Support for children aged 0-25 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

Reporting a concern

If you are worried about someone's safety, or you do not feel safe, there are people you can talk to about your concerns.

Early Help

Early Help is intervening as soon as possible to tackle problems emerging for children, young people and their families to improve their outcomes.

Early Help is for pre-birth to age 19 (up to 25 if a young adult has identified Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities).

Early Help allows for support to be put in place at the right time to meet families' needs prior to issues reaching crisis point. It draws upon families' own skills and promotes self-reliance.

Effective early help relies upon local organisations and agencies working together to:

  • identify children and families who would benefit from early help
  • undertake an assessment of the need for early help
  • provide targeted early help services to address the assessed needs of a child and their family which focuses on activity to improve the outcomes for the child

Find out more about early help services here.

Contact the Children's First Response MASH for information about the services available to support children, young people and their families.

The children's first response multi-agency Safeguarding Hub

If you are worried about the wellbeing of a child, you need to speak to someone about it.

If you are a member of the public, our Children's First Response MASH team will ask you for any details you may have about the child or young person and the concerns you have about them. All information you give us will help us to make further enquiries. You will also be asked for your name and contact details so that we may contact you again if necessary. Your personal information will be treated as confidential.

If you are in any doubt about making a referral, you can always contact us, and we will advise you as to what should happen next.

Call 01202 123334 or email childrensfirstresponse@bcpcouncil.gov.uk

Further information about the Children's First Response MASH.

Safeguarding adults

If you believe that someone is being abused contact Adult Social Care or the Police. Adult Social Care and the Police will then coordinate investigations into alleged abuse.

Contact as soon as possible:

Out of Hours Service - Tel. 0300 1239895 Evenings and weekends, including Bank Holidays

To find out more see the Safeguarding Adults Board