No concern forms, really!

Wow! I’ve recently experienced settings (school and nursery) where they’ve had no concern forms in place at all. They’d have staff either ‘jot them an email’ or ‘have a quiet word’ about concerns around children.

I queried the Designated Safeguarding Lead’s how they recorded the information, they’d just write it in a word document and save it on the computer. I voiced my surprise and disappointment and after deep discussion they’d appreciated the lack of information and clarity could hinder the information they gather.

With the passion I have as a human being and practitioner in keeping children safe, I pinged over a ‘comprehensive concern form’ and encouraged them to introduce it to their staff teams with an overview of the objectives as soon as possible.

Two of the three settings got back to me in within a week and informed me that the new form had generated more expression in sharing concerns. Some of these actually triggered referrals to Children Social Care and two to the LADO.

What a difference a piece of paper makes, hey!