Safeguarding Children

Safeguarding Children - Protecting Children Who Are At Risk From Harm

Children have the right to be kept safe from harm and protecting children is everyone’s responsibility.

If you have any concerns about a child up to the age of 18 years or a parent or carer of a child, then please contact Social Services (Hertfordshire Children’s Services): 0300 123 4043.

If you believe a child is at serious risk of harm and requires urgent support call the police on 999.

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT) is committed to making sure that children are safe from harm. This includes supporting parents and carer’s and helping them to understand their children’s well-being and needs.

The Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust Safeguarding Team

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust have a team of nurses who specialise in Safeguarding Children.

There is a Named Nurse for Safeguarding Children and two Managers who support six Safeguarding Children Nurse Specialists and two full-time MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub) Nurses.

The Safeguarding Team do not work directly with children but do offer support and guidance to all front-line health workers and, where it is necessary, communicate and share information with other agencies and professionals to make sure children’s needs are always placed first and to make sure children are able to meet their full potential.

If you would like to know more about how and why we are guided to share information please click here.

If you are a health clinician or other professional needing to liaise with the Safeguarding Children team please email hct.safeguardingchildren@nhs.net

Before any staff start working in Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust they have employment and reference checks to make sure they are safe to work in our organisation (this includes checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

Our staff have to attend regular training and supervision to ensure they have the right skills and knowledge and are supported to work with children and their families.

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust is a member of the Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (HSCP) and follows its procedures, which reflect national guidance, such as ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ (2018) and ‘What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused’ (2015).

Support for children and their families:

• Hertfordshire Children’s Services 0300 123 4043 - offers a range of support and services for children, young people and their families
• Hertfordshire Constabulary Police:101 (or 999 in an emergency) – Hertfordshire Constabulary is the police force responsible for policing the county of Hertfordshire
• NSPCC Child Protection Helpline:0808 800 5000 The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, is a United Kingdom charity campaigning and working in child protection. You can also report any concerns about a child to this number.
• Child Line: 0800 11 11 This is a free 24 hour counselling service for children and young people up to and including 18 years of age in the UK. Child Line deals with any issue which causes distress or concern to a child. This may include any abuse, neglect, bullying (cyber bullying) and sexual exploitation (this includes people who abuse children through computers or phones), or anything a child feels is worrying them
• Hertfordshire Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 8088088 Herts Domestic Abuse Helpline is a confidential, free, support and signposting service for anyone affected by domestic abuse