Reporting safeguarding concerns - your responsibilities as school staff

Schools should be a safe place for children; a place where they feel comfortable, supported and where they know they can get help from a trusted adult if necessary. With that in mind, in this blog, we take you through the responsibilities of school staff in regard to safeguarding and reporting safeguarding concerns.  

Overview of school safeguarding responsibilities 

School staff have a responsibility to safeguarding which, ultimately, includes identifying potential risks, responding to information provided by students, and following the school’s procedures around reporting concerns. Find more information about each of these key areas of responsibility below. 

Identify concerns 

School staff must be vigilant when it comes to observing and recognising safeguarding risks. Whilst it’s impossible to know the ins and outs of every student’s life, it’s important to pick up on anything out of the ordinary or out of character. It’s equally important to notice signs of physical abuse, such as bruises, scratches, unclean or unsuitable clothing, malnutrition or signs of extreme tiredness. 

Respond to concerns 

Staff need to know how to respond to students disclosing sensitive information to them. They don’t necessarily need to take any action from such conversations (other than reporting); however, they do need to listen to the student and reassure them.  

One of the key roles of school staff is to offer a safe and comfortable environment; this is especially important when a student trusts a member of staff enough to disclose sensitive information. Let the student know that they have done the right thing by telling you and that you will support them through it.  

Key things to remember here: 

• Listen 

• Reassure 

• Report but don’t investigate – leave that to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) 

Report a safeguarding concern 

Where there are concerns for the wellbeing of a student, school staff must follow school procedures and report to the DSL as soon as possible. The key considerations when reporting concerns include: 

• Document your concerns clearly 

• Include the date, time and what you observed 

• Include what the child said or did if relevant 

• Include any context you may have 

How to report safeguarding concerns 

The way that schools record and store safeguarding data can help to build a picture and identify abuse and neglect. A whole school approach is needed to promote the welfare and safeguarding of children, as all staff have an essential role to play in identifying possible indicators of harm at an early stage.  

Each school will have their own policies and procedures around reporting safeguarding concerns, however, processes will usually look something like this: 

• When staff observe a safeguarding concern, or are told of one, this should be reported as soon as possible. This may be: 

• To the DSL 

• Via a digital process 

• Via specialist software such as Tes MyConcern 

• It’s usually the accumulation of several incidents or observations that provide evidence of risks, so it’s vital that any concerns staff have for a student however small, are formally recorded. 

• The DSL will then review and escalate the report as appropriate 

• They will review the report and any evidence 

• They will review any previous risks or concerns logged to check for patterns 

• They will refer cases to the appropriate social care teams if required, in line with school and local government policies 

• They will provide support for students  

What to record 

When logging safeguarding concerns, there are a few key pieces of information to include: 

• Name of the student 

• Involvement type (e.g. victim, perpetrator) 

• Summary of the concern 

• Time and date of the occurrence 

• Origin of the concern 

• Details of the concern – provide clear details of what was seen/heard/disclosed etc. 

• Location of where the concern took place 

• Add a note if the concern is urgent 

• Any actions you took or intend to take 

• Add any attachments (e.g. a written summary from the student) 

It's essential that all staff understand how to record their concerns and that those responsible for case management have all the right tools at their fingertips. Learn more about effective recording and case management of safeguarding concerns in our free guide. 

Ongoing safeguarding training 

Another aspect of school staff’s responsibility to safeguarding is ongoing safeguarding training. 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) 

Introducing Tes MyConcern for effective safeguarding reporting 

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.