Safeguarding concern process flowchart
Safeguarding concern process flowchart: same-day record, immediate-danger branch, DSL assessment, refer or monitor, confidential record. Not legal advice.
What the safeguarding concern process is
When a member of staff has a worry about a pupil, the route should be obvious and short. This template draws it as a swimlane chart: **Concern arises**, a first decision on "Is anyone in immediate danger?", a same-day written record, a prompt to "Tell the Designated Safeguarding Lead straight away", assessment, and a choice to refer or monitor.
The DSL lane carries the judgement calls: "Does the concern involve a member of staff?" and "Threshold for referral met?", where the outcomes are Refer, Monitor or "Unsure, seek advice". The Principal lane handles allegations against staff, the External Agency lane answers "Referral accepted?", and Records ends every path with "Confidential record filed with limited access".
Statutory duties, thresholds and reporting routes differ by country and region, and this chart is not legal advice. It must never replace your local guidance or your school's own policy; use it to explain and review a pathway, then align it to the rules that apply to you. It pairs with the [learning support plan process](/templates/learning-support-plan-process) and the [customer complaint process](/templates/customer-complaint-process) for how a different kind of concern is escalated. The chart contains no real pupil details.
What this flowchart covers
In this template
- Five lanes (Staff Member, Designated Safeguarding Lead, Principal, External Agency, Records) across Concern, Record and report, Assess, Refer or monitor, and Close and keep records.
- An "Is anyone in immediate danger?" branch to "Act now: protect the pupil and call emergency services", followed by the same-day record.
- DSL decisions on staff involvement and "Threshold for referral met?", with a monitor-and-review loop, "Seek advice from the external agency", and a confidential record at the end of every path.
When to use this template
- You are writing or reviewing a school's safeguarding procedure and want the pathway visible on one page.
- New staff training needs a simple picture of what to do and who to tell.
- You want to check that every route ends in a confidential record and that no step depends on one person alone.
How it works
Mark the immediate-danger branch
Keep "Is anyone in immediate danger?" as the first decision so emergency help is never queued behind paperwork.
Fix the same-day record
Use "Record the concern in the pupil's own words, same day" and tell staff to record facts, not conclusions. Name the form or system your school uses.
Define the referral threshold locally
Replace "Threshold for referral met?" with the criteria in your local guidance, and name the External Agency contacts for each outcome.
Close every path in the record
Check that each branch reaches "Confidential record filed with limited access", and decide who can see it. For a related escalation pattern see the [customer complaint process](/templates/customer-complaint-process).
Frequently asked questions
Is this chart legal advice or a statutory procedure?
No. It is a generic illustration. Statutory duties and thresholds differ by country and region, and the chart must not replace local guidance or your school's safeguarding policy.
Why does the chart record the concern before telling the DSL?
Same-day recording protects accuracy, because memory fades and wording matters. In practice the member of staff records and tells the DSL together, and the chart shows both as immediate steps. Follow your own policy on order.
What does the Designated Safeguarding Lead decide?
In this chart the DSL assesses the concern with the pupil's context and decides to refer, monitor or seek advice. Allegations against staff go to the Principal's procedure instead.
Should real pupil details go on the chart?
No. Keep the chart generic. Details belong only in the confidential record, with access limited to those who need it.
Part of
- Education
- Safeguarding and school trips