End-of-Term Safeguarding Handover: What Must Be Communicated Before Christmas
End-of-term is a classic safeguarding risk point: routines change, staff rotate, and children disappear from view for days (sometimes weeks).
What's a practical safeguarding handover approach for Christmas?
A practical safeguarding handover for Christmas involves proactive planning, clear communication of emergency contacts (like DSLs/helplines), identifying vulnerable individuals, and having clear processes for disclosures, focusing on supporting families, managing online risks, and preparing for the increased vulnerabilities during the festive break.
- What must be communicated?
- How to share information safely?
- Out-of-hours and emergency contacts?
- Working with holiday providers. and
- How to ensure vulnerable children remain visible?
If a child is on your radar… who holds the baton over Christmas?
A safeguarding handover isn’t a “nice to have”. It’s what stops:
- Concerns being lost in inboxes
- Children becoming invisible over the break
- Professionals working with partial information
- Delays when something escalates
The aim is simple: the right people know the right information at the right time.
1) What counts as a safeguarding handover (and what doesn’t)
A handover is not:
- Forwarding a long email thread
- Assuming “the DSL knows”
- Leaving notes in a personal notebook
A handover is:
- A clear summary of current concerns
- Current risk level and protective factors
- Actions taken and what’s outstanding
- Who is responsible next
- How to escalate during the break
If you use safeguarding software or digital safeguarding records, the handover should point to the record and highlight the key actions/thresholds.
2) Ongoing cases: the minimum information that must travel
For children with ongoing concerns or plans, ensure the handover includes:
- The current status (open/closed, level of concern)
- Key dates (last contact, next review, deadlines)
- What the child has said (factual, relevant)
- What the family has said/done (factual)
- Agencies involved and named contacts
- Agreed safety plan (what to do if X happens)
Keep it necessary and proportionate — but don’t under-share to the point where the next professional can’t act.
3) Emergency contacts and out-of-hours procedures: remove guesswork
Over Christmas, people often don’t know who is “on”. That’s when delays happen.
- Who is the safeguarding lead on duty (and deputy)
- How they can be contacted
- What to do if they can’t be reached
- Local authority out-of-hours contact details
- Emergency services thresholds (when to call 999)
Make this visible to staff and, where appropriate, to families.
4) Information sharing with holiday providers: do it early, do it safely
If children will attend holiday provision (HAF, camps, clubs), the provider may need key safeguarding information.
- Share early (before the last day where possible)
- Share through approved channels (secure email/system)
- Share only what’s necessary to keep the child safe
- Confirm who the receiving safeguarding lead is
- Clarify what the provider will do if concerns arise
This is where teams often freeze with “GDPR”. The reality is: safe information sharing is part of safeguarding.
5) “Vulnerable children staying visible”: build a simple monitoring plan
Visibility doesn’t mean surveillance. It means you’ve thought about who might need extra support.
- Confirm which children are attending holiday provision
- Ensure known risks are flagged to the right safeguarding lead
- Plan a check-in point for the first week back
- Ensure staff know what “worrying change” looks like (presentation, attendance, disclosures)
If a child is not attending any provision and is a known concern, ensure the appropriate agency route is followed (not left to informal staff contact).
6) Staff transitions: handover isn’t just about children
End-of-term often includes supply staff, temporary cover or volunteers
Controls:
- Confirm who holds safeguarding responsibility each day
- Ensure staff hand over records and context properly
- Keep access to safeguarding systems role-based and up to date
7) Recording and audit trail: make your handover defensible
A good handover leaves an evidence trail:
- What was shared
- With whom
- When
- Why
- What the next steps are
This protects children and protects your organisation.
Quick quiz: safeguarding handover
- What’s the main purpose of an end-of-term safeguarding handover?
- A) To reduce admin because people need to have a break
- B) To ensure continuity and safe escalation when routines change
- C) To close cases quickly so that you start the new year with a clean slate
- What’s a common handover failure point?
- A) Too many mince people are involved
- B) Children being excited
- C) Assuming someone else has the information
- What’s best practice for sharing information with holiday providers?
- A) Share everything “just in case”
- B) Share necessary and proportionate information through secure channels, early
- C) Don’t share anything because of GDPR
Answer key: 1) B 2) C 3) B
Q&A: end-of-term safeguarding handover
Q1: Who should be involved in a safeguarding handover?
The DSL/safeguarding lead, relevant pastoral staff, and any professionals who will hold responsibility during the break.
Q2: What if we don’t have holiday provision — do we still need a handover?
Yes. You still need out-of-hours procedures, emergency contacts, and a plan for visibility and first-week-back monitoring.
Q3: What should a “good” handover summary look like?
Think “one page that enables action”.
Include:
- Current concern level and why
- Key facts (what was seen/heard, dates)
- Actions taken so far
- What’s outstanding and by when
- Agencies involved + named contacts
- Escalation plan over the break
If someone new picked it up tomorrow, could they act safely within 10 minutes? That’s the test.
Q4: How do we manage confidentiality when sharing handover information?
Use secure channels, share only what’s necessary, and record your rationale for sharing.
Q5: What should happen on the first week back?
Plan for a structured “return and review”:
- Brief staff on any key safeguarding themes (without gossip)
- Prioritise check-ins for children with known concerns
- Review attendance patterns and late returns
- Log any changes in presentation or disclosures promptly
- Confirm agencies are re-engaged where needed
This is where early help often prevents escalation.
Quick checklist: Week 51 handover essentials
- Named safeguarding lead/deputy for the break confirmed
- Out-of-hours escalation route shared with staff
- Ongoing cases summarised with clear next steps
- Holiday providers receive necessary safeguarding information securely
- Recording/audit trail completed in digital safeguarding records
- First-week-back monitoring plan agreed