I don't work in Health & Social or Child care, why is safeguarding relevant to me?

If your job requries you to visit people's homes, such as plumbing, gardening and construction repairs, although you don't work directly with children or vulnerable people, you may be in their vicinity...

• Perhaps children in the home are being exploited and you might be the only person who is aware of it and can report it (if you don't report it, nobody else will ever know)

• Perhaps the parents are not keeping the children away from your working area and it is not safe for children to be close to the area you are working in. You need to work with your clients to ensure children are kept away from your working area. 

• Some people with severe autism or other neurological difficulties may be really distressed and uncomfortable if your work causes a lot of loud noises, mess or smells

If you customer facing in a sector such as retail or pharmacy, although you are primarily dealing with adults, you will still encounter children and vulnerable people...

• Perhaps a child or vulnerable person is trying to buy something they are not legally allowed to purchase, or they are trying to buy a dangerous amount of pharmaceuticals

• Perhaps a small child is left unattended in the shop or has gained access to a restricted area of the building

If you are working in a Hair Salon or Dental Nursing, you may be in close contact with children and vulnerable people. You may find that...

• Some children, particularly small children, get very distressed and upset when having their hair cut or teeth checked, you will need to be more sensitive and compassionate when working with them

• You are working with sharp objects which children and vulnerable people may be very scared of, and these objects can cause more harm to children if mishandled

You might work somewhere that children are not typically seen, such as an office or worksite. But occasionally there may be situations where a colleague has brought their children. 

• If the children are out of sight of your colleague you may need to ensure they are not doing anything or going anywhere that is unsafe

• You need to ensure that your own work activities are not putting children or vulnerable people at risk