Child Protection - Frequently Asked Questions
Children rarely tell if they are being
harmed.
You may see or hear things which make you worry about a child's
care, welfare or safety. This may be related to the actions
of anyone caring for a child. This page contains information
which may answer some of your queries or concerns in relation to a
child or young person.
Children can be abused in different ways. They can be
physically injured, for examply by punching, hitting or
kicking. They can also be abused sexually, which means that
they have experienced inappropriate sexual behaviour or
language. Emotional abuse, where a child is constantly
criticised, ignored or humiliated, also causes harm. Neglect
is another form of abuse, where a child is not properly fed,
clothed or sheltered or kept clean or safe.
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Children who have been abused rarely tell, but there are signs
which may make you worry that a child has been abused.
The child may have unexplained bruising, or bruising in an unusual
place, seem afraid, quiet or withdrawn, be afraid to go home, or
seem hungry, tired or unkempt. You may be concerned if a
child is left alone or unsupervised, has too much responsibility
for their age, is acting in a sexually inappropriate way or is
misusing drugs or alcohol.
You may also see behaviour in an adult which makes you worry about
any children they care for. For example, an adult may be
acting violently or sexually towards a child or someone else,
misusing drugs or alcohol while caring for a child or be verbally
abusive towards a child.
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If you have concerns about a child please contact the Council's
Child Protection Duty Team based at Pullar House in
Perth. The Child Protection phone line, 01738
476768, will be operated by a Duty Officer from 9 am until
5 pm, Monday to Friday. Outwith these hours please
contact the Out of Hours Team on 0845 301
1120
Alternatively you could speak to a health visitor, teacher, nursery
worker, family doctor, social worker, police officer or the
Children's Reporter.
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You could speak to a health visitor, teacher, nursery worker,
family doctor, social worker, police officer,
children's reporter or any adult you feel you can trust.
Contact details for the duty/child protection team, the police and children's reporter are available on
this site.
If you prefer, you can call Childline free on 0800 1111 at any time, to
talk about any problem.
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Not all types of abuse leave visible injuries.
If there are other signs which make you worried about a child you
should speak to someone. The Child Protection Duty Team will
provide advice if you are unsure if a child is being abused.
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Children who are being abused rarely tell. If
there are other signs which make you worried about a child you
should always report it to someone who can protect the child.
If you have concerns about a child please contact the Council's
Child Protection Team based at Pullar House in Perth. The
Child Protection phone line, 01738 476768, will be
operated by a Duty Officer from 9 am until 5 pm, Monday to
Friday. The Duty Officer will be available to discuss
concerns about the care and protection of any child in the local
community. Outwith these hours, the contact number will be
0845 301 1120.
Alternatively you could speak to a health visitor, teacher, nursery
worker, family doctor, social worker, police officer or children's
reporter.
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Children who are
being abused rarely tell. If there are other signs which make
you worried about a child you should speak to someone.
If you have concerns about a child please contact the Council's
Child Protection Team based at Pullar House in Perth. The
Child Protection phone line, 01738 476768, will be
operated by a Duty Officer from 9 am until 5 pm, Monday to
Friday. The Duty Officer will be available to discuss
concerns about the care and protection of any child in the local
community. Outwith these hours, the contact number will be
0845 301 1120.
Alternatively you could speak to a health visitor, teacher, nursery
worker, family doctor, social worker, police officer or children's
reporter.
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You could speak to a health visitor, teacher, nursery worker,
your family doctor or a social worker. All of these people
can help you to find the support you need to take care of your
child.
Contact details for the duty/child protection team are available on
this website. Or you could call Parentline
Scotland, a free telephone helpline for anyone caring for
children in Scotland, on 0808 800 2222.
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We will treat all the information you give us with great care and
discretion. We will not share any information, including your
name, unless we have to in order to protect the child.
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We treat all information seriously and will act on what you tell
us. We may check the records we already hold, or gather new
information. We may speak to the child and family to help
assess the sitaution.
We will make sure the child is safe, and we will get back in touch
to let you know that we have taken the appropriate action.
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Once we have finished our enquiries there are a range of things
which might happen. We may decide that no action is
needed. We may offer the family support, or put them in touch
with other agencies which can provide them with services. In
some cases it may be necessary to take legal action to protect the
child.
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You don't have to give your name, but if you don't it might make
it difficult for us to find out whether the child is at risk.
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