Safeguarding
Concerned about a child: actions and referrals
If the child is in immediate danger
In an emergency phone 999.
If you think the child is at immediate risk of harm phone Medway Council straightaway:
- Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm on 01634 334 466
- out of hours on 03000 419 191
When to refer a child to Medway's children's services
Medway Threshold Criteria for children in need
Most children and young people have a number of basic needs that can be supported through a range of universal services. These services include education, early years, health, housing, youth services, leisure facilities and services provided by voluntary organisations.
This document provides guidance for professionals and service users, to clarify the circumstances in which to refer a child to a specific agency to address an individual need, to carry out an Early Help Assessment (EHA) or refer to Children’s Services in Medway.
Read Medway threshold guidance to find out when to refer a child to children’s services in Medway.
Request Early Help (Medway Family Solutions), parenting support or report your concerns about a child
Use Medway online form to:
- request intensive early help intervention for a family in need (also known as Family Solutions)
- refer a parent or parents for a parenting support programme
Report a child safeguarding concern
Safeguarding means to protect someone from harm.
If you have concerns about a child or young person and think they may need help, you can report it to Medway online.
You’ll need to complete one form for each family.
To complete the form, you must tell Medway:
- whether an early help assessment has been done. If you tell us an early help assessment has been done, you must upload a copy
- whether the family understands how the information you give will be used
- what your concerns are about the child, what’s going well for them and what’s changed to prompt your referral
- about the capacity of the parents or other family members to meet the child’s needs
- what support has already been provided and what that has achieved
It would be helpful to also provide:
- the child’s details, primary carer and family details
- an alternative contact if you’re not available
- the child’s drawings, body maps or any other supporting documentation
- an indication of the type of help that’s needed
To receive a copy of your report you’ll need to provide an email address.
Click here to go to the Medway Children's Services Report a child safeguarding concern.