When Silence Speaks Volumes: Spotting the Warning Signs of a Closed Culture
If you haven’t had a safeguarding alert or whistleblowing report in months — are you confident that’s because everything is fine?
In reality, silence can signal something far more dangerous: a closed culture, where staff don’t feel safe to speak up, and issues go unreported.
🚩 Warning Signs to Look Out For
A ‘nothing to report’ culture might actually mean staff fear the consequences of reporting. Key signs include:
- Very low levels of internal safeguarding or whistleblowing reports
- Staff unable to name your safeguarding lead or policy
- Managers reacting defensively to concerns
- No lessons learned or changes made following past incidents
💬 What an Open Culture Looks Like
In a healthy, safe culture, staff:
- Raise small concerns early, before they escalate
- Feel confident they’ll be heard and supported
- Trust that raising concerns won’t damage their job security
You should see regular reporting, review, and improvement — not a void.
📝 Show This in Your Tender
Commissioners aren’t impressed by “no concerns raised”. They want to see:
- Evidence of ongoing reflection and improvement
- Systems that actively encourage staff to speak up
- Examples of learning from issues raised and how you fed that back to your team
Don’t let silence be misunderstood. Show that you’ve built a culture of trust, safety and transparency — because that’s what safeguarding really requires.
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Chat on WhatsApp or email Mike.Harrison@impact-guru.co.uk
Updated for Procurement Act 2023 • CQC-aligned • BASE-aligned (where relevant)