Safeguarding policy (dental)

1. What the regulation says

Service users must be protected from abuse and improper treatment in accordance with this regulation. (Reg 13(1) (the headline duty))

Systems and processes must be established and operated effectively to prevent abuse of service users. (Reg 13(2) (prevention systems))

Systems and processes must be established and operated effectively to investigate, immediately upon becoming aware of, any allegation or evidence of such abuse. (Reg 13(3) (investigation systems))

A service user must not be deprived of their liberty for the purpose of receiving care or treatment without lawful authority. (Reg 13(5) (lawful authority for deprivation of liberty))

any behaviour towards a service user that is an offence under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, (Reg 13(6)(a) (sexual offences))

ill-treatment (whether of a physical or psychological nature) of a service user, (Reg 13(6)(b) (ill-treatment))

theft, misuse or misappropriation of money or property belonging to a service user, or (Reg 13(6)(c) (theft / misuse / misappropriation))

neglect of a service user. (Reg 13(6)(d) (neglect))

The full text of the regulation is at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/2936/regulation/13. Where this policy and the regulation diverge, the regulation wins.

2. Plain-English summary

Service users must be protected from abuse and improper treatment. You need effective systems to prevent abuse, and effective systems to investigate any allegation or evidence of abuse as soon as you become aware of it. Care must not be provided in a way that discriminates, uses disproportionate control or restraint, is degrading, or significantly disregards the service user's needs. Service users cannot be deprived of their liberty without lawful authority.

3. Purpose

This policy sets out how the Practice identifies, records and responds to child and adult safeguarding concerns in a dental setting.

It covers dental neglect, domestic abuse, adults at risk, staff allegations, referral routing, staff training and record-keeping.

4. Scope

This policy applies to:

• children and young people attending the Practice
• adults with care and support needs who may be at risk of abuse or neglect
• family members, carers and visitors where their behaviour raises concern
• all staff, associates, locums, trainees and contractors
• concerns identified during treatment, reception contact, telephone contact, online messages or home-care communication

5. Roles and responsibilities

• Registered Manager: owns safeguarding governance, keeps external routes current, makes sure immediate safety and staff-allegation controls are used, and records notification and referral decisions.
• Safeguarding lead: receives concerns, supports factual recording, oversees referral and follow-up, checks the person's voice remains visible and reports themes and actions through governance.
• Deputy safeguarding lead: acts when the lead is unavailable or implicated. The Practice records who holds this role and how staff reach them.
• Treating clinician: addresses immediate clinical needs, records clinical findings within competence, preserves relevant evidence and does not allow treatment completion to delay a safeguarding response.
• Reception and administrative staff: recognise disclosures or concerning patterns, preserve the person's privacy, alert the safeguarding route immediately and avoid questioning beyond what is needed for immediate safety.
• All staff: act on immediate danger, report concerns even when unsure of the eventual threshold, and use an external escalation route if the concern involves the person who would normally receive it.

6. Definitions and duty

The Practice has a duty to act when staff suspect that a child or adult may be at risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation.

Staff do not investigate safeguarding concerns themselves. They record what they saw, heard or were told, and follow the Practice referral pathway.

The Practice verifies local referral routes with the local safeguarding children partnership, local authority adult safeguarding team, Local Authority Designated Officer and police before adopting this policy.

7. Dental neglect indicators in children

Dental neglect may be one sign of wider neglect. Staff consider safeguarding action where patterns include:

• repeated untreated pain or infection
• repeated missed urgent dental appointments
• poor oral hygiene inconsistent with the child's age and support needs
• failure to complete agreed treatment where the consequence is significant harm or likely significant harm
• carer refusal or delay where the child is in pain or function is affected
• visible injury, fearfulness or explanation inconsistent with presentation

Staff record the clinical facts, the conversation and the action taken. Staff avoid judgemental language.

8. Domestic abuse disclosure pathway

Dental staff may see signs of domestic abuse during chairside conversations or examination.

When a patient discloses abuse, or staff suspect abuse, staff:

• speak to the patient alone where safe and appropriate
• do not confront the alleged abuser
• record the patient's words as closely as possible
• record visible injuries factually
• ask whether the patient is safe to leave
• follow the Practice referral pathway
• call emergency services if there is immediate risk
• consider child safeguarding if children are exposed to domestic abuse

The Practice keeps local domestic abuse referral contacts with this policy.

9. Adult-at-risk indicators visible during dental treatment

Staff consider adult safeguarding where they identify:

• unexplained injuries or repeated injury patterns
• poor hygiene or untreated oral disease linked to possible neglect
• fearfulness, coercion or a companion answering for the patient
• signs that the patient cannot access medication, food, hygiene or appointments
• pressure about money, treatment cost or payment from another person
• concerns about capacity, undue influence or forced decision-making
• disclosure of abuse, neglect or exploitation

The Practice records the concern and follows the local authority adult safeguarding route where the threshold appears met.

10. Referral routing

The Practice keeps a live referral sheet with:

• local authority children's safeguarding contact or Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)
• local authority adult safeguarding contact
• Local Authority Designated Officer for allegations involving staff or people in a position of trust
• police contact for immediate risk or suspected crime
• NHS safeguarding lead contact where the Practice holds an NHS contract
• out-of-hours safeguarding contact
• FGM mandatory-reporting route for known cases in under-18s where the duty applies

Staff call emergency services immediately where there is immediate danger.

11. Staff allegations

Where a safeguarding allegation involves a member of staff, associate, locum, trainee or contractor, the Registered Manager:

• makes the person safe from further contact with the patient where needed
• preserves records
• contacts the Local Authority Designated Officer where the allegation concerns a child
• contacts the local authority adult safeguarding team where the allegation concerns an adult at risk
• considers police referral where a crime may have been committed
• considers CQC notification and GDC referral where required
• records the management decision and advice received

No staff member investigates an allegation about themselves.

12. Training cadence

The Practice maps safeguarding training to staff role.

Verivius default levels are:

• Level 1: all staff, including reception and administrative staff
• Level 2: staff with direct patient contact
• Level 3: safeguarding lead, Registered Manager and clinicians with responsibility for assessing and acting on higher-risk concerns

The Practice verifies exact training levels, frequency and provider requirements against local safeguarding partnership guidance, NHS contract requirements where applicable and current professional guidance before adoption.

13. Recording requirements

The safeguarding record should include:

• date and time
• patient name and date of birth
• staff member recording
• facts observed
• words used by the patient or carer, where relevant
• body map or clinical notes where injury is visible and within clinical scope
• immediate action taken
• advice received
• referral made
• reference number
• follow-up action owner
• date for review

Records are factual, contemporaneous and stored securely. Access is limited to staff who need it for safeguarding or governance purposes.

14. Links to registers and action tracking

• Every concern is opened in the safeguarding register, even when the eventual decision is that no external referral is required.
• An injury, treatment delay, medicines concern or other patient-safety event is also linked to the incident register where appropriate.
• A complaint, staff allegation, whistleblowing concern or identified service risk is linked to its own record rather than copied into an untracked note.
• Referral, advice, notification, follow-up and enquiry actions have named owners and review dates.
• Training, supervision or policy actions are entered in the training matrix or improvement-actions register and stay open until evidence of completion is reviewed.

15. Governance and audit

The Registered Manager reviews safeguarding records at least quarterly, or more often where risk requires it.

The review checks:

• concerns were recorded promptly
• referrals were made to the right route
• staff allegations were escalated outside the Practice
• actions were completed
• training records are current
• learning was shared with staff without breaching confidentiality

Review cadence: annual or on regulatory change, whichever sooner. Owner: Registered Manager.

16. Related policies in this pack

• Safeguarding adults policy
• Consent policy
• Incident reporting, investigation and learning policy
• Whistleblowing and raising concerns policy
• Safe recruitment policy

17. Related guidance

• Regulation 13 safeguarding explainer

18. Sources and further reading

This template is based on CQC's guidance for providers and managers, the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, and other topic-specific legislation and guidance listed below. It is a starting point for adaptation, not a substitute for legal, clinical, HR, safeguarding or specialist professional advice.

• CQC Regulation 13: Safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/2936/regulation/13)
• Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
• Care Act 2014, section 42 (safeguarding adults)
• Local authority safeguarding adults procedures
• Care and Support Statutory Guidance
• Children Act 1989, section 47, and Children Act 2004
• Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026
• Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025 where education-adjacent
• Local Safeguarding Children Partnership procedures
• Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) procedures
• NSPCC safeguarding guidance
• DBS barring referral guidance
• GDC guidance on child protection and vulnerable adults: https://www.gdc-uk.org/standards-guidance/standards-and-guidance/gdc-guidance-for-dental-professionals/guidance-on-child-protection-and-vulnerable-adults
• GDC Standards for the Dental Team: https://standards.gdc-uk.org/
• Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/31/contents
• GOV.UK multi-agency statutory guidance on female genital mutilation: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/multi-agency-statutory-guidance-on-female-genital-mutilation
• Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Human Rights Act 1998 (Article 5 ECHR), where a concern engages capacity or deprivation of liberty. The Supreme Court judgment of 2 June 2026 and CQC statement of 8 June 2026 take immediate effect. DHSC published guidance on the judgment on 15 June 2026. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Regulation 11 requirements are unchanged. (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-definition-of-deprivation-of-liberty/uk-supreme-court-2026-judgment-on-what-constitutes-a-deprivation-of-liberty)

19. When to seek further advice

Seek specialist advice where the issue involves serious harm, safeguarding, deprivation of liberty, restraint, children, professional misconduct, controlled drugs, radiation, termination of pregnancy, infection outbreak, water safety, employment dismissal, DBS barring referral, or regulatory enforcement.

20. Document control

This sample policy template was issued by Verivius. It is a template, not a substitute for legal advice or the provider's own policy-development process. Where this template and live law or regulator guidance diverge, the live source wins.