• Harmful sexual behaviours 

• Child-on-child abuse 

• Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) 

Common safeguarding concerns to be aware of 

School staff need to be aware of a range of safeguarding concerns if they are to monitor and pick up on them. These include: 

• Physical abuse 

• Sexual abuse 

• Neglect 

• Emotional abuse Domestic abuse   

• So called Honour- based abuse 

• Mental health concerns 

• Child exploitation 

•  Extra-familial harms 

• Radicalisation 

• Bullying  

• Child on child abuse 

• Online risks  

This list is not exhaustive but features some of the more common concerns.  

Safeguarding reporting best practice – recording and managing concerns 

The way that schools report and manage safeguarding concerns can help to build a picture and identify abuse. However, a whole school approach is needed to maximise its effectiveness. Often, it is the accumulation of several incidents or observations (from multiple people) that provide evidence of risks or concerns; therefore, it is important that staff fully understand their school’s safeguarding process with regards to reporting.  

As such, all staff must:  

• Be alert 

• Be professionally curious 

• Be able to recognise signs of abuse and pick up on patterns of behaviour 

• Report signs of abuse and unusual behaviours 

• Record all relevant information  

• Respond to the needs of the child 

It is recommended that schools use a purpose-build system for recording and managing safeguarding concerns.  When implemented properly, it can support and strengthen your efforts to create a safe school environment. Such software is crafted to complement existing safeguarding policies in schools but also help to streamline safeguarding processes. 

When using such systems, staff should: 

• Report all concerns, no matter how small or minor it may seem – this may provide additional evidence or context 

• Use clear, straightforward and concise language 

• Use the words that the child used when they were disclosing the information 

• Differentiate between facts and opinion 

• Consider contextual safeguarding - record the location of concern 

• Provide enough information so that decisions can be actioned 

Managing allegations against staff 

Adopting an open and transparent approach to reporting and recording allegations against staff in schools is crucial to help maintain a robust safeguarding culture where the safety and wellbeing of students is paramount. 

This is one of the most challenging and sensitive safeguarding issues for school staff, but even low-level concerns should be reported in order to maintain a safe environment for young people.  

Handling concerns appropriately and proportionately will strengthen the confidence of staff and volunteers in the establishment. In contrast, handling concerns disproportionately or inappropriately will decrease rather than increase reporting.   

Where a staff member feels unable to raise an issue with their employer or feels that their genuine concerns are not being addressed, other whistleblowing channels are open such as the NSPCC Whistleblowing Advice Line. 

Introducing Tes MyConcern 

Tes MyConcern is a secure safeguarding software that combines all the essential safeguarding tools you need in one easy-to-use platform. It simplifies record-keeping and case management for student concerns and staff allegations and supports anonymous reporting, giving you a clear and complete picture of student safety in your school or trust. 

Download our free guide today to learn more about MyConcern and how it could help your school. 

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