If you are worried or have concerns about the safety of a child you can not make a referral from this website.
All referrals from professionals must be made in writing (preferrably by e mail on the attached form|). This process does not exclude the continued offer of professional advice from a duty social worker or include referrals from members of the public.
On occasions where there are concern about the immediate risk of harm the referring agency should act quickly and contact Children's Social Care by telephone and follow the referral up in writing within 24 hours. During office hours you should contact Gateshead Council Referral and Assessment Team on (0191) 433 2410. Out of hours you can contact the Emergency Duty Team on (0191) 477 0844.
In an emergency you should contact the Police on 999. For non-emergencies you can contact Northumbria Police on 03456 043 043.
When making a referral it is helpful to have as much information about the children as possible to ensure that the right advice is given and the appropriate actions are taken. You can make an anonymous referral if you wish, but personal information about non-professional referrers will not be disclosed to third parties (including the subject of the referral and their family) without the consent of the referrer.
If you are a young person with concerns about your own safety and you do not want to talk to the police or a social worker in Gateshead you can call Childline on 0800 1111. This is a free 24 hour number offering advice and support. You can also click on the link to access the Childline website|.
Members of the public can contact the NSPCC by text message on 88858 to report concerns about a child. This service is free and anonymous the NSPCC aim to respond within three hours. In an emergency you should always contact the Police and/or Children's Services.
All professionals making a referral to Gateshead Council Referral and Assessment Team you may be asked to follow your referral up in writing. You can access a copy of the referral form here| or in the Gateshead LSCB Inter-Agency Child Protection Procedures|, which can also be found on this site.
For further advice on what to do if you are worried about a child click on the following links for the full non-statutory guidance| and a summary document|.
The following two documents have also been prepared to assist practitioners to best identify whether a child is experiencing difficulties or has additional needs. An indicators of need frameworks has been produced as a guide to help determine at what level or by what agency any additional needs can be met. Please click on the following links for more information - Indicators of Need guidance|(pdf) and Indicators of Need framework| (pdf)
The need for family support should be considered at the first sign of difficulties and the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) instigated for all children who need additional services or support from more than one agency. Agencies are asked to consider this approach before making a referral to Children's Social Care. However, if following a CAF and Team Around the Family (TAF), the lead practitioner finds a continued rise of concerns, particularly if the child is thought to be suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm then a written referral should be made to Referral and Assessment with the CAF documentation as supporting evidence. Obviously if there are urgent and immediate child protection concerns then a child protection referral should be made.
For more information about the CAF process and Gateshead Children's Trust, please visit the Gateshead Children's Trust website by clicking here. |