Anyone who works with children has a role in safeguarding and child protection.
You should make a referral
- to the police on 999 if you are currently witnessing a child being harmed or in a situation of immediate risk
- to First Response straight away on 0117 903 6444 if your concern relates to a disclosure of abuse requiring a same day response.
- using our form for all other reports to First Response.
Before starting the form, you should make sure that the child is living in Bristol. You can do this by finding their local council.
We aim to make a decision on referrals within 24 hours of receiving them. We need you to provide enough detail in your answers so that we can build a complete view of the household composition and the family's current situation.
If you don't provide enough detail we'll need to return your referral, you will then need to complete a new referral to provide more information. Further guidance on how to complete a referral can be found in the practitioner booklet.
To complete your referral make sure you have:
- the name, date of birth and address for each child you are including in the referral
- the name and contact details for each parent or carer and any other professionals involved
- information about what support has been offered to the family.
With this information to hand your referral should take about 30 minutes to complete in total.
If you're on a single step for more than 30 minutes, we'll reset your referral and delete the information you've entered. We do this to keep your information secure.
Make a referral to First Response
To report a concern about a child who already has a social worker, you should contact the social worker or unit involved.