- Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and you must take action if you have any concerns about someone’s safety or welfare.
- Contact your organisation’s designated safeguarding lead for guidance in the first instance.
- Follow these links for guidance on sharing personal information and gaining consent to share personal information.
We advise following your organisation’s safeguarding processes if they differ from the steps below.
Reporting safety and welfare concerns flowchart
Step One: Is someone in immediate danger?
- If someone is in immediate danger contact the emergency services on 999.
- If someone is not in immediate danger go to Step Two.
Step Two: Are you concerned that someone is being radicalised?
- If you are concerned someone is being radicalised follow your organisation’s Prevent process (Devon County Council staff can access the staff intranet pages on Prevent).
- If you are not concerned that someone is being radicalised go to Step Three.
Step Three: Consider making a safeguarding referral
The steps below apply to people who are at risk of harm, or who have been harmed, within the boundaries of Devon County Council. Find out what to do if someone is at risk/has been harmed in another local authority area.
- If you are concerned about a child (aged under 18) go to Step Four.
- If you are concerned about an adult (aged 18 or over) go to Step Five.
Step Four: Concerns about a child (aged under 18)
- If the primary cause for concern is harm taking place outside the home or family use the Adolescent Safety Framework.
- If the primary cause for concern is harm inside the family or home consider which parts of the Levels of Need framework best reflect their needs.
- Mostly level 1-2 needs: Requires Early Help Support
- Mostly level 3-4 needs: Call 0345 155 1071 for a MASH consultation. If appropriate make a MASH Request for Support
- If your concerns relate to child exploitation you may also need to make a Missing and Child Exploitation (MACE) submission. See guidance and support with making a MACE submission
Step Five: Concerns about an adult (aged 18 or over)
- Consider if the adult meets the legal threshold for referral
- Refer into Devon Adult’s Services Safeguarding Hub. Complete a referral form or contact Care Direct on 0345 155 007
Step Six: After making a safeguarding referral
Once you have made a safeguarding referral, or feel it’s not appropriate to do so, submit an information report to the police. This will help you share information that you would not include in a safeguarding referral. This includes information about other victims and suspects.
Signposting to other support. You can signpost people to local support services. These may be helpful if you’re waiting to hear back about a safeguarding referral, if someone does not meet referral thresholds, or if they could benefit from additional support. You might also be in a position to provide someone with further support.