Safeguarding incident: what to do

If a child or adult is in immediate danger, call 999 now. Otherwise, make sure the person is safe, record exactly what was said or seen without leading them, and pass it to your designated safeguarding lead the same day. Do not investigate it yourself. This playbook sets out the steps, your reporting duties, and who must be told, for a UK charity working with children or adults at risk.

Safeguarding is one of the most serious responsibilities a charity holds, and getting the first response right protects the person at risk and any later investigation. If your charity works with children or adults at risk, you should already have a safeguarding policy and a named designated safeguarding lead. This page supports that; it does not replace competent safeguarding advice or your local safeguarding arrangements.

Allegations that an adult working with children has, or may have, harmed a child or poses a risk should be referred to the Local Authority Designated Officer within one working day (Source: local authority safeguarding guidance, England, accessed 10 July 2026).

Before you do anything: safety first, then record

Your first priority is the immediate safety of the person at risk. If a child or adult is in immediate danger or needs urgent medical help, call 999. If not, make sure they are safe and not left with anyone who may pose a risk. Then, as soon as you can, write down exactly what you were told or saw, in the person’s own words, without adding your interpretation.

Do not question the person beyond letting them tell you what they want to, do not promise confidentiality, and do not tell the alleged abuser. Recognise, record, refer — that is your role, not investigation.

The first 24 hours

In the first day, secure the person’s safety, record the concern accurately, and refer it to the right people through your designated safeguarding lead. This is when the concern reaches the local authority and, where a crime or immediate risk is involved, the police. Preserve any evidence and keep what you know confidential to those who need it.

Ensure safety. Make sure the person at risk is safe and, where relevant, not left in contact with the alleged perpetrator. Call 999 if anyone is in immediate danger.
Record it accurately. Write down what was said or seen, in the person’s words, with the date, time and any names — factually, without opinion or leading detail. Sign and date it.
Tell your designated safeguarding lead the same day. They coordinate the response. If the lead is the subject of the concern, go to the chair or another trustee.
Refer to the local authority. Concerns about a child go to children’s social care; concerns about an adult at risk go to adult social care. They decide on investigation.
Contact the police if needed. If a crime may have been committed, call 101, or 999 in an emergency. Do not investigate the alleged crime yourself.
Handle staff or volunteer allegations carefully. If the concern is about someone who works with children, your lead contacts the LADO within one working day.

The first week

In the first week, complete the formal reports, support the people involved, and follow the guidance of the statutory services. This is when you make your Charity Commission serious incident report, consider whether a DBS referral duty applies, manage any staffing issue fairly, and look after the wellbeing of everyone affected. Keep everything confidential and documented.

Report to the Charity Commission. Serious safeguarding incidents are reportable as a serious incident. Report promptly (OSCR in Scotland, CCNI in Northern Ireland).
Follow the statutory services’ lead. Children’s or adult social care and the police direct any investigation. Cooperate and do not cut across them.
Manage any staffing matter fairly. If a worker or volunteer is implicated, take employment advice; suspension is a neutral, precautionary act, not a judgement.
Consider the DBS referral duty. If you later remove someone from regulated activity because they caused harm or pose a risk, you have a legal duty to refer them to the DBS.
Support those affected. Make sure the person at risk, the person who raised the concern, and others involved have appropriate support.
Record and review. Keep a full, confidential record and, once matters are resolved, review what happened and what to change.

Your reporting duties, precisely

A safeguarding incident can involve several duties at once: to the local authority, the police, the Charity Commission and, in some cases, the DBS. They run in parallel and are coordinated by your designated safeguarding lead. Check each against your situation, and always follow the direction of the statutory safeguarding services.

The local authority (children’s or adult social care)

Refer concerns about a child to the local authority’s children’s social care, and concerns about an adult at risk to adult social care. They are the statutory bodies responsible for safeguarding and will decide whether to investigate and what protective action to take. Your role is to refer promptly and cooperate, not to investigate. Contact details are on your local authority’s website; keep them in your policy.

The police

If a crime may have been committed, or someone is in immediate danger, involve the police — 999 in an emergency, 101 otherwise. Do not investigate a possible crime yourself, as this can compromise a police investigation and the safety of those involved. The police and social care will coordinate where both are involved.

The LADO (allegations against people working with children)

Where the concern is an allegation that an adult who works or volunteers with children has harmed, may have harmed, or poses a risk to a child — or is otherwise unsuitable to work with children — contact the Local Authority Designated Officer within one working day, before carrying out your own investigation. The LADO oversees how such allegations are handled. Equivalent arrangements exist across the UK; check your local process.

The Charity Commission (serious incident)

Serious safeguarding incidents are reportable to the Charity Commission as a serious incident, separate from reports to social care or the police. This includes actual or alleged abuse or harm, a failure to carry out proper checks, or removing someone because they pose a risk. Report promptly; the duty rests with the trustees. In Scotland report to OSCR; in Northern Ireland to CCNI.

The DBS (legal duty to refer)

If you remove a person from regulated activity with children or adults — through dismissal, redeployment, redundancy, retirement or resignation — because they engaged in conduct that harmed someone or because they satisfy the harm test, you have a legal duty to refer them to the DBS. Investigate and reach a conclusion first, so you have the evidence, then refer. If you are unsure whether the duty applies, take advice.

Who to call

Keep this to hand, alongside your local safeguarding contacts. In an emergency the priority is safety and the police or ambulance; otherwise your designated safeguarding lead coordinates every other contact below.

999 — if a child or adult is in immediate danger or needs urgent medical help.
Your designated safeguarding lead — the same day; they coordinate the response.
Local authority children’s social care / adult social care — to refer the concern (numbers on your council’s website).
The police — 101 for a non-emergency, 999 in an emergency.
The LADO — within one working day, for allegations against someone working with children.
The Charity Commission — serious incident report (OSCR / CCNI equivalents).
The DBS — where the legal duty to refer applies.
The NSPCC helpline (children) or your local safeguarding adults board — for advice if you are unsure.

Reducing the risk of it happening again

After a safeguarding incident, review your safeguarding arrangements and strengthen them — but never treat safeguarding as a box-ticking exercise. Most gaps come down to a missing policy, checks not done, unclear reporting routes, or people who were never trained to recognise a concern. Fixing these protects the people you work with. Record the review and report it to your trustees, who hold ultimate responsibility for safeguarding.

Practical steps that help: keep your safeguarding policy current and known to everyone; have a named, trained designated safeguarding lead; carry out the right DBS checks for each role; train staff and volunteers to recognise and report concerns; make reporting routes simple and clear; and review safeguarding as a standing item at trustee meetings. Follow the Charity Commission’s safeguarding guidance and your local safeguarding partnership.

Safeguarding decisions must always be made by competent people, not software — CharityIQ can help you keep your policy current and your records in order, but the response above belongs to your trained safeguarding lead and trustees.