Children's social care frequently asked questions

Child protection is about protecting a child who may be experiencing child abuse already or is at risk of experiencing abuse in future.

If you contact us to report a concern about a child, the details you have provided will be reviewed by a manager to identify if further action is needed to protect the child(ren) or to gather further information to ensure that their needs are being met. If you have provided your contact details, you may receive a call back to gain further information. If you have parental responsibility for the child(ren) you will receive a call back to let you know what is happening with the information you have given.

If you are a professional, you will receive a call back to advise you of the outcome of the referral and to discuss if or what further action needs to be taken.

It may be that you are ringing for advice and are provided signposting to services that may be able to help, or you may be redirected to one of the children and family first teams.

If further information is required to make decisions around the level of support or intervention needed, this will be considered within the Children's Resource Service.

If you are a member of the public and request that you remain anonymous, the parents will not be told, however they may be able to tell from the information discussed.

If you are a professional the parents will be told that you have contacted Children’s Social Care. It is best practice to let the parents know that you are making contact with Children’s Social Care and to gain consent for this, unless by doing so you are concerned that this may place the child or children at risk of harm.

You will not be contacted with the outcome of your referral if you are not a professional involved with the family or an adult with parental responsibility for the child. Read more about the process of reporting a concern about a child if you are a professional.

If there is a concern that a crime has been committed against a child(ren), or that the child(ren) and a member of their family are in need of protection by the police, the police will be involved. They will work with the social worker so together they can decide the best way to keep the child safe from harm.

If further information is required to decide on the level of support or intervention required, the police are part of the Children's Resource Service.

Read more about reporting a concern about a child.

Many parents find it hard to cope at times. If you ever feel that you may harm your own child you should talk to someone about it. If you feel that this is an emergency, please call 999 immediately. You can contact Southampton Children and Families’ Social Care on 023 8083 3004 and speak to us. You could also speak to a health visitor, your family doctor or any professional that you know. You might find our Children and Families First support useful or be interested in other resources.