As a concerned member of the public, your referral will be treated in the strictest confidence.
If you suspect for any reason, that a child is not being treated correctly, please contact the following numbers:
- The police: 999
- Children’s services (including out of hours): 0300 123 4043
- The child abuse investigation unit: via 101.
This is a specialist team within the police with countywide responsibility for undertaking child protection investigations.
Also, use the above contact numbers, if you believe a child or group of children are being targeted by someone in your area.
What will happen if I make a referral?
When you call Children’s Services on the above number, your referral will be passed to customer services. Customer services consists of a group of specially trained staff who will take the details of your call, and pass these on to the appropriate team.
The Customer Service team will ask for all relevant details to help them gain a picture of your concerns, this will include names, addresses etc. Once you have made your referral, it will be logged and sent to the relevant team. If you have agreed to be contacted, someone from this team may contact you for some more information or to clarify any points. If you choose to remain anonymous you will not be contacted again.
What can I do if I am a child or young person who is being abused or neglected?
ChildLine is a free, confidential helpline for all children and young people in the UK. You can call at any time of day or night, and talk about any problem. Just pick up a phone and dial 0800 1111.
The lines can be very busy, so if you can’t get through at first keep trying.
You can also phone children’s services on 0300 123 4043.
If you are living away from home there is a special help line called The Line. If you live in a foster home, children’s home, boarding school, or time in hospital you can call this helpline for support.
You can call The Line on 0800 4444 from 3:30pm to 9:30pm at weekdays, and 2pm to 8pm at weekends.
You can also write to ChildLine if you prefer, and one of the counsellors will reply to your letter. This is also free, and you don’t have to use a stamp. Write to:
ChildLine
Freepost NATN1111
London
E1 6BR
You can also ring the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000.
What can I do if I work with children and I have a concern about child abuse?
As a person who works with children, you have a duty to refer any concerns you may have regarding the welfare of a child.
If you suspect for any reason that a child is not being treated correctly, please contact the following numbers:
- The Police 999
- Children’s Services (including out of hours):0300 123 4043
- The Child Abuse Investigation Unit: via 101. This is a specialist team that is a department within the police with countywide responsibility for undertaking child protection investigations.
If you work in a school, use the link on this page to find out more about school child protection procedures on the Hertfordshire Grid for Learning.
What can I do if I am a parent or carer and feel that I may be harming my child?
It is a positive step if you acknowledge any thoughts or feelings that you have of harming your child.
There are people who can offer support and help. Family Lives offer a 24 hourfreephone number 0808 800 2222, and Gingerbread can offer advice to lone parents on free phone 0800 802 0925 between 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday.
You can also contact Hertfordshire Children’s Services and make a referral to the local social work team in order to access the support services:
- Children’s Services (including out of hours): 0300 123 4043 you can find out more about Parentline Plus and Gingerbread by using the links on this page to visit their websites.
