​​Finding your local contacts

1. To ask advice or make referrals

Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs)

LSCBs in England and Wales work to safeguard children from abuse and neglect. They provide information on local policies, procedures and contact details to ask advice and make referrals. To find the LSCB for your area:

• for the telephone number, see ‘Social Services: Children’s Services’ in your local telephone directory;

• to find the website, carry out an internet search using your preferred search engine and inserting ‘LSCB’ together with the name of your local council (e.g. city council, metropolitan borough council etc);

• consult a list of LSCBs, with links to their websites, which may be available from NSPCC Inform.

Health visitors, school nurses, child protection nurse advisor, consultant paediatrician

Contact details are available from the local telephone directory, health trust website, or local information leaflets.

You may be able to obtain a list of all local health visitors and school nurses from the health trust, but these need frequent updating. Alternatively a child’s health visitor (for pre-school children) can often be contacted via their general medical practitioner’s surgery. The name of a school nurse (for school-aged children) can usually be obtained from the child’s school.

British Association for Forensic Odontology

www.bafo.org.uk
Supplies contact details of suitably qualified members to undertake work or provide advice.

2. To support children and families

National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)

Weston House, 42 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3NH
www.nspcc.org.uk  020 7825 2500

Provides help for those needing advice including: a telephone helpline (0808 800 5000); online advice topics and advice leaflets, including positive parenting tips; publications for parents and carers, and children and young people.

ChildLine 0800 1111

www.childline.org.uk
A free 24-hour telephone helpline (0800 1111) for children and young people in the UK, providing confidential counselling about any problem.

Sure Start children's centres

www.gov.uk/find-sure-start-childrens-centre​​

Sure Start is the government programme to deliver the best start in life for every child in England. It offers help to parents of young children by supporting services in disadvantaged areas, bringing together early education, childcare, health and family support. Information about your local Sure Start settings can be obtained from the website or your local telephone directory. Responsibility for early education and childcare in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland rests with separate devolved administrations.

3. To support staff who have worries about management of child protection cases with which they have been involved

Debriefing may be available from your local child protection advisor or child protection named nurse. Confidential counselling may be available from your local occupational health service. If it is affecting your health, you should seek advice from your own general medical practitioner.

4. To support staff who were abused as children

Local providers of child protection training should be able to recommend local sources of support for adult survivors of child abuse. Alternatively the following organisations may be able to help:

The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC)

NAPAC
P.O.Box 63632
London SW9 1B
www.napac.org.uk 0203 176 0560

Provides information for adult survivors of childhood abuse including: details of local support groups, a help and advice pack, a book list and part-time freephone support line (0800 085 3330 or 0808 801 0331, see website for operating hours and phone providers).

Samaritans 

www.samaritans.org.uk 08457 90 90 90​

Provides confidential emotional support for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.​​​