Understanding Unidentified Adults

Welcome to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Local Safeguarding Children Partnership’s (LSCPs) Understanding Unidentified Adults Toolkit.

The term ‘Unidentified Adult’ refers to an adult who agencies are not aware of, or not engaging with. Other terms frequently used included ‘connected adult’, ‘hidden adult’ and ‘unseen adult’. An unidentified adult could be living within a household where children live or be someone who has regular contact with children. This can be in any capacity, such as parent, partner, grandparent, non-family member etc.

There is an abundance of information, both locally and nationally, emphasising the importance of identifying individuals who have contact with a child or reside in a child’s household. Many reviews have identified professionals not recognising and assessing key adults, including fathers, mothers/fathers’ partners, extended family members, and friends who are involved in the care of children who have subsequently experienced harm or tragically lost their lives.

This toolkit has been developed to support practitioners in identifying and assessing all adults who have a role in a child’s life.