Child protection

Remember: If you are concerned about a child in Norfolk and want to speak to someone, contact us on 0344 800 8020. If you consider the incident to be an emergency, call 999

Child protection means that there are significant concerns about the safety or wellbeing of the child (The Children's Act 1989 Section 47).

What happens when there are significant concerns?

• We have a duty to investigate
• Parents and carers need to allow an investigation to take place and make the child available to a social worker
• Children's services will act to improve the situation for the child, in terms of their safety or wellbeing. Being in your care might be considered to have made the child safer now. There might be things you are expected to do, to maintain the safety of the child in your care
• The child will have a social worker. There will be regular meetings, called core groups, to review progress on the current plan aimed at improving things for the child. In addition to the core group meetings, there will also be child protection conferences. These will decide whether the child still needs child protection planning

If there are, or have been, child protection concerns for the child you are caring for, it is quite possible that:

• Looked after child (LAC) procedures and meetings
• Child protection procedures and meetings

will be taking place at the same time.

You will be invited to the LAC reviews. You may be invited to the core groups and child protection conference too. This might be to give your own point of view, or as a supporter to the parent who may well be your relative. You may be asked to wait outside for part of the meeting to respect the confidentiality of the parent or child.