One Suffolk - the website for all your Suffolk council and community services.

Safeguarding

Welcome.

This part of our website provides information for anyone who is concerned about safeguarding children and meeting their needs. This website is designed to be a point of reference that can provide some of the essential information you may need but it will predominantly signpost you to experienced, dedicated professionals/ organisations. This page will;

1. give you a very brief overview of safeguarding

2. give you guidance on what to do if you are concerned about a child or young person

3. signpost you to experienced, dedicated safeguarding professionals/organisations

4. give you access to useful safeguarding documents/information

Click on the links above to take you straight to the relevant part of this page.

What is safeguarding?

Safety is important for all children and young people and preventing harm from occurring in the first place is the best way to keep children and young people safe.

Children and young people should be able to enjoy safe environments wherever they spend their time. It is also vital that children, young people and their parents can develop a good understanding of risks to children’s safety and how to manage these.

This extract is taken from, “Staying Safe Action Plan” publication by Department for Children, schools and Families. Click here for the publication.

What ‘safeguarding’ means

The government guidance on ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children – 2006’ defines safeguarding children and promoting their welfare as:

§ Protecting children from maltreatment

§ Preventing impairment of children’s health or development

§ Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care

§ Enabling those children to have optimum life chances and enter adulthood successfully

ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT A CHILD?

If you are concerned about the safety of a child or young person follow the flowchart and if appropriate...

…telephone and refer

Children’s Services Telephone Numbers:

Customer First: 0808 800 4005

After 5.20pm and at weekends 01473 299669

Suffolk Police Telephone Number:

Main Switchboard 01473 613500

***** In an emergency do not delay, ring 999 *****

Safeguarding organisations

Local Safeguarding Children Board
The Children Act 2004 requires each Local Authority to establish a Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB).

LSCB’s are the key statutory mechanism for agreeing how the relevant organisations in each local area will co-operate to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, and for ensuring the effectiveness of what they do. They replace Area Child Protection Committees, and in Suffolk inherit an important programme of initiatives and a well-established child protection system.

SAFEchild
SAFEchild provides guidance on child protection issues in line with current child protection legislation and promotes the Government's Government's "Every Child Matters" agenda. Established in 1999 SAFEchild is a registered charity and is dedicated to promoting the welfare of all children and young people.

Their Services
Backed by a multi agency team of very experienced and highly qualified child protection professionals, SAFEchild provides a comprehensive range of services to help keep children safe.