Reflective practice

Reflective practice in safeguarding is about taking time to think honestly about what went well, what could’ve gone better, and what you’ve learned from situations, so that you can keep improving how you protect and support people, especially those who are vulnerable, in your faith or community setting. 

It’s also one of the most important ways an organisation can ensure its safeguarding policy and practices are fit for purpose is by adopting a habit of reflection and review. This is sometimes called reflective practice.

Reflective practice should be documented, but it doesn't need to be a lengthy exercise – just a brief record to show you have engaged with this important process.

Trustees have an important role to play in doing this, working with and asking questions of their safeguarding and leadership teams to ensure the organisation is not just being compliant but also taking seriously the value and importance of creating safer places.

Reflection and review should happen regularly. Ways to make it part of your organisation’s culture include:

• Reflecting on how safeguarding concerns are handled to learn lessons and improve practice – particularly in relation to keeping the victim-survivor at the centre throughout. 
• Annually reviewing your safeguarding policy and regularly reviewing other related policies, such as complaints, whistleblowing, online safety etc.
• Encouraging teams and individual workers to reflect on their safeguarding processes and practice in team meetings and supervision sessions.
• Reflect on national safeguarding cases to identify any learning to take away
• Review policies considering changes in legislation, guidance and practice 

Safeguarding is an ever-evolving field, and we are continually learning. This means that regular review and reflection are essential for building and maintaining a healthy safeguarding culture.