Start here
I’m worried about my children.
Start with the child’s immediate safety and ordinary daily needs. Separate genuine safeguarding concerns from adult disagreement and record facts carefully.
- Orient yourself
- Take action
- Choose the next step
Decide whether this is an emergency.
If someone is in immediate danger, call 999. For a non-emergency safeguarding concern, contact the local authority children’s services team.
Write down what happened.
Record dates, exact words, visible injuries or changes in behaviour, and who was present. Distinguish what you saw from what someone told you.
Use existing professionals.
A GP, school safeguarding lead, health visitor or social worker may be able to record concerns and support the child.
Keep the child out of the case.
Do not question repeatedly, rehearse evidence or ask a child to choose sides. Reassure them that adult decisions are not their responsibility.
Keep in mind
- A child’s wishes and feelings matter, but children should not be made responsible for the outcome.
- Share information only with people who genuinely need it.
- If Cafcass is involved, it represents the child’s interests—not either parent.