About Safeguarding Children

Safeguarding Children in Wiltshire

Wiltshire SVPP brings together those who lead Wiltshire’s services to safeguard children, young people and adults. The new arrangements are based on the fact that children, young people and adults live in families and local communities that can be both sources of support and safety or of danger and risk and aims to bring more closely together the work of the Safeguarding Adult Board, the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) and work to ensure the effectiveness of the systems to support and protect children and young people.

 What is safeguarding?

Child protection and safeguarding means protecting children from abuse, and identifying and stopping abuse that might already be happening. This means:

• Protecting children from being hurt and not being looked after properly
• Making sure that no one stops children from growing up healthy and that every child is helped to reach their full potential
• Making sure children are growing up in homes that are safe and that all their needs are being met

Abuse of a child or young person under the age of 18 is defined as follows.

• Abuse is a deliberate act of ill-treatment that can harm or is likely to harm a child or young person’s safety, well-being and development. Abuse can be physical, sexual or emotional.
• Neglect of a child or young person also constitutes abuse and can be defined as failing to provide or secure for a child or young person the basic needs of physical safety and well-being.

Children are protected from child abuse or neglect by agencies working together to assess the risk, and helping to prevent further abuse occurring.

Making a referral to MASH

Enquiries should be made when you have concerns for the welfare and or safety of any child or young person under 18. If you are not sure about the needs of the child, you can call the MASH using the contact details below to discuss the case with professionals in the MASH.

If you think a child or young person is at risk of significant harm, or is injured, contact the Integrated Front Door (IFD) on 0300 4560108, 8.45am-5pm, Monday-Thursday and 8.45am-4pm Friday; Out of Hours 0300 456 0100.

Or if there is immediate danger, phone the police or emergency services on 999.

For less urgent enquiries, email mash@wiltshire.gov.uk