Professionals in Dorset with concerns about a child can now pick up the phone and talk to a social worker, rather than fill out a referral form.
We hope our Children’s Advice and Duty Service will improve the lives of children and families and provide better support to the professionals working with them.
We want to make sure every child receives the right help – regardless of whether social care involvement is needed or not. We believe it’s important to help families before they reach crisis point, as that’s ultimately better for our children and young people.
Sometimes families need the support of social workers and when this is the case, we need to make sure this happens without delay. However, we also know that very often early support from other agencies can prevent concerns escalating.
Children and families have told us that, wherever it is safe, they would prefer this support to be provided by professionals they know and trust. We want to work more closely with our partners (such as teachers, GPs and other professionals) to agree together what support children and families need and who is best placed to help.
How does the Children’s Advice and Duty Service work?
If you’re a professional with concerns about a child and need support or advice, you can call a professionals-only number to discuss these. You will not need to fill out a referral form. You’ll immediately speak with one of our consultant social workers who will go through these concerns with you. We’ll continue to make the same safeguarding checks with partners in health and police as we do now. The intention will be to agree together what should happen next – whether this is allocating a social worker, family worker or supporting them in a different way. Our ethos is ‘never doing nothing’ so that families are supported as soon as they need help.
How do we know it will make a difference?
This has been designed with renowned safeguarding expert, Professor David Thorpe. He has worked with over 20 children’s services teams to create a single point of contact that provides better support for families and partner professionals to improve the lives of children and families by ensuring the right support is provided, at the right time.
How do I get in touch?
Professionals can call 01305 228558,
The service is available Monday to Friday between 8am and 10pm and 9am-10pm during the weekend. An ‘on call’ social worker is also available 24-hours-a-day if immediate action is required. The same number should be used.
If you’re a member of the public with concerns about a child, you can call the team on 01305 228866.
Here’s a short video about the service:
