Professional Curiosity is the capacity and skills of communication to explore and understand what is happening for a person, rather than making assumptions or accepting things at face value. It requires skills of looking listening, asking direct questions and being able to hold difficult conversations. Professional Curiosity and challenge are a fundamental aspect of working together to keep adults and children safe from harm.

This approach is important in helping to identify abuse and neglect which can be less obvious and can ensure that the right information is gathered and shared to assess both needs and risks. Being professionally curious is necessary to fully understand a situation and the risks an individual may face, which are not always immediately obvious. Being more curious as professionals and 'digging deeper' into areas where there is little or no information will help to inform assessments and empower you to influence key moments of decision making to reduce risks for children and adults. Escalating concerns that could cause drift, delay and a shift in focus from the child's or adults best interests should be embraced and seen as effective care.

Look

• Is there anything about what you see when you meet the Adult, Child or their Family that makes you feel uneasy or prompts questions?
• Do you see behaviors which indicate abuse or neglect including coercion and control?
• Does what you see contradict or support what you are being told? How do family members/ other people in the household interact with each other and with you?

Ask

• Curious professionals will spend time engaging with families on visits. They will know that talk, play and touch can all be important to observe and consider.
• Do not presume you know what is happening in the family home, ask questions and seek clarity if you are not certain.
• Do not be afraid to ask questions of families, and do so in an open way so they know that you are asking to keep their child or adult safe, not to judge or criticise. 
• Be open to the unexpected, and incorporate information that does not support your initial assumptions into your assessment of what life is like for the child or adult in the family.

Listen

• Are you being told anything that needs further clarification?
• Is the adult or child or someone else in the family/household trying to tell you something verbally or by their non verbal cues?
• Are you concerned about how family members interact and what they say

Making time and finding a safe space to have a private conversation with an adult or child at risk or, who is subject to coercion and control can support open conversations. Children in particular, rarely disclose abuse and neglect directly to practitioners and, if they do, it will often be through unusual behaviour or comments. This makes identifying abuse and neglect difficult for professionals across agencies. We know that it is better to help as early as possible, before issues get worse. That means that all agencies and practitioners need to work together – The first step is to be professionally curious.

Clarify 

• Are there other professionals involved? What information do they have, is it useful to arrange a Multi- disciplinary discussion?
• Are other professionals being told the same or different things?
• Are others concerned?
• If so what action has been taken so far and is there anything else which could or should be done by you or someone else to support the adult or child?