Safeguarding - Supporting Documents

If you have any reason to suspect that a child in your care is being abused, or is likely to be abused, you have a duty of care to take action on behalf of the child, by contacting the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH).

The online Multi Agency Referral Form is available via the Dudley Children's Portal site.

As a provider you will want to make sure the children you care for are protected. Please visit the Dudley Safeguarding People Partnership website for more information on:

You will also find information on 'working together to safeguard children' on the GOV.UK website.

Children and the court system

There are a number of occasions when children may be directly, or indirectly, involved in the court system and they will often require support through the process.

Involvement with the courts can be stressful. In both criminal and civil courts, the decision rests with someone else and the outcome of which could significantly change the child's life. We have identified resources that may be of help if you are supporting children and families through court proceedings.

Please see below for more information and appropriate links.

The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support service, also known as CAFCASS, represents children in family court cases in England. They independently advise the family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests. They put their needs, wishes and feelings first, making sure that children's voices are heard at the heart of the family court setting.

The Family Rights Group (FRG) aim to create a more socially just society in which the child welfare and family justice systems support children to live safely and thrive within their family, while strengthening the family and community networks of those children who cannot live at home.

Children with family members in prison, approximately 200,000 children in England and Wales have a parent sent to prison each year. These children are at risk of poor outcomes including poverty, stigma, isolation and poor mental health. The National Information Centre on Children of Offenders (NICCO) provides information designed to support professionals working with offenders and their children, to help mitigate negative consequences for those children.

Government guidance on Making child arrangements if you divorce or separate