What to do if you are worried about a child

Worried about a child

If you are worried that a child or young person might need help or is being neglected or hurt, it is important that you share your worries. Many people are worried that contacting Family Services will mean that children are taken into care. In fact, unless a child is in danger, we will work hard with parents to help and support them so that the family can stay together. Of course where there is a serious issue of abuse or neglect we will protect children together with the police and other agencies.

Emergency: If you are worried that someone is in immediate danger call 999.

Social Services Line

If you have concerns about the safety and welfare of a child who lives in Kensington and Chelsea, contact us at Social Services Line.

Social Services Line provides a single point of contact for professionals and members of the public who want to seek support or raise concerns about a child and pass on your concerns to the correct social work team who will listen, assess your concerns, and can take action if a child is at risk:

• telephone: 020 7361 3013 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
• outside of office hours: Emergency Duty Team 020 7373  2227

If you're not sure whether a child is at risk you can discuss the circumstances with us or with someone else who works with children, such as a teacher, health visitor or the NSPCC.

All professionals who work with children have a responsibility to safeguard them and will know how to help.

How to get support

Refer yourself or a child:

• telephone  020 7361 3013 9am to 5pm weekdays
• Emergency Duty team outside these hours,
• or ask a professional you are working with to help.

We will need to talk to you and your family to find out what your needs are and what we can offer you and agree a way forward.

Depending on your family’s needs, you may be referred to a community or voluntary agency, or might be offered support through our Early Help Service, or you may receive support from our social work teams.

For professionals

To ensure the child/ren and their family live in Kensington and Chelsea, complete a postcode check on GOV.UK.

If you are unsure as to whether you need to make a referral, have questions about the child(ren) you wish to refer or are concerned a child is at immediate risk of harm, call us for a discussion:

• telephone 020 7361 3013 9am to 5pm weekdays

How to make a referral

To make a referral online via the Social Care Portal, use the button below to complete the RBKC Family Services Referral Form for Child in Need and Child Protection referrals.

If you wish to refer a family to Early Help, complete an RBKC Early Help Referral.

The Social Care Portal is a new digital solution which has replaced our previous email referral process. It is a shared site with Westminster Children’s Services, but any referrals made using the referral button below will only be submitted to Kensington and Chelsea.

Read 'Completing your referral form' below before submitting your referral.

Make a referral

Contact us

If you experience any difficulties in submitting your referral, contact us directly:

• telephone: 020 7361 3013
• email: [email protected]

Completing your referral form

For security reasons, we advise against using a public computer to complete the form as it may expose your personal details or those of the person you are referring.

If there is no activity on the form for more than 20 minutes, any progress will be lost, and you will need to start again.

Some sections of the form are mandatory to complete to ensure we receive all the information we need for a referral to be processed.

After completion, click the 'Submit' button. You will have be able to save, print, and download a copy of the form. You will be emailed a copy of the completed referral for your records. If you do not receive an email, check your junk mail.

To protect personal information, click the 'Close' button and close the browser completely after you have finished.