Child protection

If you are concerned about the welfare or safety of a child, please contact Children and Families Social Care Direct on 0131 200 2327 or out-of-hours, the Emergency Social Work Service on 0800 731 6969. Lothian and Borders Police can also be contacted (24 hours) on 0131 311 3131

Children and Young People have a right to be protected and be safe from harm from others. We all have a responsibility to make sure that all our children live safely. Families, neighbours professionals and members of communities play a vital role in protecting children. Most children in our society grow up in a safe protected environment, but sadly the minority do not, and need extra help from adults to keep them safe.

What we will do

We will take your call seriously and gather further information to help us decide what to do next.  Our next steps may be to:

• Take no further action
• Offer family support 
• Refer the child and family to another agency for support
• Where child protection concerns are identified a joint investigation will start

Further information is available in our Child Protection leaflets.

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