Safeguarding communications between multiagency professionals when working with children and young people: A qualitative study

Problem: Open and responsive safeguarding communications between multiagency professionals who work with children and young people can be critical. Few studies have examined the experience of interprofessional safeguarding communications, and most reports are of social workers. This study explored safeguarding communications from the perspectives of four disciplines. Method: Semistructured interviews were conducted in (London) England with 11 professionals who were purposively sampled for their involvement in safeguarding and child protection work: school nurses (n = 4); teachers (n = 3); general practitioner (n = 1); and social workers (n = 3). Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analyzed. Findings: Five themes emerged from participant data to describe their experiences of safeguarding communications: communication technology; care coordination; professional relationships; information sharing; and, resources. Conclusions: Although participants reported positive experiences they also encountered significant communication challenges in their safeguarding roles. Complex technology could alienate as well as connect professionals, for which some IT system and process improvements were recommended. However, participants also wanted more opportunities for face-to-face contact. Their experiences indicate that effective safeguarding communications are best assured by both.