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Spurgeons and Dad.Info doesn’t investigate reports of abuse or neglect. But below, you can find advice on who to contact if you have concerns about a child or young person.
Reporting a concern
It can be difficult to know what to do if you think a child is at risk. It’s important to remember that if you’ve spotted things that don’t seem right, others will have too. Speaking up can make sure that child gets help as soon as possible.
The sooner you contact your local children’s social care duty team, the quicker they can act. They’re available 24 hours a day, and can make an anonymous report if that feels safer. If a child is in immediate danger, please call the police straight away by dialling 999.
Report child abuse or neglect to your local council
Use these links to get in touch with your local council:
Hi. I split from my partner 5 months ago. I have a 3 year old son who lives with his mother. I used to see him 3 times a week, twice at hers and then once at my house on a Saturday. Basically I left my ex girlfriend for someone else, and as soon as she found out I was seeing someone new, she stopped me seeing him, and accused me of not looking after him very well, which is complete nonsense. I now have been told by her that I have to go to a contact centre if I want to see him. In the last week I have been informed by a very reliable source that she has been contacting a man, and has invited him to her house that is well known to have alcohol problems. And can be agressive, of which I have had personal experience of. I am now genuinely concerned about the welfare of my son, and that if I report this she will only retaliate with what she thinks she has on me. I know I certainly don't want the likes of this man around my son. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hi there,
It might help if you were to attend mediation, it would give you the opportunity to talk through your concerns with your ex and hopefully to come to some agreement about the best way forward. Here's a link to the mediation service
www.nfm.org.uk
In certain circumstances it is still possible to get legal aid to cover the cost of mediation and you can check that here
www.gov.uk/check-legal-aid
If you have serious concerns about this new partner you could ask the police to do a background check on him and if this proved to be serious enough you could then talk to Childrens Services about it. However this will inevitably create great tension between you and your ex.
If she has stopped contact and mediation doesn't help then you might like to consider the option of applying to the court for a contact order, you could address the unsuitability of the boyfriend during the application process. There are a few stickys at the top of the Legal Eagle section about the court process, the form C100 which is the form you would use to apply for contact and also information about self representing.