What happens if you tell someone that you are worried about being abused or neglected?

For people whose job it is to help protect children and young people from abuse or neglect (like teachers, police officers, social workers, doctors and nurses), the main priority is to make sure that children and young people are safe.

These people must do something whenever anyone says they are worried about a child or a young person. They need to find out if a child, young person and their family need help and, if they do, work with the family to provide it.

Some people say that social workers just want to take children away from home. That is just a myth. The reality is that very, very few children or young people have to leave home as a result of a child protection inquiry. This only happens when children are in real danger and immediate risk.

What everyone wants is for the child or young person's family to be able to safely care for their children at home. Most children and young people stay at home, with support being provided to try and solve the problems that led to the concern in the first place.