In England, report adult safeguarding concerns online through the relevant council’s adult social care service. Use its published form or safeguarding email address where available. Elsewhere in the UK, follow the local reporting arrangements outlined below. Call 999 if someone is in immediate danger.
For care staff, knowing where to report is only part of responding to a concern. Royal Open College’s Level 3 Safeguarding Adults course supports CPD learning about recognising concerns and understanding reporting decisions. To see whether it meets your learning needs, review the content alongside your role and workplace procedures.
Find adult safeguarding reporting options on the relevant council website or Northern Ireland’s local HSC Trust website. Start with the service covering the area where the adult is located.
The available reporting method varies. Some services provide online forms, while others publish email addresses or telephone contacts. Northern Ireland’s official guidance directs readers to telephone their local Gateway Service.
On the relevant website, search for “report an adult safeguarding concern”. Read who the form is intended for before entering information. For example, Hampshire provides separate reporting instructions for the public and professionals.
Call 999 for immediate danger and telephone social care when an urgent concern cannot await online processing. For suspected crimes without an emergency, contact the police on 101.
Before completing a form, read the service’s guidance about urgent concerns and availability. Hampshire, for example, publishes specific hours when its online referral form is available. Those hours describe access to the form, rather than a guaranteed response time.
If a concern cannot wait until normal opening hours, use the service’s published out-of-hours contact. Explain what has happened and why you believe the adult needs help urgently. Northern Ireland’s Gateway directory includes emergency out-of-hours numbers alongside daytime contacts.
Include the adult’s details, your specific concerns and any action already taken to protect them. Follow the form’s questions and provide the information you know.
Keep your account specific and distinguish observations from information someone else shared. For example, describe missed care visits and their effects rather than simply writing “poor care”. If you do not know a detail, say so instead of guessing.
Discuss the concern with the adult and seek their agreement where it is safe and appropriate. Explain who you intend to contact and what information you plan to share.
Ask what they want to happen, rather than assuming their preferred outcome. Include any communication support they need so their views can inform the response.
In England, refusal does not automatically prevent necessary safeguarding information sharing. Risks to others or concerns about coercion can justify sharing without agreement. However, decisions need to reflect the circumstances and applicable information-sharing rules.
If you are unsure, seek advice from the safeguarding team without identifying the adult initially where possible. Staff should record their decision and reasons, including why they shared information or chose not to. Follow the procedures applicable to your UK nation and service.
The receiving team reviews your report and decides what response the concern needs. They may contact you for more information before deciding the next steps.
For example, Liverpool’s adult safeguarding referral guidance describes several possible responses. These include a safeguarding enquiry, an assessment, a review or guidance towards another service. A submitted report therefore does not automatically lead to a formal safeguarding enquiry.
Keep any submission confirmation and reference number so you can follow up. Note when you reported the concern and which service received it.
Follow the receiving service’s published timescales rather than another council’s example. If you receive no response within those timescales, contact the team and quote your reference. Tell them about any changes that affect the adult’s safety.
Avoid sending sensitive details through unverified channels or assuming that starting a form completes your report. Before entering information, check that you are using the official service page.
The Level 3 Safeguarding Adults course supports CPD learning about recognising concerns, reporting and information sharing. Its educational purpose is to help learners understand the decisions behind safeguarding practice.
For example, you might understand how to submit a referral but feel unsure about recording someone’s wishes. Reviewing the relevant learning outcomes can help you identify whether the course addresses that gap. This is CPD learning rather than a regulated qualification. Employers still assess workplace competence and decide what training each role needs.
Before choosing further learning, discuss one reporting task you find difficult with your manager. Agree whether you need course-based learning, guidance on local procedures or supervised practice.
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