From 23 July 2025 all professionals must complete safeguarding and child protection referrals by calling First Response on 0117 903 6444.
Who to contact to report a concern about a child or young person.
If you are currently witnessing a child being harmed or in a situation of immediate risk, call the Police on 999.
When our offices are closed and you have an urgent concern that cannot wait until the next working day, call the Emergency Duty Team on 01454 615 165.
If you're unable to use a phone, tell us your preferred communication method.
If you know the child has an allocated social worker or Family Help worker, contact the worker directly.
We aim to make a decision on referrals within 24 hours of receiving them. We need you to provide enough detail in your answers so that we can build a complete view of the household composition and the family's current situation.
Before you start a referral
Before starting a referral, you should make sure that the family's address is in Bristol. You can do this by finding their local council.
You also need to check the Keeping Bristol Safe Partnership's Indicators of Possible Need booklet to find out if the concerns fall under Level 4 specialist services to address acute and chronic need.
If the needs do not fall under Level 4, you should read their Effective Support for Children and Families in Bristol booklet for further guidance.
You must tell the parents or carers that you're making referral. If you're unable to do this, or you feel it is unsafe to do so, find consent and information sharing for further guidance on making a safeguarding referral.
To complete your referral make sure you have ready:
- the name, date of birth and address for each child you are including in the referral
- the name and contact details for each parent or carer and any other professionals involved
- information about what support has been offered to the family.
Make sure that all the information shared with us is factual, balanced and proportionate to the concerns you're reporting, as it will be shared with the children or parents as part of the assessment.