Getting help from Safeguarding and Family Support
Who do we help?
Advice and information is always available to anyone who contacts us. We must make sure we help those children and families who are in the greatest need. So, not everyone who asks us for help can be given a service. To help us decide who needs our services most, we use eligibility criteria. A copy of these and the sort of things we provide is available on request.
Our priorities for services are children/young people in serious need – those whose chances in life will be greatly reduced without services from us, for example:
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children with disabilities |
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children/young people we look after (in care) |
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young people moving on (leaving care) |
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children/young people at risk of being mistreated |
What happens if I contact Safeguarding and Family Support about my own child?
When you phone or visit our office, you will be put through to a duty social worker. S/he will ask you basic details about you and your children. The duty social worker will be able to tell you whether we can help or we may be able to suggest other ways of getting what you need.
If we may be able to help, the duty social worker will want to have as much information as possible. S/he will also want to get information from other people who know you and your child – school, health visitor or doctor, for example. The duty social worker will ask you permission to contact them – s/he will explain that s/he will want you to sign a form giving permission.
This information is treated confidentially. It will all be gathered together into an initial assessment. This means that we will discuss the problems, find out what the needs are and how these can be met through services from our department or by other organisations. A lot of the information for the assessment will come from you and your family itself.
How soon can I expect to get help?
This will depend on how urgent the problem is. If a child/young person is at risk of serious harm, we will start to make enquiries straight away to make sure that s/he is safe. In all other cases, we will do an initial assessment of what is needed within seven working days and will let you know then what is likely to happen next.
What about if I have concerns about other children?
When you phone or visit our office you will be put through to a duty social worker. We will ask you for your name and address. This is in case we need to contact you again and so we can let you know how we are dealing with your concerns. We will respect individual confidentiality.
How can I contact you?
For more information about Safeguarding and Family Support contact:
Safeguarding and Family Support
Bridgend County Borough Council
Sunnyside
Bridgend
CF31 4AR
Telephone (01656) 643643
- Last Updated: 22/07/2009
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