Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Abuse and neglect
- Harm to a person, including physical, emotional, sexual, financial or domestic abuse, exploitation, and the failure to meet someone's basic care needs.
- Accident and emergency department
- The hospital department that treats people with serious or urgent injuries and illnesses, often called A and E.
- Adult at risk
- A person aged 18 or over with care and support needs who is being abused or neglected, or is at risk of it, and cannot protect themselves because of those needs.
- Best interests
- A decision made for someone who cannot decide for themselves, choosing the option that is best for them.
- Care Act 2014
- The main law setting out councils' duties for adult care and support, including the duty to make safeguarding enquiries.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- Chaperone
- A trained person present during an intimate examination to support and protect the patient and the clinician.
- Child
- Anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday.
- Child protection conference
- A multi-agency meeting that decides whether a child is at risk of significant harm and agrees a plan to keep them safe.
- Child Safeguarding Practice Review
- A formal review carried out after a serious incident involving a child, to identify lessons and improve how agencies protect children.
- Children Act 1989 and Children Act 2004
- The main laws setting out how children are protected and how agencies must work together to safeguard and promote their welfare.
- Coercive control
- A pattern of threatening, humiliating or controlling behaviour used to dominate and frighten another person, often within a relationship.
- Contemporaneous record
- A note written at the time of, or very soon after, the event it describes, so it is accurate and reliable.
- Contextual safeguarding
- An approach to protecting young people from harm that happens outside the home, such as in their neighbourhood, school or online.
- Continuing professional development (CPD)
- The ongoing learning and training a professional undertakes to keep their knowledge and skills up to date.
- County lines
- Criminal networks that use children and vulnerable people to move and sell drugs between areas, often by force or coercion.
- Data Protection Act 2018
- The UK law that sits alongside the UK General Data Protection Regulation and governs how personal information is used.
- Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS)
- Legal protections that make sure a person who lacks capacity is only deprived of their freedom when it is necessary and in their best interests.
- Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)
- The named senior person responsible for leading on safeguarding, advising colleagues and overseeing referrals.
- Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
- A criminal-records check showing whether a person is suitable to work with patients or vulnerable people.
- Domestic abuse
- Abusive behaviour between people who are, or have been, partners or family members, including physical, emotional, sexual and financial abuse.
- Domestic Abuse Act 2021
- The law that defines domestic abuse and strengthens protection for victims, including recognising children as victims in their own right.
- Domestic Homicide Review
- A review held after a death caused by domestic abuse, to learn lessons and prevent future deaths.
- Duty to refer (to the DBS)
- The legal duty to tell the Disclosure and Barring Service when a person has harmed, or risked harming, a child or vulnerable adult.
- Female genital mutilation (FGM)
- The illegal practice of deliberately cutting or injuring a girl's or woman's genitals for non-medical reasons.
- Forced marriage
- A marriage that takes place without the full and free consent of one or both people, sometimes under pressure or threat.
- Freedom to Speak Up
- Arrangements that encourage and protect staff who raise concerns about safety, wrongdoing or poor care at work.
- General practice
- Community-based medical care provided by GPs and their teams, usually the first point of contact for everyday health needs.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The regulations setting out the fundamental standards that providers of care must meet, enforced by the Care Quality Commission.
- Healthcare assistant
- A trained member of staff who supports clinicians with basic clinical and care tasks under supervision.
- Honour-based abuse
- Abuse, including violence, committed to protect or defend the supposed honour of a family or community.
- Identification and Referral to Improve Safety (IRIS)
- A training and referral programme that helps general practice teams identify and support patients affected by domestic abuse.
- Independent Domestic Violence Adviser (IDVA)
- A specialist worker who supports people at high risk of harm from domestic abuse and helps keep them safe.
- Information governance
- The framework for handling people's personal and health information legally, securely and appropriately.
- Integrated Care Board (ICB)
- The statutory body responsible for planning and arranging publicly funded health services for a local area in England.
- Intercollegiate document
- Guidance agreed jointly by the medical and nursing royal colleges setting out the safeguarding training and competencies staff need.
- Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025
- Statutory guidance setting out how schools and colleges must safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
- Lawful basis
- The legal justification an organisation must have under data-protection law before it uses someone's personal information.
- Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)
- The council officer who oversees concerns and allegations that an adult who works with children may pose a risk to them.
- Looked-after child
- A child in the care of a local authority, for example living with foster carers or in a children's home.
- Making Safeguarding Personal
- An approach to adult safeguarding that is led by the person's own wishes and the outcomes they want, rather than by process.
- Mental capacity
- Whether a person can understand and make a particular decision for themselves at the time it needs to be made.
- Mental Capacity Act 2005
- The law that protects and supports people who may be unable to make particular decisions for themselves.
- Mental Health Act 1983
- The law governing the assessment, treatment and rights of people with a mental disorder, including detention where necessary.
- Modern slavery
- The illegal exploitation of people for personal or commercial gain, including forced labour, trafficking and servitude.
- Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC)
- A local meeting where agencies share information and agree a plan to protect people at high risk of domestic abuse.
- Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)
- A team that brings together different agencies to share information and respond quickly to safeguarding concerns.
- Neglect
- The ongoing failure to meet a person's basic physical, emotional or care needs, which can cause serious harm.
- Notifiable event
- An incident a provider is legally required to report to the regulator, such as a death or serious injury.
- Prescription
- A written instruction from an authorised clinician allowing a patient to be supplied with a particular medicine.
- Prevent
- The government programme that aims to stop people being drawn into terrorism and to support those at risk of radicalisation.
- Radicalisation
- The process by which a person comes to support terrorism or extreme views that may lead to harm.
- Records Management Code of Practice
- National guidance on how long health and care records should be kept and how they should be managed and disposed of.
- Registered Manager
- The person registered with the regulator as responsible for the day-to-day running of a service.
- Regulated activity
- A type of care or treatment the law requires a provider to register with the regulator to deliver.
- Revalidation
- The regular process by which registered health professionals demonstrate they remain fit to practise.
- Risk assessment
- A structured check identifying what could cause harm and what is being done to prevent it.
- Safeguarding
- Protecting people's health, wellbeing and rights and keeping them safe from abuse, harm or neglect.
- Safeguarding Adults Board
- The local partnership of agencies responsible for overseeing and improving how adults at risk are protected.
- Safeguarding Adults Review
- A review held after an adult at risk dies or is seriously harmed, to identify lessons and improve practice.
- Safeguarding Children Partnership
- The local partnership of agencies, including the council, police and health, responsible for protecting children.
- Safer recruitment
- Checks and practices during hiring, such as references and criminal-records checks, that help keep unsuitable people out of roles with children or vulnerable adults.
- Self-neglect
- When a person neglects their own health, hygiene or surroundings to a degree that puts them at serious risk.
- Serious Crime Act 2015
- The law that, among other things, places a duty on certain professionals to report known cases of female genital mutilation in under-18s to the police.
- Significant event analysis
- A structured review of something that happened in a practice, good or bad, to learn from it and improve care.
- Single assessment framework
- The structure the regulator uses to judge a service, built around quality statements and five key questions (safe, effective, caring, responsive, well-led).
- SNOMED CT
- The standard set of clinical terms and codes used in electronic patient records so that information is recorded consistently.
- Strategy discussion
- A multi-agency discussion held when a child may be at risk of significant harm, to decide what action to take.
- Temporary resident
- A patient seen by a practice for a short period without being fully registered, for example while away from home.
- Think family
- An approach that considers the needs and risks of the whole family, so that concerns about an adult prompt thought about children, and vice versa.
- UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
- The UK's main data-protection law governing how personal information is collected and used.
- Vital interests
- A lawful reason to use someone's personal information when it is needed to protect their life or someone else's.
- Was not brought
- A way of recording a child's missed appointment that focuses on the carer's responsibility, rather than saying the child 'did not attend'.
- Whistleblowing (speaking up)
- Raising a concern about wrongdoing, risk or malpractice at work, protected by law.
- Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026
- The statutory guidance that sets out how agencies must work together to keep children safe.
- Workshop to Raise Awareness of Prevent (WRAP)
- A short training session that helps staff recognise and respond to signs that someone may be at risk of radicalisation.