Trusted adults: the underrated weapon in our safeguarding armoury

In any setting, sports clubs, performing arts schools, education or care, trusted adults empower victims of abuse to come forward

Keeping people safe from abuse, exploitation and harassment is complex, but there are some simple principles. One of those is putting people who can be trusted wherever someone spends their time; they might hold the key to enabling a disclosure of abuse, and preventing further abuse.

Research tells us that it is very hard for victims of abuse to disclose what has happened to them, and too often there are barriers (or perceived barriers) in the way which prevent them from talking about it.

For children in situations where they their future, or their perceived value and worth, is dependent upon the decisions of others, for instance in elite sports clubs or performing arts clubs, this can be even harder, especially where the abuse is perpetuated in that organisation. The Whyte Review [1] stated:

“The fear of de-selection or demotion was cited as a principal reason for not complaining by several current and former elite gymnasts. One gymnast stated 'I feared if I spoke out or stood up to said bully/coach I could be jeopardising my chances of making it to the Olympics' while another expressed that 'We have always been made to feel like if we speak up we will get removed from the team or even worse…".

And yet, statistics published by the CPSU and Loughborough University [2] showed that 55% of child safeguarding concerns raised to people within sports clubs were about abuse experienced outside the sport. In fact, the statistics suggest that for every disclosure of sexual abuse within a sports Club setting, there were two more disclosures made about sexual abuse outside the setting.

The majority of those children would have been likely to be in school or involved in other activities, but they chose to make the disclosure in the sports club. Sports clubs have their own pressures which can make it harder for some children to come forward about abuse, but this evidence tells us that they are also places where some children feel comfortable enough to make disclosures.

It is therefore vital that staff and volunteers in all organisations providing activities to children, and adults-at-risk, understand abuse and exploitation and know how to receive a disclosure. The NSPCC’s No one noticed, no one heard report [3] looked into the experience of disclosing for victims of childhood abuse. Its further research, based on some of the findings noted “that it’s helpful for children and young people in the moment of disclosure if adults use appropriate interpersonal skills to make it clear they are listening and taking them seriously.”

The word ‘skills’ is used deliberately, and the thing with skills is that they are developed through training or experience – they are not intrinsic to anyone or accidentally developed.

In the moment of disclosure, these appropriate interpersonal skills are vital, but they are also necessary in creating the environment for children to come forward, so they know they will be believed, they will not be judged and their situation will improve because of their disclosure.

Keeping Children Safe in Education provides guidance for school staff in receiving a disclosure, which states:

“All staff should be able to reassure victims [when making a disclosure] that they are being taken seriously and that they will be supported and kept safe. A victim should never be given the impression that they are creating a problem by reporting any form of abuse and/or neglect. Nor should a victim ever be made to feel ashamed for making a report.”

This paragraph is included in the statutory guidance because the research, including that cited above, has identified a badly received disclosure as a risk in itself. Any child, or adult-at-risk, trying to disclose abuse should never be given the impression that they are not believed; this will miss an immediate opportunity to prevent abuse, and will make it harder for them to try to make the disclosure again in future.

Making sure staff and volunteers are trusted by children and adults at risk, and are confident to hear disclosures and react in an appropriate and supportive manner is vital. Training, and regular safeguarding updates are key elements in making that happen and should be prioritised by organisations.

Footnotes

1. https://www.uksport.gov.uk/resources/the-whyte-review/whyte-review-report

2. https://thecpsu.org.uk/news/2024-10-beyond-sport-a-statistical-look-at-concerns/

3. https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/media/1664/let-children-know-listening-briefing-english.pdf

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The value of safeguarding within a mosaic of factors to improve attainment

By Andy Churcher • March 21, 2025

The recently published DfE research report The link between attendance and attainment in an assessment year [1] outlines the significant benefits to schools and their pupils of improving attendance levels. I know that most schools are very proactive when it comes to supporting pupils to increase their attendance, and rightly so. Ofsted are interested in understanding this work during inspections with a recent report stating, “The school has addressed the significant challenges with pupils’ attendance and punctuality through effective actions to support and engage families.” But, of course, attendance isn’t the only factor impacting attainment in assessment. In fact, much research demonstrates that academic success measured by attainment is influenced by the whole life experience of the child. Ofsted’s 2022 paper Securing good attendance and tackling persistent absence [2] identified interdependencies between attendance and safeguarding. Effective and empathetic communication with parents is also an important tool in reducing absence. The same paper noted, “It is clear that leaders who have succeeded in raising attendance levels listen to parents properly and ask the right questions in order to find out why their children are not attending well enough.” There is also extensive research which helps us to understand the link between challenging behaviour and abuse, neglect and exploitation. The Truth Project, part of the Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse [3], gathered the insight of more than 6,000 victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. In its report, IICSA noted that victims and survivors knew their behaviour deteriorated as a result of being sexually abused sometimes, but not exclusively, as a deliberate attempt to communicate that they needed help, although sadly these signals were rarely recognised by others. And if behaviour can influence attainment then, of course, so can being the victim of abuse. The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel’s 2024 National review into child sexual abuse within the family environment [4] stated that “abuse was reported to have impacted children’s education in nearly a third of reviews”. And, if all that’s the case we can begin to see a complex mosaic of interdependencies for children which have the power to influence their risk of being a victim of abuse, their behaviour in school, their attainment throughout their education and their whole life experience. Safeguarding and wellbeing should never be seen as separate to any other part of a child’s experience. I wonder if school leaders take a truly strategic view of this mosaic which results in a co-ordinated approach which is greater than the sum of its parts. Or if work to support pupils is often too fragmented at an organisational level to be sufficiently effective in tackling these interdependencies. Last year the Department of Education published a rapid literature review [5] to shape the work of the longitudinal Education and Outcomes Panel Study (EOPS). It identified this mosaic of issues that impact educational outcomes categorising them into four themes: Theme 1: Children’s cognitive and non-cognitive capabilities and wellbeing Theme 2: Children with SEND and experience of social services Theme 3: Home environment Theme 4: Experiences of school