North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership

Every child has the right to be protected from abuse, harm, and exploitation.

Children who are being harmed rely on adults to notice when something might be wrong and to do something about it.

You can help to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children by sharing any concerns with us.

Report a child in harm

If you have a concern that a child is suffering from, or is at risk from, any harm that will affect their wellbeing you should contact:

• Call 01294 310300 during office hours
• Our out of hours service on 0800 328 7758
• If the child is in immediate danger, contact the police by telephoning 101 or, in an emergency, 999

What will happen after I report my child protection concerns?

We record all concerns shared about children.

We check the information with other services involved with the family. All information is treated seriously and we will take the action that best meets the needs of the child.

We try very hard to work in partnership with parents so that families can stay together.

Actions we may take:

• Urgent action to secure the safety of the child (through temporary placement in residential or foster care)
• Provide help (such as childcare) to a family under stress
• Refer a family to another agency
• Undertake a formal child protection investigation, either on a single agency basis, or jointly with the police
• Record the concern but take no further action

In some instances legal measures may be considered such as a Child Assessment Order or referring a child to the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration.

For more information, please contact the North Ayrshire Child Protection Committee below. This is the strategic partnership which supports all partners across statutory and third sectors, along with the local community, to work together to effectively protect children and young people.