Childrens Services – Information

 Port Worried about a child?

If a child is in immediate danger, you should always ring the police or ambulance services on 999.
For any non-urgent reports to the police contact 101.

For Members of the Public

If you’re not sure whether a child is at risk, you can discuss the circumstances with Southend City Council Children’s Single Point of Contact (C-SPOC) or with someone else who works with children, such as a teacher, health visitor or the NSPCC.

If you are concerned that a child is suffering or at risk of suffering significant harm, abuse or neglect, please make a referral to C-SPOC using their Southend Children’s Services Portal during working hours. Outside of working hours please call 0345 606 1212. 

For Professionals

If you’re not sure whether a child is at risk you can discuss the circumstances with C-SPOC 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.

To help decide whether to contact C-SPOC to make a referral, you should refer to Southend’s multi-agency threshold document, which can be found here and speak to your agency’s safeguarding lead.

To report your concerns to Southend Children’s Single Point of Contact Team (C-SPOC) , you will need to do this through their Southend Children’s Services Portal

If you are reporting concerns relating to neglect, please make sure to attach the Graded Care Profile Tool. If you have not completed the training, please find more information about it here.

If you are concerned about child sexual or criminal  exploitation, county lines and gangs please refer to our county lines web page.

If you would like to discuss whether or not a referral is required, please contact C-SPOC through their portal. If calling for consultation, please make this clear and do not provide the details of the family.

We want to keep all children and young people in Southend-on-Sea City safe from harm. If you are concerned about that a child is suffering or is at risk of suffering significant harm, abuse or neglect, please contact us. We will listen, assess your concerns, and can take action if a child is at risk.

If you would like some guidance on working with children and their families with early help needs in the City of Southend-on-Sea, please see the Southend Early Help Framework, which can be found here