6.9 What are the differences between reports involving children to those involving adults?

Safeguarding is often assumed to apply only to children (under 18 years old), but it is just as relevant to adults who may experience harassment and abuse.

Both you and your organisation need to understand the main differences between child and adult safeguarding cases in the local context. The key difference is the principle that adults should be involved in decisions about what happens in their case. This forms part of a victim or survivor-centred approach.

Adults are considered to be able to make informed choices about what they want to happen and what they will do about abuse, and in some contexts, you may need their consent to share a concern. This is not the case for children, where you are required to act if you become aware of a concern.

The important thing is to understand the rules that apply in your context, and how they are different for children and adults.