4.3 Categories of Potential Safeguarding Concerns
Abuse of Trust: under the Sexual Offenders Act 2003 it is an offence for a person over 18 to have a sexual relationship with a young person under 18 where that person is in a position of trust in respect of that young person, even if the relationship is consensual. This includes teaching and a range of support staff within educational establishments.
Bullying (including cyberbullying) – Behaviour by an individual or group, repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally. Online Abuse can be referred as any type of abuse that happens on the web, whether through social networks, playing games online or using mobile phones. Reports can be raised through Child Exploitation and Online Protection command (CEOP) CEOP Safety Centre
Child-on-Child abuse: can happen both inside and outside of the Exalt Training. All staff must recognise the indicators and signs of Child-on-Child abuse and know how to identify it and respond to reports. Child-on-Child abuse can include bullying, abuse in intimate relationships, sexual violence, harassment, non-consensual sharing of nudes, causing someone to engage in sexual activity, up skirting, initiation/ hazing types of violence and rituals.
Child Sexual Exploitation: This occurs in situations and relationships in which young people receive something as a result of engaging in sexual activities. These can be in the form of gifts or increased status. Children (and adults) can be exploited by adults or peers. There is a range of other factors that could make a child more vulnerable to exploitation, including, sexual identity, cognitive ability, learning difficulties, communication ability, physical strength, status and access to economic or other resources.
Child trafficking: this is a type of abuse where children are recruited, moved or transported and then exploited, forced to work or sold by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.
Child criminal exploitation – County Lines: Criminal exploitation of children is a geographically widespread form of harm that is a typical feature of County Lines criminal activity: drug networks or gangs, groom and exploit children and young people to carry drugs and money from urban areas to suburban and rural areas, market and seaside towns. The key to identifying potential involvement in county lines are missing episodes, when the victim may have been trafficked for the purpose of transporting drugs.
Children who identify as LGBT+
The fact that a child or a young person may be LGBT is not in itself an inherent risk factor for harm. However, children who are LGBT can be targeted by other children. In some cases, a child who is perceived by other children to be LGBT (whether they are or not) can be just as vulnerable as children who identify as LGBT.
Domestic Violence: any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are, or have been, intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. The abuse may involve, but is not limited to psychological, physical, sexual, financial and emotional impacts.
“Coercive or controlling behaviour is a core part of domestic violence. Coercive behaviour can include acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation, harming, punishing, or frightening the person, isolating the person from sources of support, exploitation of resources or money, preventing the person from escaping abuse and regulating everyday behaviour.”
Fabricated or Induced Illness – the fabrication of signs and symptoms in others including that of past medical history, falsification of hospital charts and records and specimens of bodily fluids. May also include falsification of letters and documents, and induction of
illness by a variety of means.
Faith Abuse – forms of child abuse linked to faith or belief. Examples of this include spirit possession, demons/the devil acting through children, the evil eye or djinns (known in some Islamic faith contexts) and dakini (in Hindu context) and ritual or multiple murders where the killing of children is believed to bring supernatural benefits, or the use of their body parts is believed to produce ‘magical’ remedies.
Female Genital Mutilation – FGM comprises all procedures involving the partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. FGM is illegal in the UK, and it is also illegal to remove a child to another country for the purposes of performing FGM. Where a child is under 18, it is mandatory that cases of FGM must be reported to the police. So-call Honour based abuse in children must be reported (see Contacts and Professional Guidance).
Forced Marriage: a forced marriage is a marriage in which one or both spouses do not (or in the case of some adults with learning or physical disabilities, cannot) consent to the marriage and duress is involved.
Gangs (and Youth Violence): crime and violence are a core part of the identity of gangs, although delinquent peer groups can also lead to increased antisocial behaviour and youth offending. Although some group gatherings can lead to increased antisocial behaviour
and youth offending, these activities should not be confused with serious violence in a gang.
Homelessness: Being homeless or being at risk of becoming homeless presents a real risk to a child’s welfare. The designated safeguarding lead (and any deputies) should be aware of contact details and referral routes into the Local Housing Authority so they can raise/progress concerns at the earliest opportunity.

Mental Health – Mental health issues such as depression and anxiety may leave the individual vulnerable to self-harm and suicidal thoughts as well as being exposed to other factors, highlighted above, that may cause a concern for their safety. Exalt Training recognises safeguarding issues can manifest themselves via Child-on-Child abuse and that learners sometimes display abusive behaviour themselves and that such incidents or allegations must be referred on for appropriate support and intervention. Such abuse will not be tolerated or passed off as “banter”, “just having a laugh” or “part of growing up”.
Misuse of substances: the misuse of drugs such as alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs, medicines, new psychoactive substances (legal highs) and volatile substances.
Modern-Day Slavery – The Modern-Day Slavery Act 2015 was specifically introduced to address Slavery and Human Trafficking in the 21st century.
The Act ensures that:-
• Victims receive the protection and support they deserve
• A statutory defence for victims of modern slavery so that they are not inappropriately criminalised
• Gives courts new powers to order perpetrators of slavery and trafficking to pay Reparation Orders to their victims
• Provides child advocates to support child victims of trafficking
• Extends specific measures so that all victims of modern slavery can be supported through the criminal justice process
• Provides statutory guidance on victim identification and victim services, including an enabling power to put the relevant processes on a statutory basis. Introducing protections for victims of abuse on an overseas domestic workers visa
What is a Modern-day Slave? – Modern forms of slavery can include debt bondage, where a person is forced to work for free to pay off a debt, child slavery, forced marriage, domestic servitude and forced labour, where victims are made to work through violence and intimidation.
Neglect or Acts of Omission: This includes the persistent failure to meet a child, young person or vulnerable adult’s basic physical and/or psycho-social needs, and which are likely to result in a serious impairment of the individual’s health or development. This may include failing to provide adequate food, shelter and clothing, or educational services and/or neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child, young person or vulnerable adult’s basic emotional need.
Physical abuse: such as hitting, kicking, shaking, biting, hair pulling, or otherwise causing physical harm.
Sexting: the exchange of self-generated sexually explicit images, through mobile picture messages or webcams over the internet.
Sexual (harassment and violence): such as rape, sexual assault, sexual comments, or sexual acts occurring through force or enticement and which a child, young person or vulnerable adult could not have consented to, or to which they were pressurised into consenting. The activities may involve physical contact, including penetrative or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing and touching outside of clothing. They may include non-contact activities such as involving the child, young person, or vulnerable adult in looking at, or in the production of, pornographic material, watching sexual activities or encouraging them to behave in sexually inappropriate ways or grooming a child in preparation for abuse (including the internet). Adult males do not solely perpetrate Sexual abuse. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.
Teenage Relationship Abuse: may include emotional abuse (e.g., name-calling, insults, isolation from friends, controlling what you wear and where you go, constant checking up), physical abuse (hitting, punching, pushing, biting, kicking, using weapons), sexual
abuse (forcing sex, unwanted kissing or touching, being made to watch pornography against will, pressure to not use contraception) or financial abuse (taking/controlling money, coercion to buy the abuser things, forcing the abused to work or not work).
Up skirting: this typically involves taking a picture under a person’s clothing without them knowing, with the intention of viewing their genitals or buttocks to obtain sexual gratification, or cause the victim humiliation, distress, or alarm (this is now a criminal offence)