Report child safeguarding concerns to local children’s services or the police, depending on urgency and location. Call 999 if a child faces immediate danger. You can report a suspicion without proving abuse has happened. The correct reporting service depends on where the child lives.
For staff and volunteers, reporting also involves knowing their organisation’s procedures and safeguarding contacts. Royal Open College’s Safeguarding Children Level 3 course covers concerns, referrals and record-keeping through CPD learning. Its content should be considered alongside the responsibilities and training expectations of your workplace.
Local children’s services and the police are official channels for reporting child safeguarding concerns. The right contact depends on where the child lives and whether they face immediate danger. For non-emergency concerns, start with the service covering their home area. Service names differ across the UK, so the table below helps you identify the relevant team.
UK Nation | Service To Contact |
England | The children’s social care team at the child’s local council. |
Wales | The local authority’s social services department. |
Scotland | The local authority’s social work department or Police Scotland. |
Northern Ireland | Children’s Social Work Gateway Services at the relevant Health and Social Care Trust. |
These are the reporting routes identified in official guidance for each nation.
In England, the GOV.UK council reporting finder uses the child’s postcode to locate the relevant council. If their address is unknown, contact your council’s children’s services, the NSPCC or police for advice. The postcode finder covers England only, so use nation-specific guidance elsewhere.
Call 999 when a child faces immediate danger. If you suspect a crime without an emergency, contact police through 101 or their online reporting service. Children’s services remain the route for concerns about abuse or neglect that need safeguarding assessment.
Outside office hours, use the out-of-hours number listed by the relevant council or HSC Trust. Check the official service page because local arrangements differ. An online form or email should never delay emergency help.
For example, witnessing an assault on a child requires an immediate emergency call. An ongoing concern about neglect needs prompt contact with children’s services, even without a current emergency.
Staff should report concerns promptly through their organisation’s safeguarding procedure, while taking any necessary emergency action. In England’s schools and colleges this means contacting the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) or deputy without delay.
Explain the concern clearly and complete the required written record. Include what happened and any action already taken. This gives the safeguarding lead useful information for deciding the next step.
Concerns involving the safeguarding lead should go through the alternative reporting contact named in your organisation’s policy. Use the allegations procedure when the concern involves someone working with children. Avoid asking the person concerned to handle their own allegation.
If internal reporting fails to address continuing risk, contact children’s services or police directly. Record your escalation and the reasons for it so others can follow what happened.
Include the child’s details, the specific concern and any immediate safety risks, using information you already know. Missing details should not prevent you from reporting.
Separate your observations from assumptions so the receiving service can understand the concern clearly. If a child discloses abuse, listen calmly without leading questions. Explain that you need to tell someone who can help, rather than promising secrecy.
The NSPCC offers safeguarding advice, while CEOP and the Internet Watch Foundation handle specific online concerns. Choose the service that matches the concern rather than treating these routes as interchangeable.
The NSPCC Helpline supports adults who want to discuss concerns about a child. Call 0808 800 5000, currently available Monday to Friday between 10am and 4pm.
Its specialists assess what you share and can refer serious concerns to social services when the child is identifiable. If risk increases while you await a response, contact children’s services or police directly.
Use the CEOP Safety Centre to report suspected online child sexual abuse or grooming. This includes concerns about someone’s sexual communication with a child.
The Internet Watch Foundation accepts reports of suspected child sexual abuse images or videos found online. Its reporting route concerns the material itself. If you also know a child may be at risk, contact children’s services or police.
Waiting for proof, using the wrong reporting route or assuming someone else has acted can delay help. A concern needs to reach the service responsible for assessing it, with enough information to understand the risk.
Avoid these mistakes:
After reporting, ask what happens next and how to provide further information. Record any reference number and advice received. Confidentiality may limit the details services can share, but report new information or increased risk promptly.
Royal Open College’s Safeguarding Children Level 3 course supports CPD learning about recognising concerns and responding appropriately. Its curriculum includes referrals, information sharing and managing allegations, helping learners understand how these reporting responsibilities connect.
This is CPD learning rather than a regulated qualification. Course completion does not replace workplace induction, supervision or competency checks. Employers determine whether the content meets their role-specific training expectations.
Before enrolling, compare the relevant modules with your responsibilities and your employer’s requirements. Then locate your workplace reporting procedure and save the official safeguarding contacts for your area.
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