Where to Report and Refer
It is everyone’s responsibility to report any safeguarding concerns or disclosures to the right people so that the right action can be taken. All concerns or suspicions, however small they seem, should be reported confidentially in line with your organisation's safeguarding policy.
Safeguarding Leads should report any concerns at an early stage to the police or other relevant safeguarding professionals to get advice. Below is a guide to who to contact depending on the issue and where you are in the UK.
- Police and Emergency services
- Referrals relating to adults
- Referrals relating to children
- Refer to a charity regulator
- Referrals relating to adults working with children
- Referrals relating to education
- Referrals relating to education settings
- Referrals relating to mental health
- Referrals relating to employment and work
- Referrals relating to probation
- Referrals relating to DBS/PVG/AccessNI
In an emergency, especially if someone is in immediate danger of harm, you should always call 999 straight away and ask for the police.
Refer to Police and Emergency Services
The Police recognise risk, respond to concerns, and work collaboratively with safeguarding partners to protect children and adults from harm, abuse, and exploitation.
They can be contacted in an emergency on 999 or for less urgent situations 101.
You should contact the emergency services when there is a genuine, immediate threat to life, health, safety, or property, and urgent professional help is needed.
Across UK guidance, this includes situations where delay could make the outcome significantly worse.
Contact all emergency services on 999.
Referrals Relating to Adults
Adult social care provides support and services to help adults live independently and improve their quality of life, particularly for those with disabilities, illnesses, or age-related challenges.
- In England you refer to Adult Services
- In Wales you refer to the Regional Safeguarding Board
- In Scotland you refer to the Local Council
- In Northern Ireland you refer to Local Health and Social Care Trusts (HSCT)
Referrals Relating to Children
Child social services are responsible for supporting families and protecting vulnerable children from harm, ensuring their welfare and development.
- In England you refer to Children Services
- In Wales you refer to the Local Authority Children’s Services
- In Scotland you refer to the Named Person or Child Protection Team
- In Northern Ireland you refer to the Gateway Team
Northern Ireland
England
The Charity Commission is the charity regulator in England and Wales, responsible for maintaining the public register of charities and ensuring they adhere to charity law.
Go to Charity CommissionScotland
The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) is the independent regulator for over 25,000 charities in Scotland, ensuring compliance with charity law and fostering public confidence in the charity sector.
Go to OSCRWales
The Charity Commission is the charity regulator in England and Wales, responsible for maintaining the public register of charities and ensuring they adhere to charity law.
Go to Charity CommissionNorthern Ireland
The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (CCNI) is the independent regulator responsible for overseeing charities in Northern Ireland, ensuring they operate in compliance with the law and serve the public benefit.
Go to CCNIReferrals Relating to Adults Working With Children
The local authority designated officer (LADO) is responsible for managing allegations against adults who work with children. This involves working with police, children's social care. employers and other involved professionals. The LADO does not conduct investigations directly, but rather oversees and directs them to ensure thoroughness, timeliness and fairness. The LADO is only available in England, there are similar roles in other areas of the UK.
- In England you refer to Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)
- In Wales you refer to the LADO - Local Safeguarding Board or social services will have a practitioner responsible. They may be called Allegations Management Co-ordinators or Designated Officer for Safeguarding
- In Scotland you refer to the Local Council’s Child or Adult Protection Team
- In Northern Ireland you refer to the Health and Social Care Trusts (HSCT)
Referrals Relating to Education
Schools and colleges have a key role in a child’s, and their families, lives. They see the child regularly and can have constant interactions with their parents or guardians. They are able to respond to safeguarding concerns or support the child or their family throughout these. Alongside this, they work collaboratively with other agencies.
You should ask to speak to the Safeguarding Lead or the Pastoral / Wellbeing Lead.
Referrals Relating to Education Settings
A concern should be referred to a government inspectorate when it relates to the safety, welfare, or quality of care/education in a setting that they regulate, and when the issue is serious, persistent, or not being addressed through the setting’s own complaints or safeguarding processes. The inspectorate will become involved when there are indications that a child is being harmed or is at risk of harm within a regulated service.
- In England you refer to Ofsted
- In Wales you refer to Estyn
- In Scotland you refer to Education Scotland and the Care Inspectorate
- In Northern Ireland you refer to Education and Training Inspectorate
Northern Ireland
Education and Training Inspectorate - Empowering Improvement
Go to Education and Training InspectorateReferrals Relating to Mental Health
A GP or mental health team can support someone in a crisis.
CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) is the specialist NHS service that assesses, supports, and treats children and young people experiencing mental health difficulties. It plays a central role in early identification, intervention, and ongoing care for a wide range of emotional, behavioural, and psychological needs.
Referrals Relating to Employment & Work
Human Resources (HR) can be contacted when something affects a person’s employment, wellbeing, rights, or ability to work safely and fairly. Across workplace guidance, HR is described as the department that supports employees with concerns, ensures legal compliance, and helps resolve issues that can’t be handled informally.
Referrals Relating to Probation
The probation service is a statutory criminal justice agency responsible for supervising people serving community sentences or released from prison on license. Because of this role, they need to be informed whenever risk, compliance, or safeguarding issues arise around an individual they supervise. Contacting the probation service is appropriate when an issue involves someone under community supervision, a court ordered requirement, or public protection concerns.
- In England and Wales you refer to the Probation Service
- In Scotland you refer to the Social Justice Work Team
- In Northern Ireland you refer to the Probations Board
England
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) should be contacted when a situation involves safeguarding risks, barring referrals, or criminal record checks that fall within DBS’s legal remit. A barring referral must be made when an employer or organisation believes a person has:
- harmed a child or vulnerable adult,
- possibly harmed them,
- put them at risk of harm, or
- Behaved in a way that indicates they may pose a future risk.
This is a legal duty for regulated activity providers and personnel suppliers. The DBS explains that certain groups have a statutory duty to refer individuals who may pose a risk to vulnerable groups
Making referrals to DBSScotland
The Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG) should be contacted when an organisation in Scotland needs to report harmful behaviour by someone doing regulated work with children or protected adults, or when it needs to request or update PVG membership for safe recruitment. The key point is that Disclosure Scotland (which runs the PVG Scheme) becomes involved when there is a safeguarding concern about a person, not when there is a concern about a child or adult (which goes to social work or police).
Making referrals to PVGWales
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) should be contacted when a situation involves safeguarding risks, barring referrals, or criminal record checks that fall within DBS’s legal remit. A barring referral must be made when an employer or organisation believes a person has:
- harmed a child or vulnerable adult,
- possibly harmed them,
- put them at risk of harm, or
- Behaved in a way that indicates they may pose a future risk.
This is a legal duty for regulated activity providers and personnel suppliers. The DBS explains that certain groups have a statutory duty to refer individuals who may pose a risk to vulnerable groups
Making referrals to DBSNorthern Ireland
Access NI should be contacted when an organisation or individual in Northern Ireland needs criminal history information for safer recruitment, or when there is a need to verify someone’s suitability to work with children or vulnerable adults.
Making referrals to AccessNI
