keeping children safe

How Keeping Children Safe Works

Step 1

Anyone can make an enquiry about someone they’re concerned about. However only the parent, carer or guardian of a child aged under 18 can receive information under the scheme.

Step 2

The applicant must contact the police by:

• Phoning the police, 24hrs a day
• Visiting a police station
• Speaking to a police officer

Contact Details for your local Force »



Step 3

After initial checks, they will then be asked to fill in a form with a police officer, giving information about themselves, the child, and the person they have concerns about.

They will need proof of their identity, their address (including photo ID), and their relationship to the child.

Step 4

The police will run two types of checks on the individual that you have concerns about:

• Priority checks
  The purpose of these checks is to establish if there are any immediate issues of concern about the safety of a child and to take appropriate action. If the police believe children need protecting, they will take immediate action. No disclosure of information will take place at this stage.
• A full risk assessment
  The police will run more detailed checks and work with other agencies including Social Work Services and those agencies involved in local Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). The full risk assessment should be completed within 10 working days of contacting the police. They will work as quickly as possible to complete the checks but, in rare circumstances, some checks may take longer for the results to be received.

The maximum target time it should take to complete the enquiries, including possible disclosure to the applicant, is six weeks but even then there may be some delays due to factors beyond the control of the police.

The police will act immediately if at any point during the investigation a child is considered to be at risk and in need of protection.

Step 5

The police will then either:

• Contact the applicant in person
• Contact the applicant by letter (if there is no information to provided)

Step 6

If the person has a record for sexual offences against children, the applicant may be given relevant information about that person, necessary and proportionate to protect their child. The police will also provide further advice and support.

If the person has a record for other offences that may put the applicant’s child at risk (such as domestic violence), or is showing worrying behaviour, the police will again provide further advice and support.

If the person has no previous record of sexual offences against children, the applicant may not be given any information.

Step 7

If the applicant does receive information from the police it must be treated as confidential, unless they have spoken to the police and agreed how it should be shared.