Report a Concern

Emergency

If a child is at immediate risk of significant harm please call 999 in the first instance for police and/or ambulance services and then contact Sandwell Children’s Trust on 0121 569 3100. You will then need to complete a MARF without delay.

Do you suspect that a child is at risk of harm or neglect.? Do you know of a family who could benefit from some additional support and help to look after a child better? Here are some of the things you could do to help and support:

Children Who Have Concerns

If you are a child who is suffering from harm, neglect or abuse or are worried that another child may be suffering you can:

Talk to someone outside your family that you trust like a teacher, school nurse, police officer or another trusted adult.
Contact the Sandwell Safeguarding Team on 0121 569 3100 and speak to someone from Social Care. It is a Social Worker’s job to help you if you need to be protected from harm.
Speak to West Midlands Police on 101 (24 hour non-emergency number). In an emergency always dial 999. It is the job of the Police to protect you from harm and stop crimes being committed against you or other children.
Contact Childline which is a private and confidential service for children and young people up to the age of 19. You can speak to a Childline counsellor about anything -no problem is too big or too small. Call free on 0800 1111.

Members of the Public Who Have Concerns

If you are worried a child may be suffering significant harm, or if you are concerned a child has suffered harm, neglect or abuse, please follow the advice below:

If you believe a child or young person is at immediate risk of harm, you should contact the police by dialling 999.

If you have concerns about a child or young person but believe they are not at immediate risk you can:

Discuss your concerns with a trusted professional, such as a teacher, police officer, or health visitor
Speak to Sandwell Childrens Trust on 0121 569 3100
Contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 (this is a free service and lines are open 24 hours a day). They will listen to your concerns, offer advice and support and can take action on your behalf if a child is in danger.

If you have a concern about a member of staff working with children (in either a paid or voluntary capacity) please contact the Local Area Designated Officer (LADO) at sandwell_lado@sandwellchildrenstrust.org

Professionals Who Have Concerns

If you have safeguarding or child protection concerns about a child or young person please use Sandwell’s Multi Agency Request Form to report your concerns to the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)

For advice and guidance on when and how to complete a MARF you can consult Sandwell’s Multi Agency Threshold Guidance; Continuum of Help and Support and this 7 minute briefing- MARF

Non Emergency

If you believe that a child is at risk of significant harm but they are not in immediate danger you must complete a Multi Agency Request Form (MARF) as soon as possible and within a maximum of 24 hours.

Please send your completed MARF via secure e-mail to: access_team@sandwellchildrenstrust.org

Allegations About a Colleague or Other Professional

If your concerns or suspicions are about a colleague or another professional or carer, including volunteers, you must report them. Please see the Management of Allegations page.

Procedures and Guidance

For more information about how child protection enquiries are completed, advice on information sharing, or you want to know more about confidentiality please see the West Midlands Procedures

If you are still unsure what you should do if you are worried about a child or young person you can download further guidance here – What to do if you are worried a child is being abused