Introduction to specific safeguarding concerns

This section gives information and guidance about different types of abuse, harm and exploitation.

‘Keeping Children Safe in Education (opens new window)’ states all staff should:

• Know what to do if a child tells them they are being abused, exploited, or neglected.
• Be aware that children may not feel ready or know how to tell someone that they are being abused, exploited, or neglected, and/or they may not recognise their experiences as harmful.
• Be aware of indicators of abuse and neglect, understanding that children can be at risk of harm inside and outside of the school/college, inside and outside of home and online.
• Be aware that abuse, neglect and safeguarding issues are rarely standalone events and cannot be covered by one definition or one label alone. In most cases, multiple issues will overlap with one another.

Contextual safeguarding

Contextual safeguarding, which has been developed by Dr. Carlene Firmin at the University of Bedfordshire's Contextual Safeguarding Network (opens new window), recognises that as young people grow and develop they are influenced by a whole range of environments and people outside of their family, for example in school or college, in the local community, in their peer groups or online.

Children and young people may encounter risk in any of these environments. Sometimes the different contexts are inter-related and can mean that children and young people may encounter multiple risks.

Contextual safeguarding looks at how we can best understand these risks, engage with children and young people and help to keep them safe.