Working together to safeguard children

Working together to safeguard children 2023 is statutory guidance to promote the welfare of children. It should be used by anyone who works with children in any capacity.

It is important that a child-centred approach helps guide the behaviour of practitioners when establishing a safeguarding system. This means the focus is on the child and ensures the relevance of decisions when providing targeted services specific to the needs of each child. 

Coordinating these services to create a system that promotes the welfare of children rests on three local safeguarding partners:

1. the local authority 
2. the Integrated Care Board (ICB) 
3. the local police

The North Somerset Safeguarding Partnership (NSSCP) unites these partners as one of 12 partnerships in the Southwest. We act as a gateway to a network of services, strategies, policies and information. 

Practitioners are responsible for exploring resources and ensuring:

• staff are competent to carry out their responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children
• creating a safe environment for staff to raise concerns
• staff should receive a mandatory induction to child protection procedures
• practitioners have regular reviews of their own practice, and their knowledge, skills and expertise are up-to-date

If you work with children and are concerned about the safety of a child or need to report possible abuse, you can contact our Care Connect Team who handle all enquiries about child’s social services.

If you think specialist intervention is needed and the service you work for cannot meet the needs outlined in level of need 3 or 4 then you can refer to the Front Door. Referrals to the Front Door must be carefully considered as to whether they meet the threshold outlined in our effective support document.

To relieve pressure on the Front Door and ensure cases are allocated efficiently, we encourage you to consider whether your own service can meet the needs of the child or young person. If you do not think that your service can meet these needs, you can call Care Connect for more advice. 

Further help such as contacting the LADO can be found on our dedicated webpages: