Give feedback on this pageChild Protection – A Guide for Children and Young People
What will you do to help me?
A social workers job is to protect you from being hurt or harmed in anyway. If we think that you are being hurt, a social worker will come and talk to you in private. They will listen to you, and you can have a friend, relative or anyone you trust with you when you speak to them. We may video you so that you don’t have to repeat what you say.
The social worker will then need to speak to your family and other people you know, perhaps your schoolteacher or doctor. This will be confidential. Your friends will not get to know about anything unless you choose to tell them.
What happens next?
To help us decide if you are in any danger, we sometimes have a meeting called a child protection conference. This meeting also helps us to decide what we can do to help you.
Your parents or the person that looks after you may be at the meeting, as well as your teacher, doctor, social worker, and a police officer. Everybody at the meeting will be there to help you.
You can go to the meeting if you want to. If you do, it’s a good idea to write down what you want to say before you go, otherwise you might forget. Your social worker can help you do this. Your social worker will do everything they can to help you at the meeting and can speak for you if you want them to.
What happens at the meeting?
Everyone at the meeting will have a chance to talk. If everything is ok, nothing else will happen. If you are at risk of harm, we will write a child protection plan for you. This plan tells you what is going to happen next.
The most important thing is to keep you safe
We will always try to keep you with your family in your own home if this is what you want. Sometimes this is not possible, but we hardly ever take a child away from their family. It is important to let your social worker know if you want to stay at home, or if you want to live somewhere else.
What is the child protection register?
The child protection register is a list of children who have been or might be hurt by an adult. We keep the list and only people who can help you will look at it.
If we put your name on the child protection register, there will be more meetings to make sure you are safe. When everyone is sure that you are safe, we will take your name off the register.
Can I complain about my name being on the child protection register?
Yes, you can tell:
- A member of your family;
- Your foster carer or key worker;
- Your social worker;
- One of your teachers;
- An adult who you can trust.
Where can I get more information?
First Contact Team
64 Brighton Road
Rhyl
Denbighshire
LL18 3HP
Telephone: 01824 712800
Fax: 01824 712888