Signs and indicators

Knowing the possible signs and indicators of harm and abuse can help your workers recognise concerns and help your organisation keep people safe. 

All workers in your organisation should receive safeguarding training to help them spot the signs and indicators of abuse, and to know how to respond. 

Different types of harm and abuse will have particular indicators, and harm impacts individual people in different ways, but there are some common indicators that it is helpful to recognise: 

Changes:

Changes are one of the most important indicators of abuse and neglect.  

This could be a change in behaviour: a person becomes more withdrawn, nervous, or watchful. They may display some of the behaviours they have experienced – you might notice a person has recently become more aggressive, angry or threatening. They might display sexualised behaviour and language that is not typical for them or is surprising for their age or stage if they are a child.  

Changes in appearance are also significant. This could be a lower level of personal care than they had before, clothes that are dirty or don’t fit well, or a person looking exhausted. It is also helpful to recognise if someone suddenly has a lot more expensive items or clothes than they used to, particularly for a child, as this could be an indicator of exploitation or grooming.  

Relationships:

Abuse affects relationships. Pay attention if someone seems fearful of a particular person, they are becoming overly reliant on a new relationship above all others, or a new partner is isolating someone from family and friends. Relationships of all kinds can be affected by abuse as it can affect a person’s ability to trust others, or their feelings about themselves. If something doesn’t feel right, pass on your concern.

Physical signs:

Sometimes we can see physical signs of abuse - injuries, cuts, burns, bruises, someone finding it difficult to sit or stand. Of course, accidental injuries happen as part of normal life, but if you’re worried, pass on your concern. Particular attention should be paid to injuries to babies who can’t yet crawl or walk, or other people who aren’t mobile, injuries to soft and hidden parts of the body, explanations that are inconsistent with what we see, and injuries that should have medical attention but the person hasn’t gone or been taken to have it checked. Remember, injuries appear differently on different skin tones. Workers should equip themselves to recognise injuries on all those with whom they work so everyone can be kept safe.

Comments:

You might get an indication that a someone isn’t safe because of a comment they make. Children and adults at risk do not always realise that what they are experiencing is abuse and neglect. Pay attention to comments that make you wonder, as well as clear disclosures of abuse. This could be the way someone talks about themselves or another person, words they use, responses to situations etc.

Absence:

If you usually see a baby, child or adult at risk regularly and this stops, or there are periods of absence and then a return, this could be an indicator that all is not well. Many children who are experiencing physical abuse are kept off school and away from clubs and faith groups while injuries heal. Teenagers who are being exploited often go missing for periods of time. An adult at risk may be kept away from community groups if a family member or carer is abusing them. This is complex, and many of our organisations don’t have set patterns for attendance but pay attention to your instincts and pass on concerns.  

Interactions:

You might see, hear or otherwise notice interactions that cause you concern. It could be the way parents or carers interact with a child, the words or actions children use in play, or the way another worker seems to treat one child or adult at risk differently from others in the group. 

Things to consider

A sign or indicator on its own will not necessarily mean that abuse is taking place, so knowing who to report concerns to is important so that appropriate action can be taken. 

Early experiences of abuse can impact all aspects of a child’s life, including behaviour and the way they interact with others.  Children, young people and adults living with non-recent or current abuse may show changes in their behaviour which can be challenging. It is important that we respond with caring curiosity and engage in ways that feel safe and build trust.

Injuries caused by accidents such as trips and falls are not uncommon, especially in children, but these usually occur on bony or prominent areas such as knees, shins and elbows. Abusive injuries tend to involve softer areas that are harder to damage accidentally e.g. upper arms, forearms, chest, back, abdomen and thighs. Some level of emotional abuse is present in all types of abuse or neglect, but it can also occur on its own and needs to be recognised and responded to.