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A key skill when managing disclosure is active listening. This makes those who are disclosing feel they are being listened to and are being taken seriously.

Active listening requires listeners to:

• Show you care, help them open up.
• Give your full attention and keep your body language open and encouraging.
• Be compassionate, be understanding and reassure them their feelings are important.
• Use phrases such as ‘this is not your fault’ or ‘you are so brave’ to help reassure them.
• Respect pauses and don’t interrupt – let them go at their own pace.
• Repeat back what they’ve said to check your understanding – and use their words to validate their experience.
• Use open questions, for example, ‘what happened next?’ Do not put words into their mouth.

Ensure that the disclosure is taking place in a confidential place where the person disclosing feels safe. Keep confidentiality and only disclose information to those who need to know (e.g., the Designated Safeguarding Officer).

It is good practice to write notes during this meeting of what the person is saying or as soon as it is over while your memory is still fresh. Make a note of their body language or any signs and symptoms. Do not include your opinion in your report.

Do not:

• Pre-judge the situation.
• Disregard the situation or deny what is being said.
• Show annoyance, anger or disapproval.
• Make promises which you may not be able to keep, for example, don’t promise to keep secrets when you know that you have a duty to report the matter to prevent further harm. Therefore, inform the person that you will need to report the matter further with their permission (if they are an adult) and based on any risks to their safety.
• Contact or confront the alleged perpetrator on your own (more about this later).
• Interview the person several times – this might reinforce to the person that they are not being believed.

We would emphasise here that only those who have had training and expertise should interview children or adults with disabilities as this requires professional skill.

This may include trained social workers, police officers, psychologists and paediatricians.

Safeguarding leads need to carefully consider how to manage disclosure so that survivors are not re-traumatised by the experience. For example, such interviews should take place with a trusted adult (of the survivor’s choosing) in the room to support them.

Before you move on to the next section, based on the information you have seen on managing disclosure, consider what action you could take to ensure that this good practice is included in your organisational safeguarding procedures.

Want to find out more?

This Safeguarding VR activity provides an opportunity to put yourself in the position of the person managing disclosure of sexual abuse.