I am a professional

All those who come into contact with children and families in everyday work, including people who do not have a specific role in relation to child protection, have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. You are likely to be involved in three main ways:

• You may have concerns about a child, and you must refer those concerns to the Stay Safe team at Children and Young People Services or the police
• You may be approached by social services and asked to provide information about a child or family or to be involved in an assessment or to attend a child protection conference. This may happen regardless of who made the referral to social services
• You may be asked to carry out or contribute to a specific type of assessment, or provide help or a specific service to the child or a member of their family as part of an agreed plan and contribute to the reviewing of the child's progress (including attending child protection conferences and core groups)

You can contact the Stay Safe Team at Children and Young People Services Teams on:

Stay Safe Team 0845 6789006

Emergency Duty Team (Out of Hours) 0845 678 9040

In an emergency, call the police on 08457 444888 and ask to speak to a child protection police officer.

Or the NSPCC Tel: 0808 800 5000 - this is the freephone Child Protection Helpline, available 24 hours a day.