How we handle disclosures from children

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Version 1.0, approved 13 October 2026 by Mathew Long, Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). Next review: October 2027, or sooner after any incident or change in the law or guidance.

1. What a disclosure is

A disclosure is when a child tells an adult, or lets them know in some other way, that they are being harmed or that something is worrying them. It may be direct, or it may come out a little at a time, through a drawing, something they type, a question, or a comment to a friend. It can take a child a great deal of courage, and how the adult responds matters.

If a child is in immediate danger or needs urgent medical help, call 999 first.

2. What children and parents can expect

• We listen, we take what a child says seriously, and the child is never in trouble for telling us.
• We do not promise to keep it secret, and we explain to the child who we will tell and why.
• We do not question the child or investigate. That is the job of children’s social care and the police.
• We act on the same day.
• We tell parents and carers what we have been told and what we are doing, unless that could put the child at greater risk.
• Only the Designated Safeguarding Lead and the services that need to act are told.

3. When a child tells you something

Do

• Stay calm. Give the child your full attention and let them speak at their own pace.
• Listen. Let them use their own words, and accept what they say without showing shock or disbelief.
• Tell them they have done the right thing by telling you, and that it is not their fault.
• Tell them you will have to pass this on to someone whose job it is to keep children safe, and that you will only tell people who need to know.
• Ask only what you need to understand whether the child is safe. Use open questions: “Tell me what happened”, “Explain what you mean”, “Describe what that was like”.
• Tell them what will happen next.
• Stay where other people can see you, without making the child feel they are being overheard.

Do not

• Do not promise to keep it a secret.
• Do not ask leading questions, such as “Did your dad hit you?”, or press for detail.
• Do not ask the child to repeat it to someone else, write it down or sign anything.
• Do not investigate, look for evidence or decide for yourself whether it is true.
• Do not examine the child, ask them to remove clothing, or photograph an injury.
• Do not criticise or confront the person the child has named, or contact them.
• Do not tell the child’s parents or carers yourself. The DSL decides who is told, and when.
• Do not talk about it with anyone except the DSL and the services the DSL involves.
• Do not delay. A concern is never left until the next session.

4. Straight afterwards

1. Make sure the child is safe and supervised. Do not send them home if home is where the risk is.
2. Tell the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) immediately, and always before you leave the venue. If you cannot reach the DSL, or the disclosure is about the DSL, call children’s social care or the LADO yourself. The numbers are in section 7.
3. Write down what happened as soon as you can, and on the same day, using the record in section 8. Write what the child said in their own words, even if the words are upsetting or you do not understand them. Record facts, not your opinion. Sign and date it.
4. Give the record to the DSL. Keep no copy, and do not store it on a personal phone or account. See our child protection records policy.

5. What the DSL does

1. Makes sure the child is safe now.
2. Decides on the same day whether to refer. If the child is suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm, the DSL phones children’s social care immediately and confirms the referral in writing within 24 hours. If a crime may have been committed, the DSL tells the police.
3. If the disclosure is about an adult who works or volunteers with children, follows our procedure for reporting concerns about an adult and contacts the LADO within one working day.
4. Tells the child’s parents or carers, unless that could put the child at greater risk or get in the way of an investigation. Children’s social care or the police will advise.
5. Where the session is at a school and the child is a pupil there, tells the school’s safeguarding lead, as agreed with children’s social care.
6. Records the decision, the reasons and every action taken, and follows up until the child is safe.
7. If children’s social care have not responded within three working days, contacts them again and records it.

At present the DSL also teaches every session, so the person who hears a disclosure and the DSL are the same person. The steps do not change: the record is still written on the same day and the referral is still made.

6. Looking after the adult

Hearing a disclosure can be upsetting. A tutor can talk to the DSL about how they are feeling, without discussing details more widely, and can call the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 for advice at any time.

7. Contacts

8. Record of a disclosure or concern

Complete on the same day, in pen, and hand to the DSL. Use the child’s own words.

For the DSL