Concerns relating to a person in a position of trust

Referrals relating to a person who has a position of trust over a child or young person under the age of 18 years and who may have caused harm to a child or young person through abuse, neglect or exploitation, should always be considered for IRD. The IRD process outlined below should be followed, with the additional considerations of whether to inform the relevant employer or organisation and whether this person continues to be a risk to the child or young person and/or any other child or young person.

If the threshold of significant harm has not been met and an IRD is deemed not suitable, consideration should be given to the referral details by the receiving agency. It may be necessary to notify the employer or relevant organisation of a person’s actions, as whilst not significant harm, the employer/relevant organisation may wish to investigate further.

It is essential that consideration is given to how information can best be exchanged and shared with the individual in a position of trust and whether information should not be shared if this may jeopardise a police investigation or place the child or young person, or any other child or young person, at risk of significant harm. Further guidance on information sharing can be found at Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) Practice Guidance 4 - Information sharing - gov.scot.