Learn what contact time with family is and how you can make it a positive experience for a child.
What to do if you’re worried about a child’s safety
If you’re worried about a child’s safety or welfare, you can make a report or follow up on a report you don’t think has been taken seriously.
This advice applies to: England and Wales
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If you believe that a child is in immediate danger you must call 999.
How to make a report
If it’s not an emergency, you can call 101 or report a crime to the police online.
You should also report your concerns to your social care team (also known as your local safeguarding team).
If you are worried about a child’s safety but aren’t sure whether to report it, call the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, email them at help@nspcc.org.uk or fill in their “report abuse online” form.
Read the section on warning signs to look out for to find out how to spot signs of abuse and what to report.
What happens once a report is made
Whoever you contact will decide what to do next, based on the information you have provided. They may need to gather more information to decide what the appropriate action is, ask someone else (such as a social worker) to investigate, or they may contact the police if they feel the child is in immediate danger.
If you have reported your concerns to the children’s social care team, they will tell you what happens next. But they won’t be able to share any confidential information with you.
What to do if your report isn’t taken seriously
If you have raised a safeguarding concern about a child in your care and feel that it’s not being taken seriously, there are steps you can take to follow up and make your voice heard. You may also want to get legal advice.
Ask for an update
You have a right to know that action is being taken to keep the child safe. Contact the social work team and ask for a general update. While they won’t be able to share confidential details, they should be able to explain, generally, what is being done to safeguard the child.
Contact the team manager
If you’re unhappy with the response from the social worker, you should escalate your concerns to the team manager directly.
You can ask them to:
- look into how your concerns have been handled
- confirm what safeguarding actions have been taken so far
Write to the director of children’s services
If you are still not satisfied, you can raise your concerns with the Director of Children’s Services at your local council.
Explain:
- what concerns you have raised
- what response you have had
- why you are still concerned
The director is responsible for how children’s social care is run in your area and can step in if needed.
Call the NSPCC Helpline
If you feel that nothing is being done, you can also contact the NSPCC. They offer free, confidential advice and can refer concerns back to Children’s Services if needed. You don’t have to give your name if you’d prefer to remain anonymous.
NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000
Keep a record
Keep a record of everything, what your concerns are, who you’ve spoken to, when you contacted them, and what was said. Keeping good records can be really helpful if you need to take things further in future.
Warning signs to look out for
There will be different warning signs to look out for, depending on the type of abuse. We have highlighted a few of the types of abuse that a child may be experiencing, but there are many more types of abuse detailed on the NSPCC website, such as bullying, grooming and child sexual exploitation.
Physical abuse
Physical abuse can include hitting, punching, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, scalding, drowning, suffocating, unsafe handling or inappropriate restraint, and misuse of medication that would cause physical harm.
What to look out for:
- unexplained recurrent injuries, marks or burns
- covering injuries with clothing, even in hot weather
- fear of physical contact and shrinking back if touched
Emotional abuse
Emotional abuse can include threats of harm or abandonment, lack of physical contact, humiliation, blaming, bullying (including cyber bullying), controlling behaviour, intimidation, overprotection, verbal abuse, isolation and expectations which are inappropriate for the developmental stage of the child.
What to look out for:
- reduced physical, mental, and emotional development
- constantly putting themselves down, for example, ‘I’m stupid’, ‘I’m ugly’, ‘I’m worthless’
- inappropriate response to pain, for example, ‘I deserve this’
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse is when a child or young person is forced or enticed to take part in sexual activities by an adult or another child. This includes physical abuse such as sexual assault, sexual acts or rape. It may also involve non-physical contact, such as being sent sexually explicit photos or video, porn, or being groomed online.
What to look out for:
- extreme reactions, such as depression, self-harm, suicide attempts, running away, overdoses or anorexia
- personality changes, such as becoming insecure or clingy
- being secretive about who they are talking to and what they’re doing online
- being isolated or withdrawn
- using language or sexual behaviour you wouldn’t expect them to know at their developmental age
- medical problems, such as chronic itching, pain in the genitals or sexually transmitted diseases
- avoiding being alone with, or being frightened of, someone they know
Neglect
Neglect is when an adult fails to meet the physical, and or psychological needs of the child. This could include, not providing adequate food, shelter or warmth. It could also include failure to provide access to health care or ignoring medical needs, and failure to ensure the safety of the child from physical harm or danger.
What to look out for:
- constant hunger or tiredness
- poor personal hygiene and lack of cleanliness (for example, unwashed clothing)
- untreated medical problems
- poor or no social relationships
Support from Kinship
It is your responsibility to raise your own concerns about the safety of a child directly with the local authority.
If you still need help after taking the steps above, you can contact the Kinship advice team for free, non-judgmental advice and information if you live in England or Wales. Please note that, as a charity, we are completely independent from your local authority.
We also offer a range of free support for all kinship carers, including:
How to plan and organise contact time with family to reduce stress and make it a positive experience for the child.
Information about parental responsibility and how it can be obtained.
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