How can I effectively collaborate with local safeguarding teams to ensure the safety of at-risk children?

To effectively collaborate with local safeguarding teams to ensure the safety of at-risk children, you should:

• Engage in multi-agency working: Participate in local multi-agency safeguarding arrangements that coordinate planning, information sharing, and responses to child protection concerns, ensuring clear roles and agreed terminology across agencies ¹,².
• Maintain continuity of care: Work to enable children and families to have contact with the same practitioners over time to build trust and facilitate effective safeguarding ¹,².
• Communicate clearly and promptly: Use established local referral pathways and threshold documents to identify when to refer concerns to children’s social care or other specialist services, ensuring timely and appropriate action ¹,⁵.
• Share information appropriately: Obtain consent to share confidential information where possible, but do not delay sharing if there is a risk of significant harm; follow local safeguarding procedures and statutory guidance on information sharing ⁵.
• Participate in safeguarding meetings: Attend multi-agency meetings to discuss and plan safeguarding responses, including sharing relevant data and perspectives to ensure coordinated care ¹,³.
• Support staff and practitioners: Ensure good quality supervision, reflective practice, and continuing professional development tailored to safeguarding roles to maintain effective collaboration and response ¹.
• Use trauma-informed approaches: Recognize the impact of trauma on children’s behaviour and responses, and incorporate this understanding into safeguarding work and collaboration with other agencies ³,⁴.
• Seek advice and escalate concerns: Consult with named safeguarding leads or designated professionals when unsure, and escalate concerns if initial responses are inadequate to ensure child safety ⁵.