Call 999 if a child is in immediate danger.
If you believe a child is at risk of harm right now, stop reading and dial 999. The police can be contacted 24 hours a day and can take action faster than any website.
Emergency Disclaimer
Important things this site is not — and the UK services to use instead.
This is not emergency services
SafeChildGuide provides general educational guidance for parents, carers, professionals, and young people in the UK. We do not staff a helpline, monitor messages, or respond to incidents. Nothing on this site replaces the emergency services, your local police, or a professional safeguarding response.
This is not a reporting service
If you need to report something, use the appropriate UK route below:
- 999 — police, ambulance, or fire when there is an immediate risk to life or a crime in progress.
- 101 — non-emergency police, for reporting a crime that is not in progress.
- CEOP — to report online child sexual exploitation or contact from someone who is making a child feel unsafe online.
- Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) — to report child sexual abuse imagery online, anonymously.
- NSPCC helpline 0808 800 5000 — for adults who are worried about a child.
- Childline 0800 1111 — for under-18s who want to talk to someone in confidence.
- Action Fraud — to report scams, fraud, and cybercrime in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
- Local authority children's services — the safeguarding team for the area where the child lives, for non-emergency child protection concerns.
This is not medical advice
Information on this site is not a substitute for advice from a qualified health professional. For non-emergency medical concerns, contact your GP or call NHS 111. If a child has taken something harmful, is seriously injured, or is at risk of suicide, call 999.
This is not legal advice
We explain how UK law and statutory guidance generally work, but we cannot advise on your specific situation. For free, independent guidance, contact Citizens Advice. To find or check a regulated solicitor in England and Wales, see the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Take action, then read
If you are reading this because something is happening right now, please call the appropriate UK number above first. Our guides will still be here when you come back. The right next step in an active situation is almost always a phone call to a service that can act, not more reading.
This is practical educational content to support families. For case-specific concerns about a child's safety, contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or your local safeguarding team.