Reporting Child Abuse - Information for professional staff

If you are unsure whether to make a referral, please discuss your concerns with the designated child protection officer/ safeguarding lead within your organisation.

Prior to making a referral through to Children's Social Services, if you would like to have a consultation with a Social Worker please call Powys Front Door Team on 01597827666.

Please note a Multi Agency Referral form should be completed in all cases unless you deem the child to be at risk of immediate significant harm to which Front Door Information and Advice Officers will receive information via the telephone in the first instance but following this a Multi-Agency Referral Form must be completed.

Once you have completed the referral form please email it to: csfrontdoor@powys.gov.uk

Seeking consent to a report

The interests of the child at risk of harm must be the overriding consideration when making decisions whether to seek child and/or parental consent, prior to making a report.  Consent should always be sought unless to do so may place the child at risk of immediate harm.

Practitioners should try to seek consent from the parents. The reasons for this are that involving families and carers are more likely to:

• lead to engagement in the safeguarding process and to child-centred outcomes;
• promote an effective working partnership with the family.

Children, if competent, should also be consulted and their consent obtained. It is important to engage children in the process as early as possible to ensure their wishes and feelings are taken into consideration where possible and to avoid them becoming mere 'objects of concern'.

However, the safety and welfare of the child is the paramount consideration in terms of seeking consent. If unsure, please contact your local social services team for advice.

Powys County Council is a partner within the Mid and West Wales Safeguarding Board, which works at a regional level and links with local safeguarding sub groups to help protect children and adults who are experiencing, or at risk of, abuse, neglect or other kinds of harm. You can visit the partnership's website here: https://www.cysur.wales/home

Further information and guidance can be obtained from the following:

• https://www.safeguarding.wales/
• https://www.legislation.gov.uk/anaw/2014/4/contents
• https://gov.wales/safeguarding-guidance
• https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/41/contents
• https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/31/contents

If you've been in contact with a member of staff from our Children's Services Front Door Team, we would like to know what you think of the service we provide.

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