This blog is by The Safeguarding Alliance, a COBIS Partner 

Periods of instability place additional pressure on safeguarding systems. Whether disruption arises from regional conflict, political uncertainty, public health emergencies or sudden school closures, the context in which children live and learn can change rapidly.

For schools, these moments often bring operational challenges. Learning environments may shift, travel restrictions may separate families, and communities may experience heightened anxiety or uncertainty.

Safeguarding responsibilities do not pause during times of turbulence. In many situations, the need for strong safeguarding systems becomes even more important.

When routines change and environments become less predictable, safeguarding risks can shift and sometimes increase. Children may experience heightened emotional stress, family circumstances may change, and some may spend extended periods away from school or in unfamiliar care arrangements.

In these circumstances, the strength of a school’s safeguarding reporting and case management processes becomes critical. Safeguarding depends not only on recognising concerns, but on ensuring they are recorded, reviewed and actively followed through.

Maintaining safeguarding visibility when circumstances change

Schools play a vital role in maintaining safeguarding visibility for children. During periods of turbulence, however, this visibility can become more difficult.

Children may be absent from school due to closures, remote learning arrangements, travel disruption or relocation. Staff may have fewer opportunities to observe behaviour, interactions and wellbeing in the way they would during normal school routines.

If systems do not adapt, this can create safeguarding blind spots.

One of the most important questions schools should ask during periods of disruption is how they ensure children remain visible within safeguarding systems. Maintaining that visibility requires deliberate safeguarding practice. Structured reporting systems, clear leadership oversight and consistent monitoring of concerns are all essential.

Safeguarding cannot rely solely on informal observation. It needs clear processes that ensure concerns are raised, recorded and followed through.

The critical role of safeguarding reporting

Effective safeguarding begins with reporting.

Staff need confidence that when they notice something concerning, there is a clear and trusted pathway for raising that concern. During times of uncertainty or disruption, this clarity becomes even more important.

All staff must understand:

• How to report a safeguarding concern
• Who it should be reported to
• What happens once a concern is raised

Small pieces of information can become significant when viewed alongside other concerns. Risk often develops gradually rather than through a single incident.

When concerns are not recorded or shared, opportunities to protect children can be missed. A strong safeguarding culture encourages staff to report concerns promptly and without hesitation. Safeguarding is rarely about a single incident; it is about connecting information to understand the wider picture of a child’s experience.

The importance of strong safeguarding case management

Reporting concerns is only the first step. What happens next is equally important. Once a concern has been raised, it must be actively managed through structured safeguarding case management. This ensures concerns are reviewed, monitored, escalated where necessary and followed through until risks are addressed.

Without effective case management systems, safeguarding concerns can lose momentum. Records may exist, but actions slow or become unclear. Over time, the safeguarding picture can become fragmented.

Safeguarding practice reviews across many sectors repeatedly highlight this issue. In many serious cases, concerns had been raised, but information was not connected and actions were not consistently followed through.

Strong safeguarding case management helps prevent this drift by ensuring concerns remain visible and actively progressed.

Safeguarding when children are not physically in school

Periods of disruption can result in children spending less time physically present in school. This may occur during lockdowns, emergency closures, regional instability or when schools move temporarily to remote learning.

When children are not in school, the natural safeguarding visibility provided by daily contact with trusted adults is reduced. For some children, school is where concerns are first noticed.

Schools therefore need to take deliberate steps to maintain safeguarding oversight.

One approach many schools adopt is structured welfare contact for children who are not attending in person.

Welfare calls or check-ins allow schools to maintain contact with families and monitor wellbeing. These contacts should not be informal or unrecorded. They should form part of the school’s safeguarding reporting and case management processes.

When welfare contact takes place, records should clearly capture:

• Who made the contact
• Who the contact was with (child, parent or carer)
• How the contact took place (telephone, video call or online platform)
• When the contact occurred
• Key observations or safeguarding concerns
• Any agreed follow-up actions

Recording welfare contact helps safeguarding teams maintain a clear chronology and identify emerging concerns. It also enables leaders to see which children may be harder to reach and where additional support may be needed.

Repeated unsuccessful attempts to contact a child or family should always be treated as a safeguarding consideration and reviewed accordingly.

Periods of disruption should never result in children becoming invisible to the systems designed to protect them.

Safeguarding leadership during uncertainty

Safeguarding leadership becomes particularly important during periods of turbulence. Leaders must ensure reporting pathways remain clear and accessible, even when operational arrangements change. Staff should know who safeguarding concerns should be reported to and how safeguarding leads can be contacted.

Regular safeguarding reviews and case discussions remain essential. Even during disruption, concerns must continue to be reviewed, assessed and progressed.

Strong safeguarding leadership ensures that concerns do not simply remain recorded in systems but are actively monitored and acted upon.

Safeguarding systems exist to protect children

Safeguarding systems are sometimes viewed through the lens of compliance, inspection or accreditation. In reality, their purpose is far simpler: to protect children.

Effective reporting and case management allow schools to build a clearer picture of a child’s experience. They help professionals identify patterns, understand context and make informed decisions about how best to support children and families.

During times of turbulence or instability, safeguarding systems become even more important. They must remain clear, consistent and actively overseen, ensuring that concerns are not only documented but recognised, reported, reviewed and acted upon until the child is safe.

Top five tips for safeguarding reporting and case management during times of disruption

1. Keep reporting pathways clear during disruption

During periods of instability, staff may be working in unfamiliar routines or environments. It is therefore essential that all staff clearly understand how to report a safeguarding concern, who it should be reported to and what happens next. Concerns should be recorded promptly, even if they appear minor, as small pieces of information can contribute to a wider safeguarding picture.

2. Maintain active safeguarding oversight of cases

During turbulent periods, safeguarding leads should maintain clear oversight of open cases, agreed actions and escalation decisions. Regular safeguarding discussions help ensure concerns continue to move forward and do not lose momentum during times of operational disruption.

3. Understand external reporting routes in changing contexts

When operating in uncertain or rapidly changing environments, schools must be clear about which external authorities or agencies safeguarding concerns may need to be reported to. This may include child protection services, police, education regulators or other relevant bodies. Understanding these routes in advance helps leaders respond confidently when concerns arise.

4. Review cases regularly and escalate where necessary

Safeguarding concerns can evolve quickly during times of instability. Leaders should regularly review the level of risk to the child, consider whether circumstances have changed and ensure appropriate escalation where concerns persist.

5. Maintain safeguarding visibility when children are not in school

When disruption results in school closures, remote learning or restricted movement, schools must take deliberate steps to maintain safeguarding visibility. Structured welfare contact can help maintain oversight of children’s wellbeing. Welfare calls should be recorded clearly, including who made the contact, who was spoken to, when it occurred and any safeguarding observations or follow-up actions.

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