Safeguarding means protecting children and adults at risk from harm, abuse and neglect. We are committed to ensuring that all our patients are cared for in a safe environment, treated with respect and given the support they need.
Health services have a duty to safeguard all patients and to take extra steps to care for patients who are less able to protect themselves from harm, abuse and neglect.
Report abuse or neglect
If you suspect abuse, neglect or exploitation, please use the links below to reach someone who can help
Newcastle
Gateshead
Safeguarding children
Safeguarding is action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm.
Safeguarding means:
- Protecting children from abuse and maltreatment
- Preventing harm to children’s health or development
- Ensuring children grow up with safe and effective care
- Taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes
If you suspect abuse, neglect or exploitation of a child or young person
- Report concerns about a child or young person – Newcastle
- Report concerns about a child or young person – Gateshead
Keeping children and young people safe
Child abuse is any form of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting by those known to them or, more rarely, by others. Abuse can take place wholly online, or technology may be used to facilitate offline abuse. Children may be abused by an adult or adults, or another child or children.
Children can experience more than one type of abuse which can have serious and long-lasting impacts on their lives.
More information
- You can also find help and advice from the NSPCC website or by calling 0808 800 5000
- Young Minds supports children, young people, and their parents or carers, with their mental health
- Babies cry, you can cope: help for parents and professionals
Legislation and guidance
- UNICEF’s summary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Working Together to Safeguard Children – the Government’s guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children
- Information sharing – the Government’s advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services to children, young people, parents and carers.
When a child dies
The death of a child is a devastating loss that profoundly affects bereaved parents as well as siblings, grandparents, extended family, friends and professionals who were involved in caring for the child in any capacity. When a child dies, in any circumstances, it is important for parents and families to understand what has happened and whether there are any lessons to be learned. When a child up to the age of 18 dies, there are certain processes that have to be followed to help us understand the reasons for the child’s death, and enable us to address the possible needs of other children and family members in the household. Developing a better understanding of child deaths, and considering what we can learn from each case, helps us develop more effective prevention strategies for safeguarding children’s welfare in the future.
The information below sets out the new arrangements for child death reviews across North and South of Tyne Safeguarding Children Partnership which includes Northumberland, North Tyneside, Newcastle, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland.
All the information provided on this page is available to download in a single document.
Introduction
This above document sets out how the Child Death Review partners and professionals in agencies across the six Local Authority areas in North and South of Tyne will, in response to changes in legislation, work together to review child deaths at a local level, and across the region, in order to identify learning that may help to prevent future child deaths.
Across North and South of Tyne the CDOP will review approximately 60 child deaths per year and this will provide a larger cohort of data to enable better identification of themes, trends and learning. This will include a review of the deaths of all children normally resident in the relevant local authority area, and if they consider it appropriate, the deaths in that area of non-resident children.
The death of a child is a devastating loss. Families experiencing such a tragedy should be met with empathy and compassion. They need clear and sensitive communication. They also need to understand what happened to their child and know that people will learn from what happened.
The process of expertly reviewing all children’s deaths is grounded in deep respect for the rights of children and their families, with the intention of preventing future child deaths.
Family engagement and bereavement support
The processes that follow the death of a child are complex, in particular when multiple investigations are required. Recognising this, a decision will be made as to who is the most appropriate person to support the family as a key worker. This is usually a person known to the family and could be, for example the GP, the Consultant Paediatrician, or 0-19 worker. This leaflet should be given in printed format to all bereaved families or carers.
Safeguarding adults
Safeguarding means protecting an adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. It’s about people and organisations working together to prevent and stop both abuse and neglect, and promoting the person’s wellbeing.
Adult safeguarding duties apply to an adult who:
- Needs care and support (whether or not the local authority is meeting any of those needs)
- Is experiencing, or at risk of abuse and neglect
- As a result of their care and support needs, is unable to protect themselves from the risk of abuse or neglect
If you suspect abuse, neglect or exploitation
Legislation and guidance on safeguarding adults
- Factsheet on The Care Act – protecting adults from abuse or neglect
- Care and support statutory guidance, issued under the Care Act 2014
- Hourglass – a charity tackling abuse of older people
Domestic abuse
Domestic abuse means any incident (or pattern of incidents) of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over, who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality. This can include – but is not limited to – these types of abuse:
- Physical abuse
- Emotional abuse
- Psychological abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Financial abuse
More information
- Refuge: For women and children. Against domestic violence. You can also call the 24-hour freephone helpline on 0808 2000 247
- Safe Lives – a charity dedicated to ending domestic abuse
- Women’s aid – working together against domestic abuse
- Respect – men’s advice line
- ManKind – helping men escape domestic abuse
‘Honour’ based abuse and forced marriage
In some communities, the idea of ‘honour’ is seen as extremely important. To compromise a family’s ‘honour’ is to bring dishonour and shame, and this can have severe consequences. The punishment can be emotional abuse, physical abuse, being disowned by your family, and in some cases even murder.
In most honour-based abuse cases there are multiple perpetrators from the immediate family, sometimes the extended family and occasionally the wider community. Mothers, sisters, aunties and even grandmothers have been known to conspire in honour crimes.
Arranged marriage and forced marriage: what’s the difference?
An arranged marriage is when both partners give their full consent and enter the marriage willingly.
A forced marriage is when one or both of the partners enter the marriage without giving their consent. They go through with the wedding under duress from their families.
Forcing someone into marriage is a criminal offence in the UK.
More information
- Karma Nirvana – a charity helping victims of honour-based abuse and forced marriage
- Refuge: For women and children. Against domestic violence. You can also call the 24-hour freephone helpline on 0808 2000 247
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. It’s also known as female circumcision or cutting.
The age at which FGM is carried out varies. It may take place when a female baby is born, during childhood or adolescence, just before marriage or during pregnancy.
More information
Exploitation
Young people may also experience significant harm outside their family. It can take place in their neighbourhood, school or online. Exploitation means being groomed, forced or coerced into doing something you don’t want to do, for someone else’s gain.
It is a complex and often hidden issue, and can include:
- Criminal gangs and organised crime groups (‘county lines’)
- Extremism leading to radicalisation
- Trafficking and modern slavery
- Sexual exploitation
- Online abuse
More information
- Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command (national crime agency)
- Parents against child exploitation
- Safeguarding children at risk (The Children’s Society)
- Criminal exploitation and ‘county lines’ (The Children’s Society)
- County Lines Parents & Carers Leaflet
- Criminal exploitation and gangs (NSPCC)
- NWG (a charity tackling child exploitation)
- Let’s Talk About It – working together to prevent terrorism