If you are unsure that a child or young person may be suffering but are worried, or if you are concerned that a child has suffered harm, neglect or abuse, please contact:
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 What a Children's Social Care Duty and Assesment Team does:
The Duty and Assessment Team is the main social care "front door" for anyone with concerns about a child or young person (under 18 years old) The priorities of the Duty and Assessment Team are to: - Protect children from neglect, mistreatment and abuse; - Consider when a child should be looked after ("be in the care of Local Authority") by Children's Services. This can be with the agreement of a child's parent or; - Initiate care proceedings where the intervention of the court is required to protect and care for a child. - Support children being cared for by their families, providing this doesn't place a child in danger; - Offer advice, support and assistance to families to help them in caring for their children; - Assess and support children who are living with friends and relatives ("called Private Fostering"). In addition, they re-direct callers to other organisations as necessary and appropriate, for example the Housing Department or voluntary groups, or to other parts of Children's Services, including services which specialise in working with: - Children with a disability; - Asylum seekers; - Children who have been previously looked after (in care); - Adopted children and their birth parents/families; - Foster carers and adoptive parents; |