Report concerns
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.
We can help keep children and young people safe throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
It is more important than ever that extended family, friends, neighbours and communities speak up and say something if they have concerns. It is everyone's responsibility to keep children safe and report concerns. We all need to play our part.
Advice on how to keep in touch with children you know and how to spot signs of vulnerability.
Where to go for help
In an emergency, always call the police on 999.
If you are worried about the safety or welfare of a child please call us on 0344 800 8020.
If you see something, or hear something that doesn't feel right - say something.
Keeping children safe report concerns
What happens when someone contacts the County Council with concerns?
When a professional, family member or member of the public is concerned about a child's welfare or safety, they can contact us so we can look into it. This is called making an enquiry or referral.
The enquiry or referral will be handled by the Children's Advice and Duty Service (CADS). The CADS team is a team of experienced social workers, working in partnership with police, probation services and health service to safeguard children and vulnerable adults in the community.
When they receive an enquiry or referral, partners will share information to decide if:
- The child has been hurt or could be hurt in the future
- The child or you would benefit from support from other people who can help
If you call out of hours (such as weekends, bank holidays or evenings) your call will be taken by our out of hours staff. They will make a decision as to whether the information you give us needs to be dealt with immediately, or whether it can wait until our CADS service returns to work. The staff you speak to will tell you what to expect.
What happens to my personal information when I make a report?
Our Children's Services (Social Care) full privacy notice explains how we use your personal information when you contact us.
If you are calling with a safeguarding concern, you need to be aware that you have the right to remain anonymous, please state you want to remain anonymous when making your call. Whilst every effort will be made to respect your anonymity, as you may be known to the family who you are sharing your worries about, it is possible they may identify you as the referrer, beyond our control. Your identity will not be confirmed, but this will not stop the family making their own assumptions. If you would like any advice regarding this please talk with the person taking your call.
It is often the case that the call taker will need to talk to the person who you are sharing concerns about, this will involve making them aware of the worries that have been shared. The call taker can talk to you about the way they will do this so as to maintain your anonymity, for example leaving out specific details if you feel this could identify you. You can share any worries you have about this so that the call taker can consider how your worries are shared. However, please be aware that the safeguarding of children is of paramount importance and at times it will be necessary to share all of the worries in order to protect a child/children. This does not mean that your name or details will be shared, just the worries you have reported.
What happens after the enquiry or referral?
If the child is thought to have been hurt or is at risk of significant harm they will be referred to the appropriate team. Information may be shared with the police to help stop or solve a crime.
If there are no safeguarding concerns but we think your child or you would benefit from extra support, we will ask for your consent to share your child's name, address, reason for the enquiry and outcome with other agencies and services to offer you the support you need.