Children's Advice and Duty Service (CADS)
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Getting the right support to children and families - who to call
We want all children and families in Norfolk to get the help and support they need as soon as early as possible. To achieve this, we want to ensure that our partners are contacting the best person within the council when they need advice or support. We know there are a few ways to get in touch with us and we want to make it as simple as possible to contact the right person, so we've created the flow chart below to help.
Contact flowchart for professionals
Click to download a PDF version of the flowchart for professionals (PDF, 492 KB)
Click here for the text-only contact process outline for professionals
Flowchart for professionals
If you have immediate concerns for the welfare and safety of a child you need to call CADS on 0344 800 8021; you may also want to consider the need to call the police on 999.
Route 1 - Start:
- Has the family accessed support via their local Family Hub, including what's available within their local community?
Contact family hubs - Norfolk County Council
Step 1.2a:
- Does the child, young person or family need some additional advice and support to prevent problems escalating?
- Would multi-agency working better support the family, their network and their outcomes?
If Yes,
Step 1.3a:
- Complete an online Request for Support:
Request for support - Norfolk County Council
Also:
Step 1.2b:
- Does the child have emerging SEN or is the child at risk of exclusion?
If Yes,
Step 1.4:
- Call the SEND & Inclusion Support Line:
0333 313 7165
Route 2 - Start:
- Do you have an immediate safeguarding concern for a child, young person or family?
- Or are there escalating concerns?
- Or concerns about parental capacity?
- Or is the situation complex and you need advice and guidance?
If Yes,
Step 2.2:
- Call Children's Advice & Duty Service (CADS):
0344 800 8021 - Choose the most appropriate option for your call
Currently we are getting lots of calls come through to CADs that don't require safeguarding advice, and we need to make sure that the experienced social workers on that line are providing support to those that need it the most. We have several other ways to access support and all phonelines are open Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm, excluding bank holidays.
If you know a child already has a social worker or practitioner, you should call that worker and not one of our other numbers. If you do not know the worker or their contact details, then please contact Customer Services on 0344 800 8020 and they will help to make sure your call gets put through to the right person.
Family Hubs
Call the Family Hub for any child or family that needs prevention or early help advice or support, including community networking. Family Hubs bring services together to offer support to families from conception through childhood and into teenage years with access to a range of support including Start for Life Services, parenting support, debt and welfare advice, and housing advice.
Early Help Advisors provide professionals and families with information of appropriate universal and early help services available and make referrals to these services if required. They also provide partners with information and support on the Family Network Approach and the Early Help Assessment and Plan.
- Great Yarmouth - 01493 448318
- West Norfolk - 01553 669651
- Norwich - 01603 303359
- Breckland - 01362 654584
- Broadland - 01603 303360
- South Norfolk - 01603 307703
- North Norfolk - 01263 739060
See also our Family Hubs web pages.
Professionals and families can also request early help information, advice and support through the web form Request for Support Early Help Information and Consent - Privacy - Section 1.
SEND & Inclusion Support Line
0333 313 7165
Call the support line for children with special education needs or emerging needs, at risk of exclusion or when considering a request for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
Early Help SEND Advisors provide guidance for professionals and families looking for support and advice for children with emerging SEN and can help with referrals to Schools & Communities, SEND and Inclusion Advisors and the Relocation, Ethnic Diversity and Integration (REDI) team.
You can also call the support line if you are seeking whole school support.
More information:
When to contact the Children's Advice & Duty Service (CADS)
Please remember that the CADS should only be contacted when there are concerns about a child's safety or wellbeing, and you believe they may be at risk of harm. This includes:
- Immediate safeguarding concerns - Where a child is at risk of significant harm, including physical, emotional, sexual abuse, or neglect.
- Escalating concerns - Where previous support or interventions have not improved the situation and concerns are increasing.
- Concerns about parenting capacity - Where a parent or carer's ability to meet a child's needs is compromised due to issues such as substance misuse, mental health, or domestic abuse.
- Professional consultation - Where the situation is complex and you require advice or guidance on appropriate next steps.
If you are a professional, i.e. working with a child or young person in a formal or voluntary setting and not a family member or member of the public, please visit the How to Raise a Concern (Norfolk Safeguarding Children Partnership) for further guidance. You can contact the Children's Advice and Duty Service on their direct line: 0344 800 8021.
If you have an emergency, please call 999.
Consultant Social Workers will ask all the details known to you/your agency about the child, the family composition including siblings, and where possible extended family members and anyone important in the child's life, the nature of the concern and how immediate it is, any and what kind of work/support you have provided to the child or family to date. They will also need to know where the child is now and whether you have informed parents/carers of your concern. In conversation with you the social worker will decide the best course of action and whether this requires a more protective, preventative early help response.
Members of the public with safeguarding concerns for a child must call the Customer Service Centre on 0344 800 8020.
