Jill Webb Training recently developed a different type of course – one looking at professional curiosity, a key skill that anyone involved in safeguarding needs. Professional curiosity is the art of looking below the surface of situations, processes, long-held practices, and organisational assumptions. It means asking direct questions, listening carefully to the answers (and, just as importantly, what isn’t being said), checking information, and challenging people and systems.
At its heart, professional curiosity means maintaining a genuine, open-minded interest in the people and situations we encounter. It’s about asking what, why, and how: not to interrogate people, but to understand actions, situations, and systems better. In safeguarding terms, it is one of the keys to gaining a holistic understanding of a person’s or family’s circumstances.
For example, if a parent repeatedly misses appointments, curiosity prompts us to ask why, rather than simply recording non-attendance. Is there something preventing them from engaging? Are they struggling with transport, finances, confidence, or fear of professionals? Or, possibly, are they hiding or avoiding something. Each of these answers would lead us down a very different path of support.
Why curiosity matters
Serious Case Reviews and Safeguarding Adult Reviews often point to a lack of professional curiosity as a critical factor. Workers may have accepted information at face value, relied too heavily on the views of others, or been too polite or overworked to ask the difficult questions.
Professional curiosity helps guard against these blind spots. It encourages us to see the person, not just the paperwork; to connect the dots across agencies; and to challenge systems and processes when they no longer seem to serve their purpose.
In this sense, curiosity is both an individual skill and an organisational value. Cultures that encourage curiosity are those where staff feel psychologically safe to ask questions, challenge decisions, or share concerns without fear of blame. This approach is absolutely essential; and such a culture needs actively building. It won’t happen naturally or accidentally.
Developing professional curiosity
The good news is that curiosity can be developed. It’s not something we’re either born with or without: it’s a practice we can strengthen through reflection, supervision, and shared learning.
Training courses like the one we have developed provide valuable opportunities to explore both the theory and the lived experience of professional curiosity. By discussing real-life case studies and engaging in reflective exercises, practitioners can examine how bias, time pressure, or emotional fatigue might affect their ability to stay curious.
Some simple ways to build professional curiosity include:
- Ask open questions. Replace “Did you…?” with “Can you tell me about…?”
- Listen for what’s missing. Silence, hesitation, or vague answers may signal something important. Read body language.
- Triangulate information. Check what you’re told with other sources, colleagues, or records.
- Reflect, don’t react. Take a moment to consider whether your assumptions are shaping your interpretation.
- Challenge respectfully. Curiosity is not confrontation – it’s about testing understanding in a constructive way.
Curiosity in context
In the UK, professional curiosity has become an increasingly prominent theme in safeguarding guidance and inspection frameworks. Local Safeguarding Partnerships now emphasise the importance of ‘respectful uncertainty’ – the ability to remain open to alternative explanations and avoid becoming overly reassured by one version of events.
This reflects a shift towards more reflective, relationship-based practice. Rather than simply following procedures, practitioners are encouraged to think critically, share insights across disciplines, and view each situation through multiple lenses.
A habit worth cultivating
Ultimately, professional curiosity is not just about asking questions, it’s about caring enough to understand. It requires patience, empathy, and – often – courage. By cultivating curiosity at every level – from individual practitioners to organisational leaders – we create safer, more responsive services that truly see and support the people we are there to support.
Have a think about how you can enhance your own professional curiosity – or, respectful nosiness as it’s sometimes affectionately known in safeguarding circles.