Safeguarding and reporting a concern

Adults who work with children and young people with SEND should be aware of the additional needs children may have that could mean they are more vulnerable to abuse and/or less able to speak out if something is not right.

Some children may be vulnerable because they:

• have additional communication needs
• they do not understand that what is happening to them is abuse
• need intimate care or are isolated from others
• are dependent on adults for care

Learn more about the risk and vulnerability factors faced by children with disabilities on the NSPCC website.

Report a concern about a child

If you are worried about a child you need to complete the report a concern about a child form.

Reasons to report a concern

Examples of reasons for concern:

• are they attending school on a regular basis?
• are they attending health appointments?
• do they appear to be hungry?
• are they dressed appropriately for the weather?
• are they protected from harm by their parent or carer?
• do they have a stable home environment?
• are they exposed to domestic violence?
• are they exposed to alcohol or drugs?
• does parent/carer have mental health issues?

Out of hours service

The Children Assessment and Safeguarding Service run the out of hours service, which you can contact on 01472 326292 (option 2).

This service is for emergencies only and is open from 5pm to 8:30am.

Only contact the out of hours service if you have a concern where by a child is at immediate risk of harm.

Professionals reporting a concern

If you are a professional reporting a concern about a child please go to the Safer NEL website for more details.

Police contact numbers

Call 101 for Police non-emergency.

Call 999 for Police emergency.

Concern about adults

To report neglect or abuse of adults go to the focus adult social work website.