RCGP Safeguarding toolkit

The response will depend on the individual, their circumstances and the context. Some situations will be very straightforward. For example, if a 12 year old girl tells you her dad is sexually abusing her or you witness a carer hitting an 88 year old man living in a care home, it is very clear that an urgent safeguarding referral will need to be done. However, abuse rarely presents in such an obvious way. This is why it is so important to be aware of the indicators of potential abuse so that we are able to identify those who are experiencing abuse in order for them to be protected and receive the right support.

Our response will also depend on where we work. For example, a GP working in an out of hours setting or in an independent GP clinic, may not have the same access to information about the individual, their family or carers and wider context than a GP who works in an NHS practice will have. Therefore, thresholds for safeguarding referrals may need to be lower for those who have safeguarding concerns about an individual when their job role means that building up a picture over time or reviewing information held in multiple family member’s records, is not possible.