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Everyone has a duty to keep children safe. The Children in Need team is there to investigate suspicions of abuse or neglect of children.
People often worry about contacting us, thinking we will come in and remove the kids. Like many things this is exaggerated by TV and magazines - Children’s Services are in reality there to try to keep families together, wherever this is possible. Only a fraction of 1% of referrals to the Children in Need team result in emergency action. Decisions to remove children are only made in the most extreme situations where children are at imminent risk of serious harm, and then only if agreed by the Police or a Court.
You can make a referral by telephone, email, fax or in writing, dependent on the urgency of the situation. Confidential information should not be sent via email, unless from a secure server. It is possible to make an anonymous referral, but we prefer to know who you are so we can clarify details with you if necessary – we can still keep your name out of our discussions with the family.
When you contact Children’s Services about a child we are not working with you will speak to a Referral Coordinator. Their role is to gather basic information and provide information on other services that could be helpful. The Referral Coordinator will ask you about the family, such as the names and ages of the children if you know these.
Tell us what you are worried about. The following questions really help us to understand your concerns and should help you set out what you are worried about:
- Exactly what harm has the child experienced – be clear about the details, the words used by children and families and who observed what
- How serious is the harm
- What risk there is of harm in the future
- Whether the parents are trying to keep the children safe
- What other information backs up your concern. Who else is worried about this family
What happens next?
Once the referral coordinator has taken details and accepted the referral the case will be passed to a Social Worker who may need to contact you or the family for more details. We aim to make a decision about what to do within 1 working day of your contact – for urgent concerns decisions will be made much quicker.
The Referral Coordinator or Social Worker will write to you within 1 working day to confirm receipt of your referral and that we have taken account of the information to keep the children safe. Everyone has a right to privacy, so we will not be able to tell you what happens with the family but where we suspect a child is at risk of significant harm we have a duty to investigate and act to protect the children, along with other agencies working with the children (such as schools and health visitors).
Related Websites
Contact Children in Need Service
- Tel: 01803 208100
- Email: mash@torbay.gcsx.gov.uk
- Fax: N/A
