Internal notes: contacting children's services

Internal notes to keep for yourself when contacting your local authority children's services or MASH about a safeguarding concern.

When to use this templateUse as your own private record before, during, and after a call to children's services. Not for sending. Keep it stored securely.

Tone guidance

This is for you, not for anyone else. Be honest.
Stick to the facts of the call. Save your feelings for a separate journal if useful.
Always ask for and record the reference number and the name of the person you spoke to.
Write it up within an hour of the call where possible. Memory fades fast.

Template

Children's services contact log (internal — not for sending)

Local authority: [LOCAL AUTHORITY]
Team contacted: [TEAM]
Date and time of contact: [DATE / TIME]
Name of person I spoke to: [STAFF NAME]
Reference number: [REFERENCE NUMBER]

Reason for contact:
[REASON]

What I said (key points only):
[WHAT YOU SAID]

What they said (key points only):
[WHAT THEY SAID]

Agreed next steps:
[NEXT STEPS]

Date for follow-up:
[FOLLOW-UP DATE]

Notes to self:
- Did I share everything I planned to?
- Anything I want to clarify in a follow-up call or email?
- Anyone else who needs to know (school DSL, GP, partner)?

Fields to replace

[LOCAL AUTHORITY] — Local authority
[TEAM] — Team contacted · e.g. MASH, Front Door, Children's Advice and Duty Service.
[DATE / TIME] — Date and time of contact
[STAFF NAME] — Name of person you spoke to
[REFERENCE NUMBER] — Reference number
[REASON] — Reason for contact
[WHAT YOU SAID] — What you said
[WHAT THEY SAID] — What they said
[NEXT STEPS] — Agreed next steps
[FOLLOW-UP DATE] — Date of follow-up

What to attach

•Keep this with your incident timeline and screenshots in one secure folder.
•If you write a follow-up email, save a copy in the same folder.

What not to include

Personal data about other families that you do not need.
Speculation framed as fact. Mark guesses clearly.
Anything you would not be comfortable being read back to you in a meeting.

Sources

NSPCC: Report abuse in the UK — NSPCC
GOV.UK: Report child abuse to your local council — GOV.UK

Last reviewed: 2026-05-20Next review: 2026-08-20

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.