What is a lower-level concern?

What is a lower-level concern?

A lower-level concern is any small worry, nagging doubt, or uneasy feeling that someone may have behaved in a way that doesn’t follow your organisation’s code of conduct. It might not be serious enough to involve the police or children’s services, but it can still impact someone's wellbeing and it still matters.

Imagine a sports bag filled with balls. Each ball represents a small worry. One ball is light, but the more balls you add to the bag, the heavier the bag weighs until it's too much to handle. Some may even get dropped. Just like unspoken or unrecorded worries. 

Don’t carry the load alone. Record and report even the little things, as and when they happen. Each one helps keep children safe.

Download our posters to help promote recording and reporting of lower-level concerns in your organisation. 

Where can lower-level concerns happen?

A lower-level concern can happen:

• at work
• during volunteering
• in sport or other activities
• even outside of these settings.

They’re sometimes called poor practice and can be early signs of bigger problems.

Examples of lower-level concerns

These behaviours may seem minor on their own but can build up over time and are not insignificant.

• Over-familiarity or favouritism
• Swearing or aggressive behaviour around children
• Coaching while smelling of alcohol
• Humiliating team bonding activities
• Overly personal compliments with physical contact
• Messaging young athletes privately on social media
• Walking through changing rooms while children are getting changed
• Giving a child a lift home alone
• Ignoring policies or failing to record concerns

Why recording and reporting these concerns matter

Even small behaviours can:

• break professional boundaries
• create unsafe environments
• lead to serious safeguarding issues if ignored

Dealing with lower-level concerns creates a safer environment where everybody knows what behaviour is and isn’t okay. It prevents unacceptable behaviour from happening again.

Recording and reporting them helps:

• spot patterns of risky behaviour
• prevent further harm before it happens
• support staff with training and accountability
• protect children and adults from false allegations
• highlight neglect or emotional harm
• reveal poor practice or risks that can be addressed

How to manage lower-level concerns

Create a safe culture

• Encourage staff to speak up about any concern as and when it happens, no matter how small they think it is
• Promote openness and transparency, especially when people make mistakes
• Avoid dismissing or minimising concerns
• Act on all concerns and consider what changes your organisation can make to prevent lower-level concerns from arising
• Listen to children, gain their feedback and use it to inform your ways of working

Follow clear procedures

• Use a reporting form (this could be a stand-a-lone lower-level concerns form or your standard incident reporting forms)
• Record the date, time, and details
• Save in a secure and central location and ensure forms are reviewed regularly to spot patterns and risk. Information should be kept in compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).
• Report in accordance with your organisation procedures

Respond appropriately

• Respond to any lower-level concern with the same seriousness and empathy as a report of abuse or harm
• Speak to those involved (unless advised otherwise) and offer support or signposting to support
• Offer training or professional development if needed
• Monitor for repeated behaviours
• Escalate to statutory services if needed

When to escalate

Contact the NSPCC Helpline 0808 800 5000 (which you can also do anonymously), your NGB Designated Safeguard Lead, or your local children’s services if:

• There’s evidence of abuse or neglect
• You notice a pattern of concerning behaviour that suggests risk