5 Safeguarding Mistakes You Don't Want to Make

 

Hello Shielded Space,

Let us talk about common mistakes made in Safeguarding. Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. However, even the best-intentioned people can make mistakes. Here are the five most common safeguarding mistakes people make and how to avoid them:

Not believing children and young people: This is one of the most common safeguarding mistakes. Children and young people are often afraid to speak up about abuse because they do not believe they will be believed. It is important to listen to children and young people carefully, and to take their concerns seriously.

Minimizing or dismissing concerns: This can happen because people don't want to believe that abuse is happening, or because they don't know what to do about it. It is important to remember that even if a concern seems small, it is important to investigate it.

Not reporting concerns: If you have a safeguarding concern, it is important to report it to the appropriate authorities. This could be the police, social services, or your employer. It is important to remember that you are not breaking confidentiality by reporting a concern. You are protecting a child, young person or vulnerable person from harm.

Not following up on concerns: Once you have reported a concern, it is important to follow up to make sure that the matter is being investigated. It is also important to keep the child or young person informed about the progress of the investigation.

Not learning from mistakes: Everyone makes mistakes. The important thing is to learn from them and to do better next time. If you have made a safeguarding mistake, it is important to reflect on what happened and to put in place measures to prevent it from happening again.

By avoiding these common safeguarding mistakes, you can help keep children, young people and vulnerable persons safe. What other mistakes do you think people make?