You have established that your concern about a child meets the threshold for child protection and have made an initial assessment . Please report your concern using the form below. If you have phoned in your concern to Social Work, it is best practice that you should still complete the referral form containing all relevant information.
When you come to complete your referral form the following points are important:
- Ensure the child and family members personal details are correct.
- In the ‘’ section lay out your assessment and analysis of the concern and why you believe the ‘significant harm’ threshold has been met, as follows:
Outline briefly the concern(s) or incident that has prompted the referral. What is it that is causing you to be so worried about the child?
- Is the child currently safe or is action required now?
- What is the actual harm to the child and why is it significant? (What is the bad thing that is going to happen?)
- What is the potential outcome for the child if no action is taken by services at this time?
- Outline any current supports provided by your agency and any recommendations you have for more intensive support you can provide.
- What is your recommendation? For example, an Inter-agency Referral Discussion in order for all agencies to share information and make a decision on the way forward in keeping the child safe.
| Title | Summary | Who for |
|---|---|---|
| National guidance for child protection in Scotland 2021 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) |
Section 3.1 - 3.5: Initiating child protection procedures Section 3.6 – 3.14: Professional judgement about risk of significant harm
|
Everyone with a responsibility for making child protection referrals |
| Child Concern Form | This referral form is for notifying Police and /or Social Work of concerns for a child or children that may be at risk of significant harm | Everyone with a responsibility for making a child protection referral. |