What do you do if you think a child is being abused?

The protection of children is everyone's concern and is in the news a great deal but would you know what to do if you thought that a child was being hurt or abused?

Every local authority has a different process for dealing with this kind of information. In Southampton services were reorganised in July 2003 so that the response to referrals and enquiries could be improved. 

Part of the improvements introduced the 'golden number' which is 02380 833336. People ringing this number can access any member of staff in the Children and Families Division. So, if you are concerned about a child you can contact social services on this number. You will be asked the name and/or address of the child you are calling about. This is so that we can check if the department knows the child and if there is a social worker already involved.

If there is a social worker already allocated to the family you will be put through to them, or if they are not available a duty social worker.

If the child/ren are not known or do not have any current involvement with social services you will be put through to an Information Officer who will take the relevant details of the child/ren. They will also discuss your concerns with you. They will then discuss the information with their line manager who will then decide what action can be taken.

The office is open from 8.30am until 5pm Monday to Thursday and 8.30am until 4.30pm on Fridays. There is an out of hours where you can contact if you believe that it is an emergency. The number for this service is 02380 233344.

If you think that a child is in immediate danger i.e. young child left on its own, you can also contact the police.

So, if you are concerned about a specific child, or just want to talk through concerns you may have, ring the golden number to talk things through with a member of staff.

Southampton Local Safeguarding Children's Board
LSCBs are statutory bodies in each UK Local Authority to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. This is laid out in the Children Act 2004 and elaborated on in ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ (2006).

Each LSCB has the function to co-ordinate and ensure the effectiveness of responses from all agencies involved in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

Southampton LSCBBased on the requirements of the Children Act 2004 and “Working Together” (2006), Southampton’s LSCB brings together representatives of each of the main agencies and professionals responsible for helping to safeguard children. The LSCB agrees how the different agencies must co-operate to safeguard children in Southampton and make sure that these arrangements work effectively to bring about good outcomes for children.

An independent chair currently chairs the Southampton LSCB.

The Board meets on a bi-monthly basis throughout the year, with meetings being held in January, March, May, July, September and November.

In addition there are a number of sub-committees that carry out the work of the main committee. All of the sub-committees have diverse memberships with representatives across the main agencies involved in safeguarding children. They all meet regularly with a minimum of one meeting being held between each meeting of the LSCB.
How to get more information:

Trish Newcombe, LSCB Business Manager on  023 8083 3803