Children's social care frequently asked questions

Child protection is about protecting a child who may be experiencing child abuse already or there is information to suggest they may experience abuse in future if the right help and support is not put in place.

If you contact us to report a concern about a child, you need to make contact via telephone to the Children’s Resource Service or, if out of hours, the Emergency Duty Team. The details you have provided will be reviewed by a manager to identify if further action is needed to ensure the family receives the right help from the right person at the right time, protect the child(ren), or to gather further information to ensure that their needs are being met. If you are calling out of hours and there is not immediate risk of harm to a child it may be your details are gathered for a telephone call to be made to you by the Children’s Resource Service within working hours. If you have parental responsibility for the child(ren) you will be informed about what is happening with the information you have given.

If you are a professional, you will receive written feedback after the conversation is held of what the agreed outcome is and the next steps to be taken.

If you are a professional working in emergency services such as ambulance services, police or working with NSPCC ChildLine we will still accept reports via email.

If you are a professional working shift work out of hours at the University Hospital in Southampton, and you are not working the next working day, you should first make contact with our Emergency Duty Team to have the conversation. If this is not possible, you can send an email to the Children's Resource Service: ChildrensResourceService@southampton.gov.uk with your summary account of what your worries are, the information of who the family are, what conversations have been held with the family about this referral and the family’s contact details. Within this email you must copy in your Safeguarding Lead and include for us the name and number of who we can contact from your organisation within working hours to have a further conversation about this referral.

It may be that you are ringing for advice and are provided signposting to services that may be able to help.

If you are a member of the public and request that you remain anonymous, the parents will not be told, however they may be able to tell from the information discussed.

If you are a professional the parents will be told that you have contacted Children’s Social Care. It is best practice to let the parents know that you are making contact with Children’s Social Care and to gain consent for this, unless by doing so you are concerned that this may place the child or children at risk of harm.

You will not be contacted with the outcome of your referral if you are not a professional involved with the family or an adult with parental responsibility for the child. Read more about the process of reporting a concern about a child if you are a professional.

If there is a concern that a crime has been committed against a child(ren), or that the child(ren) and a member of their family are in need of protection by the police, the police will be involved. They will work with the social worker so together they can decide the best way to keep the child safe from harm.

If further information is required to decide on the level of support or intervention required, the police are part of the Children's Resource Service.

Read more about reporting a concern about a child.

Many parents find it hard to cope at times. If you ever feel that you may harm your own child you should talk to someone about it. If you feel that this is an emergency, please call 999 immediately. You can contact Southampton Children and Families’ Social Care on 023 8083 3004 and speak to us. You could also speak to a health visitor, your family doctor or any professional that you know. You might find our Children and Families First support useful or be interested in other resources.