CPD · Social work and social care

Documenting a safeguarding concern

Writing a clear, factual note when a person may be at risk. Process only: no legal advice.

about this course

What you will be able to do

L4 PractitionerAbout 3 hours (180 minutes) of CPDSelf-study plus role-playSocial work and social care

Writing a clear, factual note when a person may be at risk. Process only: no legal advice.

Document a concern, given a scenario, with exact words used, date, time and witness, and no opinion.
Select the correct reporting route, given your organisation's policy, choosing the right person within the required time.
Protect confidentiality, given a note with extra detail, by sharing only what the route needs.
Reflect on one record, given a sample, naming two things to improve.

Task, condition and standard

Task

Decide whether a situation is a concern, write a fact-only report with exact words, choose the right reporting route and protect confidentiality

Condition

Given scenarios, case cards, your organisation's route card and a sample record, in a 3-hour practical session

Standard

Write a report with exact quoted words, date, time and witness and no opinion, tell the right person within the required time, and share only what the route needs

These courses teach process, communication and recording. They give no clinical, legal, tax, financial or engineering sign-off. A named subject expert must review every line, and you must check your own professional body's current CPD rules, before you rely on a certificate.

sessions

8 modules

Module 1 What counts as a concern 15 min

A concern is anything that may mean a person is at risk.
Decide using what you saw or heard.
Give a reason for the decision.

Worked example. Person G says "He takes my money" and shows a 3 cm bruise on her left forearm. Concern? Yes: a disclosure plus a mark. Reason recorded in one sentence.

Practise: Practise with a case card or template for "what counts as a concern": document a concern, given a scenario, with exact words used, date, time and witness, and no opinion.

Standard to meet. Decide whether a situation counts as a concern, using a short scenario, and give the reason for your decision.

Module 2 Writing facts only 25 min

Quote the person's own words.
Add date, time, witness and what you saw.
Leave out opinion.

Worked example. "On 3 Nov at 11:00 Person G said, 'He takes my money.' She pointed to a bruise on her left forearm, about 3 cm." Not acceptable: "I think her son is abusing her."

Practise: Practise with a case card or template for "writing facts only": select the correct reporting route, given your organisation's policy, choosing the right person within the required time.

Standard to meet. Write a concern report with the exact words in quotes, date, time and witness, using facts only and no opinion.

Module 3 Who to tell and how fast 20 min

Use the route card in your policy.
Tell the lead first, within the stated time.
Use the alternative route if the lead is the concern.
Tell the person what happens next, as far as is safe.

Worked example. You hear at 11:00 and tell the safeguarding lead at 11:20: 20 minutes, inside the time limit in your policy (for example 60 minutes). If the lead is the concern, the policy's alternative route applies.

Practise: Practise with a case card or template for "who to tell and how fast": protect confidentiality, given a note with extra detail, by sharing only what the route needs.

Standard to meet. Select the correct reporting route from your organisation's policy and tell the right person within the required time, including the alternative route.

Module 4 Confidentiality and sharing 15 min

Do not promise secrecy.
Share only what the route needs.
Tell the person who must be told.

Worked example. Report has 8 details. Route needs 5 (words, date, time, mark, witness). Remove 3 (unrelated family history, address, phone). Say: "I must tell my lead to keep you safe."

Practise: Practise with a case card or template for "confidentiality and sharing": reflect on one record, given a sample, naming two things to improve.

Standard to meet. Protect confidentiality by sharing only what the route needs, and explain to the person who must be told instead of promising secrecy.

Module 5 Practice 10 min

Use the burn case card.
Write the report and choose who to tell.
Score with the fact-not-opinion test.

Worked example. Unexplained burn on a hand, 2 cm, seen at 14:05; person said "I don't know." You report at 14:15, within the time limit in your policy. Facts: 4, opinions: 0.

Practise: Run one full practice round for "documenting a safeguarding concern" on a case card or template: work through each outcome in turn (document a concern; select the correct reporting route; protect confidentiality; reflect on one record).

Standard to meet. Write and score a report for a case card, such as an unexplained burn or a bruise, and choose who to tell from the route card.

Module 6 Check 5 min

Review a sample record.
Name two improvements.
Use the fact test on each line.

Worked example. Sample record: 6 lines, 4 facts and 2 opinions ("seemed scared", "probably his son"). Improvements: replace both with what you saw and heard.

Practise: Take the end check for "documenting a safeguarding concern": show that you can reflect on one record, given a sample, naming two things to improve, and meet every outcome standard above.

Standard to meet. Reflect on one sample record and name two things to improve, using the fact-not-opinion test.

Module 7 Second worked case: the child and the bruise 45 min

Use case card 2.
Write the words exactly.
Name the route and the time limit.

Worked example. A child at a day centre says a bruise came "from Dad's belt." Quote the 3 words exactly, record date, time and witness, and tell the lead within the time limit.

Practise: Practise with a case card or template for "second worked case: the child and the bruise": reflect on one record, given a sample, naming two things to improve. Use a new case this time (round 2).

Standard to meet. Write a report for the child case with the words quoted exactly, no questions asked, and name the route and who to tell.

Module 8 Peer review and reflection 45 min

Swap reports with a partner.
Score each for fact and opinion.
Plan one change to your own writing.

Worked example. Partner finds 2 opinion words in your 9-line report. You replace them and re-score: 0 opinions, 9 of 9 lines factual.

Practise: Practise with a case card or template for "peer review and reflection": reflect on one record, given a sample, naming two things to improve. Use a new case this time (round 2).

Standard to meet. Evaluate a peer's report with the fact-not-opinion test, give two improvements and revise your own report to remove any opinion.

practice

Worked example and case cards

Worked example (facts only)

"On 3 Nov at 11:00 Person G said, in her own words, 'He takes my money.' She pointed to a bruise on her left forearm, about 3 cm. I did not question further. I told the safeguarding lead at 11:20."

Not acceptable

"I think her son is abusing her." Opinion, not fact.

Case card

a carer sees an unexplained burn; learners write the report and choose who to tell using their local route card.

Case card 2

A child at a day centre says a bruise came "from Dad's belt". Learners write the report exactly and name the route.

checks

10 check questions with model answers

Fact or opinion: "He looked frightened" vs "He was shaking and avoided eye contact"?

Model answer: The second is fact. (Covered in module 2: Writing facts only. To pass that module: Write a concern report with the exact words in quotes, date, time and witness, using facts only and no opinion.)

Should you promise to keep it secret?

Model answer: No; explain who must be told. (Covered in module 4: Confidentiality and sharing. To pass that module: Protect confidentiality by sharing only what the route needs, and explain to the person who must be told instead of promising secrecy.)

Who do you tell first?

Model answer: The safeguarding lead or route in your workplace policy. (Covered in module 3: Who to tell and how fast. To pass that module: Select the correct reporting route from your organisation's policy and tell the right person within the required time, including the alternative route.)

What do you remove when sharing?

Model answer: Details not needed to act. (Covered in module 4: Confidentiality and sharing. To pass that module: Protect confidentiality by sharing only what the route needs, and explain to the person who must be told instead of promising secrecy.)

Do you question further?

Model answer: No; listen, record, report. (Covered in module 2: Writing facts only. To pass that module: Write a concern report with the exact words in quotes, date, time and witness, using facts only and no opinion.)

Use the person's words?

Model answer: Yes, in quotes. (Covered in module 2: Writing facts only. To pass that module: Write a concern report with the exact words in quotes, date, time and witness, using facts only and no opinion.)

Is a delay acceptable?

Model answer: No; follow the stated time. (Covered in module 3: Who to tell and how fast. To pass that module: Select the correct reporting route from your organisation's policy and tell the right person within the required time, including the alternative route.)

What if the lead is the concern?

Model answer: Use the alternative route in policy. (Covered in module 3: Who to tell and how fast. To pass that module: Select the correct reporting route from your organisation's policy and tell the right person within the required time, including the alternative route.)

Do you tell the person what happens next?

Model answer: Yes, as far as is safe. (Covered in module 3: Who to tell and how fast. To pass that module: Select the correct reporting route from your organisation's policy and tell the right person within the required time, including the alternative route.)

A person tells you something serious and asks you to keep it secret. What do you say?

Model answer: Say you cannot keep it secret, explain who must be told and why, and report it by the route in policy. (Covered in module 4: Confidentiality and sharing. To pass that module: Protect confidentiality by sharing only what the route needs, and explain to the person who must be told instead of promising secrecy.)

glossary

Words used in this course

safeguarding, disclosure, quote, escalation, confidentiality.

marking

How the practice and assessment are marked

Level	Meaning	Marks of 4
Secure	Meets the standard in the outcome every time, no prompts	4
Meeting	Meets the standard with one small slip, corrected when prompted	3
Developing	Meets part of the standard; needs a re-attempt	2
Not yet	Standard not met	1

Pass = average 3 or more, and no outcome at 1. You may re-attempt after feedback. The subject expert sets any stricter pass mark.

where next

Ladder L1 to L7, slide by slide with notes

Slide 1: L1 Basic: What a concern is. Speaker note: A safeguarding concern is a worry that a person may be hurt or at risk. The learner can say what a concern looks like and that every worry should be reported, not kept private.
Slide 2: L2 Awareness: Fact not opinion. Speaker note: The learner knows that a good report uses facts and exact words, and that opinion such as "I think he is abusing her" does not belong. They can sort sample lines into fact or opinion.
Slide 3: L3 Foundation: Who to tell. Speaker note: The learner can find the reporting route in their policy, name the lead, and explain that reporting is quick and that secrecy cannot be promised.
Slide 4: L4 Practitioner: Document the concern. Speaker note: This course sits here. The learner writes a full report with quoted words, date, time and witness, chooses the route, tells the right person in time and shares only what is needed.
Slide 5: L5 Specialist: Hard cases. Speaker note: The specialist handles harder reports: a person who changes their story, a lead who is part of the concern, or a delay. They keep to facts and use the alternative route.
Slide 6: L6 Advanced: Audit records. Speaker note: The advanced practitioner audits sample reports for opinion, missing times and over-sharing, and coaches colleagues to record fairly and safely. They give feedback that is kind, specific and tied to the fact-not-opinion test, and keep a record of common gaps for training.
Slide 7: L7 Super expert: Improve the system. Speaker note: The super expert reviews reporting routes and time limits, trains teams, and tracks patterns across a service to make concerns easier and faster to report. Process only, no legal advice.

This course sits at L4 Practitioner. Credits stack; aligned with, not accredited by, any framework.

jobs this leads to

Where this takes you

Support worker
Social care assistant
Day centre worker
Residential care worker
Safeguarding administrator

assessment and certificate

How you are checked

Each outcome is checked against its standard with a checklist or a short test. A digital CPD record shows the hours. Keep evidence in My page. Aligned with common CPD practice; not accredited. Learners check their own body's rules.

ten locations and global

Your place

Use your own body's forms, units and currency. Local professional bodies set the rules for CPD hours; check them first.

India (Bengaluru)

Language: English, Hindi, Kannada. Personal data: Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023. Credit and levels: National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) and the national credit framework.

Netherlands (Eindhoven area)

Language: Dutch, English. Personal data: EU GDPR (Dutch: AVG), supervised by the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens. Credit and levels: the Dutch qualification framework (NLQF) linked to the European Qualifications Framework.

UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi)

Language: Arabic, English. Personal data: Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 (personal data protection). Credit and levels: the emirate education and training regulators (for example KHDA in Dubai) and the national qualifications framework.

Brazil (Sao Paulo)

Language: Portuguese (Spanish and English support). Personal data: LGPD (Lei Geral de Protecao de Dados). Credit and levels: the national technical-education catalogue and the national S-system training bodies.

Canada (Toronto)

Language: English, French. Personal data: PIPEDA, with provincial rules where they apply. Credit and levels: the provincial colleges framework and the national credential-recognition guidance.

United States

Language: English, Spanish. Personal data: state privacy laws (for example California), and COPPA for children under 13. Credit and levels: state and community-college credit systems.

Singapore

Language: English, Mandarin, Malay, Tamil. Personal data: Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). Credit and levels: the Singapore national skills frameworks and the national credit system.

Australia

Language: English. Personal data: the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles. Credit and levels: the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) levels.

Hong Kong (Eastern Asia)

Language: Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin), English. Personal data: the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance. Credit and levels: the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework.

Georgia and Israel (Western Asia)

Language: Georgian, Hebrew, Arabic, English. Personal data: the personal data law of the country where the learner lives. Credit and levels: the national qualifications framework of that country.

Cayman Islands (Caribbean)

Language: English. Personal data: the Data Protection Act. Credit and levels: the local education and training framework.

Mexico

Language: Spanish, English. Personal data: the federal law on personal data held by private parties. Credit and levels: the national competency certification system and the education ministry levels.

Draft

Draft CPD course. It opens only after final checks. No fee is shown.

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