Safeguarding Risk Assessments: A Practical Guide For Organisations
Safeguarding risk assessments are an essential part of protecting children, young people and adults at risk from abuse, neglect, exploitation and other forms of harm. For any organisation that works with people who may be at risk, understanding where safeguarding risks exist and taking appropriate steps to manage them should be a fundamental part of good safeguarding practice.
A safeguarding risk assessment provides a structured way to identify potential hazards, consider who could be affected and establish what measures are needed to reduce or remove those risks. Importantly, it should not be viewed simply as a document that needs to be completed and filed away. Effective safeguarding risk assessment is an ongoing process that supports safer environments, better decision making and a stronger safeguarding culture.
For organisations, having robust safeguarding risk assessments in place can also demonstrate that safeguarding risks are being actively considered and managed rather than simply reacted to when something goes wrong.
What Is A Safeguarding Risk Assessment?
A safeguarding risk assessment is a structured process used to identify potential safeguarding risks and determine what action should be taken to protect people from harm.
Unlike a general health and safety risk assessment, a safeguarding risk assessment focuses specifically on risks relating to abuse, neglect, exploitation and other safeguarding concerns. These risks can arise from people, environments, activities, organisational practices or situations.
For example, an organisation working with children may need to consider risks associated with lone working, inappropriate communication, online contact, trips and activities, changing facilities or the use of photography and video.
An organisation supporting adults at risk may need to consider risks relating to personal care, financial abuse, neglect, exploitation, medication, isolation, professional boundaries or the actions of other service users.
The precise risks will vary depending on the organisation and the people it works with. This is why safeguarding risk assessments should be proportionate and tailored to the specific circumstances rather than relying on a generic template.
Why Are Safeguarding Risk Assessments Important?
Safeguarding is about preventing harm as well as responding to concerns when they arise. A risk assessment allows an organisation to consider potential problems before they develop into safeguarding incidents.
It can help organisations identify weaknesses in their existing safeguarding arrangements and decide what additional controls may be required. This might include changes to staffing arrangements, additional training, supervision, safer recruitment measures, changes to physical environments or improvements to policies and procedures.
The Charity Commission recommends that organisations identify possible safeguarding risks, including risks to beneficiaries and other people connected to the organisation, and regularly review their safeguarding arrangements. It also highlights the importance of having a risk assessment process for roles that may involve contact with children or adults at risk.
A good risk assessment can therefore become an important part of an organisation's wider safeguarding framework.
What Should A Safeguarding Risk Assessment Consider?
There is no single risk assessment that will work for every organisation. The assessment should reflect the activities being undertaken, the people involved and the particular safeguarding risks associated with the organisation.
However, there are several areas that should commonly be considered.
Who could be at risk?
Consider the children, young people and adults at risk who may come into contact with the organisation. Particular circumstances or additional needs may increase the potential for harm or make it more difficult for someone to protect themselves.
What could go wrong?
Identify potential safeguarding hazards. These could include abuse by staff or volunteers, peer on peer abuse, inappropriate behaviour, exploitation, neglect, bullying, online abuse, inappropriate physical contact or abuse of a position of trust.
Who could present the risk?
Safeguarding risks do not only come from employees or volunteers. They may also involve other service users, contractors, visitors, family members or members of the public.
Where and when could the risk occur?
Consider physical locations, online environments, off site activities, transport, residential settings, events and situations where supervision may be reduced.
What controls are already in place?
The assessment should consider existing safeguarding policies, safer recruitment procedures, DBS checks where appropriate, staff training, supervision, codes of conduct, reporting procedures and management oversight.
What further action is required?
Where existing controls are not sufficient, the organisation should identify additional measures and assign responsibility for implementing them.
Safeguarding Risk Assessments For Children
Organisations working with children have a particular responsibility to identify and manage safeguarding risks.
The statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children sets out the framework for multi agency working to help, support and protect children. The 2026 guidance places further emphasis on robust assessments, shared responsibility and identifying different forms of harm, including online harms, child sexual abuse, domestic abuse and exploitation.
A safeguarding risk assessment for children may therefore need to consider issues such as supervision, staff and volunteer behaviour, online communication, physical contact, transport, photography, changing facilities, one to one working and activities involving children outside the usual organisational setting.
Schools and colleges should also ensure their safeguarding arrangements reflect the requirements of Keeping Children Safe in Education. The 2026 version comes into force on 1 September 2026.
Safeguarding Risk Assessments For Adults At Risk
Organisations working with adults at risk should also ensure that safeguarding risks are properly identified and managed.
Under the Care Act framework, safeguarding adults is focused on protecting an adult's right to live in safety and free from abuse and neglect. Organisations should have policies and procedures that support the reduction or removal of safeguarding risks and enable proportionate and personalised responses.
Risk assessments may need to consider potential risks such as physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, financial exploitation, neglect, self neglect, domestic abuse, discriminatory abuse and organisational abuse.
The assessment should also recognise that safeguarding is not necessarily about eliminating every possible risk. Adults should, wherever possible, be supported to remain involved in decisions about their lives and the management of risks affecting them.
Safeguarding Risk Assessments And Safer Recruitment
Safeguarding risk assessments should work alongside safer recruitment rather than being considered separately.
Recruitment decisions should take into account the nature of the role, the level of contact with children or adults at risk and the potential safeguarding risks associated with the position.
DBS checks can form an important part of safer recruitment where a role is eligible, but a DBS check should never be considered a substitute for a wider safeguarding assessment. Organisations should also consider references, employment history, interviews, suitability, professional boundaries and ongoing supervision.
The Charity Commission specifically recommends reviewing which roles require DBS checks and having a risk assessment process for roles that do not qualify for a DBS check but still involve contact with children or adults at risk.
How Often Should A Safeguarding Risk Assessment Be Reviewed?
A safeguarding risk assessment should not be considered a one off exercise.
It should be reviewed regularly and whenever there is a significant change that could affect safeguarding risks. This could include introducing a new service, changing premises, recruiting new staff, starting a new activity, working with a different group of people or responding to a safeguarding incident.
Risk assessments should also be reviewed following near misses or concerns. These situations can provide valuable information about weaknesses in existing safeguarding arrangements and highlight areas where additional controls may be required.
A regular review process helps ensure that safeguarding remains a live part of organisational practice rather than simply an administrative requirement.
Common Safeguarding Risk Assessment Mistakes
One of the biggest mistakes organisations can make is treating safeguarding risk assessments as paperwork rather than a practical safeguarding tool.
Another common issue is using a generic assessment that does not reflect the organisation's actual activities or the people it supports.
Other problems can include failing to involve relevant staff, not assigning responsibility for actions, failing to review assessments after incidents and overlooking less obvious risks such as online communication, professional boundaries or organisational culture.
A strong safeguarding risk assessment should ultimately lead to action. Identifying a risk without taking reasonable steps to manage it does little to improve safeguarding.
Building A Stronger Safeguarding Culture
Safeguarding risk assessments are most effective when they form part of a wider safeguarding culture.
Everyone within an organisation should understand that safeguarding is a shared responsibility. Staff and volunteers should know how to recognise concerns, who to report them to and what action to take.
Organisations should also ensure that safeguarding policies, training, safer recruitment, supervision, reporting procedures and risk management work together rather than operating as separate processes.
This approach can help organisations move away from simply responding to safeguarding incidents and towards proactively identifying and managing risks before harm occurs.
In summary
Safeguarding risk assessments are an important part of proactive safeguarding. They help organisations identify potential risks, understand who may be affected and put appropriate measures in place to reduce the likelihood of harm.
The most effective assessments are practical, regularly reviewed and specific to the organisation rather than generic documents created simply to satisfy a requirement.
Safeguarding risks can change over time, which means the assessment process needs to change with them. By regularly reviewing risks, listening to concerns and learning from incidents and near misses, organisations can build stronger safeguarding arrangements and, most importantly, create safer environments for children, young people and adults at risk.
RLB Safeguarding Can Help
Developing effective safeguarding arrangements can be challenging, particularly for organisations that are unsure whether their current policies, procedures and risk assessments are sufficiently robust.
RLB Safeguarding provides professional safeguarding support to organisations working with children and adults at risk. From safeguarding reviews and policy development to training, consultancy and risk management, expert support can help organisations understand their responsibilities and strengthen their safeguarding arrangements.
A well designed safeguarding risk assessment is more than a compliance document. It is an opportunity to identify weaknesses, improve practice and create a safer environment for everyone who comes into contact with your organisation.
If you would like support reviewing your safeguarding arrangements or developing effective safeguarding risk assessments, contact RLB Safeguarding to discuss how expert safeguarding advice can support your organisation.
