Professional Practice · Case
Known, Suspected or At Risk?
These categories can lead to different legal and safeguarding consequences. Do not collapse them.
| Situation | Core professional question | Do not assume |
|---|---|---|
| Known | What exactly is known, how was it identified, who is the person, what is their age, and does a specific duty apply? | That every disclosure triggers the same duty for every professional. |
| Suspected | What facts create the concern, and what wider safeguarding route applies? | That suspicion equals proof. |
| At risk | What protective action is proportionate to the identified risk? | That you must wait for harm to occur before acting. |
FGM England/Wales: the specific mandatory-reporting duty is for defined known under-18 cases for specified professionals. Wider safeguarding remains relevant to suspected and at-risk situations.