This page contains information about child protection enquiries and child protection conferences and how it may affect you as a parent, carer or young person involved. If you have concerns about a child in Gateshead please click here| for information about who to talk to.
Gateshead LSCB partner agencies have a legal duty to investigate situations where there are concerns raised about the safety or welfare of a child and Gateshead LSCB partner agencies work closely together to protect the children of Gateshead.
We realise that you will probably have a lot of questions if your family are involved in a child protection investigation The Gateshead Council website contains detailed information about how these investigations take place. Please click here to take you directly to the page|. We have also produced leaflets for parents and carers which explain how the process takes place. Your social worker should provide you with a copy of this leaflet, but if you want to read this online please click here to access the leaflet|.
In some cases an Initial Child Protection Conference may be held. This brings together all of the people who are concerned about the child or children and allows them to share information. Again, your social worker should be able to answer your questions, but the Gateshead Council website also has more information. Please click here to take you directly to the page|. Parents are usually invited to child protection conferences and encouraged to attend. If it is appropriate children will also be invited to attend - usually if they are over 14, but this can be discussed with your social worker and the independent chair of the conference.
We have produced a number of leaflets about child protection conferences in Gateshead. These should be shared with you before the conference, but please click on links below to read them online.
Information on child protection conferences for parents and carers|
Information for younger children on child protection conferences|
Information for older children on child protection conferences|
If you need any more information on child protection conferences please contact the Safeguarding Children Unit on (0191) 433 8031 and ask to speak to one of the Independent Reviewing Officers.
You may still receive services from a social worker to support your family, even if your case isn't discussed at an Initial Child Protection Conference. There are a number of social work teams in Gateshead and your allocated social worker will depend on the individual needs of your family, for example the are social workers specially trained in child protection work and other specially trained in working with children with disabilities. For more information on what all of the different social work teams to, please click here to access the relevant section of the Gateshead Council website. |
For information on Gateshead LSCB partner agencies please click on the links (their names) to access their websites:
Gateshead Council|, Northumbria Police|, Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust|, Gateshead Primary Care Trust|, CAFCASS|, Northumbria Probation Trust|, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust|, Tyne & Wear Fire and Rescue Service|, Gateshead College|, UK Border Agency|, North East Ambulance Service|