Concerned about a child or young person?

If you are concerned that a child is in an emergency situation you should contact the Police on 999.

Reporting a concern if you are a professional

(Weekday office hours: Monday-Thursday 8am-5pm, Friday 8am-4.30pm)

If you are a professional who works with children, young people and families and are concerned about a child: 

• Please refer to the Cumbria Threshold Guidance as this can help you identify the risks and types of support a child or family may need
• Discuss your concerns in the first instance with your Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or line manager
• If you think a child is at risk of harm, professionals should complete the Westmorland and Furness Single Contact Form
• If you have urgent concerns for a child, or suspect that a child has been abused in anyway and needs an urgent response, please call the Westmorland and Furness Safeguarding Hub immediately on 0300 373 2724

Reporting a concern if you are a member of the public 

If you are a member of the public and suspect that a child or young person is being, or is at risk of being significantly harmed as a result of abuse or neglect, you must report this immediately by calling the Westmorland and Furness Safeguarding Hub on 0300 373 2724.

What to do if you have concerns about a child out of hours

If you require an response outside of working hours (Weekends, Bank Holidays and between 5pm (4:30pm on Fridays) and 8:00am during the week) contact the Emergency Duty Team (EDT) on 0300 373 2724.

Have you considered Early Help?

Early Help is the response made when a professional identifies needs with a child/family and works with another agency or agencies to meet those needs.

At this level of need an Early Help Assessment (EHA) should be completed with the child and family to identify needs and agreed desired outcomes. Any worker from a service that supports families can initiate this process.

For further information please visit the Early Help section of our website https://www.cumbriasafeguardingchildren.co.uk/earlyhelp.asp

How to request information from Westmorland and Furness Safeguarding Hub for professionals

If you are a professional and require information regarding a child and/or their family, please fill out and submit the Request for Information form 

Use this form to request information Westmorland and Furness Safeguarding Hub may hold about a child and their family such as:

• Social care involvement 
• Referral outcomes
• Historic involvement

Don't use this form if you know the child has an allocated social worker or Early Help worker involvement, please contact the relevant worker directly.

You cannot use this form to submit new referrals. Use the Single Contact Form to submit a new referral. Westmorland and Furness Single Contact Form  

Please take note of the details required whilst completing the form relating to what information you are asking for, have you gained consent for this information to be shared from a parent or person with parental responsibility. In the case of an adult have you received consent form them directly.

If you feel that consent is not required, please explain why not. 

Once the completed form is received you should expect a response to your request within a maximum of 5 working days. If you have not received this, please contact us at Westmorland and Furness Safeguarding Hub 0300 373 2724.