This toolkit has been developed as a guide for professionals seeking to explore intimate or family relationships with curiosity and confidence. It brings together language and insights shared by practitioners across children’s services, adult services, health, housing, police and community settings in a workshop held in March 2025.

The purpose of this toolkit is to strengthen and support your existing professional instincts. Professional curiosity isn’t about having the “right” question or the perfect wording. It’s about being present, noticing when something feels ‘off’ and creating enough safety for someone to share what they need to say.

It is not a formal process or a script. It is a way of:

• Observing what you see, hear, and sense
• Noticing when something doesn’t feel right
• Naming your concern sensitively and transparently
• Inviting the person to tell you more, in their own words

This toolkit focuses on responsive enquiry — asking questions that arise naturally from what you observe. Many domestic abuse-related death reviews and safeguarding adults reviews highlight missed opportunities where professionals had information or observed injuries, abusive behaviour, or subtle cues but did not explore them further. This resource is designed to support you in those moments.

Please access the toolkit below:

Professional Curiosity Enquiry Toolkit: Exploring concerns about domestic abuse