Council and democracy

What can I do if I suspect a child is being abused?

If you suspect for any reason that a child is not being treated correctly, please contact the following numbers:

• The Police 999
• Children, Schools & Families (including out of hours):
  01438 737500
  (callers from 0208 and 01923 dialling codes may wish to dial 01923 471500 in order to be charged at local call rates)
• The Child Abuse Investigation Unit 01707 354000. This is a specialist team with countywide responsibility for undertaking child protection investigations.

Also, use the above contact numbers, if you believe a child or group of children may be being targetted by someone in your area.

What will happen if I make a referral?

When you call Children, Schools & Families on the above number, your referral will be passed to Client Services.

Client Services consists of a group of specially trained staff who will take the details of your call, and pass these on to the appropriate team.

In order to avoid you having to answer lots of questions several times over, they will ask all relevant details to help them gain a picture of your concerns. This will include names, addresses etc. Once you have made your referral, this will be logged and sent to the relevant team. If you have agreed to be contacted, someone from the team may contact you for some more information or to clarify any points. If you choose to remain anonymous you will not be contacted again.

As a concerned member of the public, your referral will be treated in the strictest confidence.