There are four main catagories of harm that we are required to safeguard against:

• Physical harm

• Emotional harm

• Sexual harm

• Neglect

Within these categories, we need to have an awareness of:

• Child on child abuse
• Serious violence
• Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
• Potential for radicalisation
• Online safety
• Mental Health

More specific concerns to watch out for include:

• Abuse or inappropriate relationships
• Grooming (in person, online, by phone, etc)
• Inappropriate supervision (by parents or staff, e.g. too much, too little)
• Bullying, cyber-bullying
• Self-harm, risky behaviour
• Unsafe activities and environments
• Accidents e.g. road, home
• Crime
• Fear of crime

More specific risk factors to watch out for include:

• Exploitation including financial, sexual exploitation
• Immigration issues
• Unsafe environments e.g. parks, sports grounds
• Homelessness and unsuitable housing
• Victimisation due to race, sexuality, faith, gender, disability and so on
• Alcohol and drug misuse
• Mental health problems

In fact… a safeguarding concern can be:

• Anything which causes us to be concerned that a child or young person (or anyone else) may be at risk of serious harm.
• But – not everything will be referred on – only what needs to be.