Child protection for family and friends carers

If you are concerned about a child in Norfolk and want to speak to someone, contact us on 0344 800 8020. If you consider the incident to be an emergency, call 999.

What child protection means

Child protection means that there are significant concerns about the safety or wellbeing of a child.

More about keeping children safe.

What happens when there are significant concerns

• We (children's services) have a duty to investigate. Parents and carers need to allow an investigation to take place. They must make the child available to a social worker.
• We will act to improve the safety and wellbeing of the child. Being in the care of a friends and family (kinship) carer may make the child safer. As a family and friends carer, there may be things we expect you to do to keep the child safe.
• The child will have a social worker. There will be regular meetings to review progress on improving things for the child. These are called core groups.
• There will be child protection conferences. These will decide whether the child still needs a child protection plan. This includes the actions needed to safeguard the child.

You can Report child safety concerns.

Child protection concerns for a child in your care

If there are, or have been, child protection concerns for the child you are caring for, there may be:

• Looked after child (LAC) reviews, procedures and meetings
• Child protection procedures and meetings

We will invite you, as a friends and family carer, to the LAC reviews. We may invite you to the core groups and child protection conferences too.

This might be to give your own point of view, or to support the child's parent who may be your friend or relative.

We may ask you to wait outside for part of the meeting to respect the confidentiality of the parent or child.