Report a safeguarding issue

In the event of the portal being offline, paper forms can be accessed here.

Guidance

Adult social care providers must use the portal form to report suspected or actual instances of abuse or neglect. This could form the start of a Safeguarding Adults (Section 42) Enquiry under the Care Act.

To help progress the issue and measure how serious it is :

• complete the form as fully as possible

• use the Safeguarding Decision Support Tool.

• use your knowledge of the person and your professional judgment

When writing a safeguarding report:

• write down exactly what you are told or have seen

• use the exact words of the person telling you — not your own

• include times of incident(s)

• include the type of alleged abuse

• include the location of the alleged abuse

• make it clear who said what and when

• write down everything you saw — keep it factual

• write down people's names in full, explaining who they are

• be accurate — write down facts as they happened

• be unbiased — do not take sides or ask leading questions

• use the phrases tell me about it, explain that to me, describe that

To clarify information, without asking leading questions:

• explain in detail what you were told and/or saw

• write down anything you did as a result of the allegation

• write or type your report yourself — keep a copy for your records

• make sure you include the date and your signature

• give a copy to your service or senior manager

• do not show it to or share it with anyone who does not need to see it.