Safeguarding Concern

What is a safeguarding concern?

A safeguarding concern refers to any suspicion or worry regarding the safety or well-being of an individual, especially a vulnerable person, such as a child, elderly person, or someone with disabilities.

A concern typically involves the belief or observation that the person may be experiencing abuse, neglect, exploitation, or harm in some way – these can fall under physical, sexual, emotional, financial or neglect. Safeguarding concerns can arise in a number of settings.

These concerns can be raised by anyone who has information or observations that suggest a person's safety or welfare is at risk.

What to do about it?

If you suspect a safeguarding concern, there are a number of different signs that can give away the fact that someone is being abused or is at risk of it.

Here's a list of a few noticeable signs that someone may be at risk:

• Poor hygiene/messy appearance
• Bruising, scratches, cuts or burns in non-accidental injury sites
• Extreme shyness or anxiety
• Aggression
• Sudden, unexplainable changes in attitude or behaviour
• Overtly sexual behaviour
• Having knowledge of inappropriate topics
• Depression and withdrawal

If you have a safeguarding concern and believe that someone is at risk of harm or in need of protection, it's important to take appropriate steps to raise that concern. You can do this by any of the following means:

• contact the District Safeguarding Officer ( 07840 186814 / safeguarding@sdmc.org.uk )
• contact the Circuit Compliance Officer ( 07885 842231 / safeguarding@bhbcircuit.org.uk )
• fill in our safeguarding concern form and email it to safeguarding@bhbcircuit.org.uk