We are committed to protecting children and adults at risk. We have a designated Safeguarding Officer and our own child and adult safeguarding policy (pdf).
This policy commits all council staff, councillors and volunteers to report any concerns about the safety of any child or adult at risk.
All council staff complete a digital safeguarding awareness training module so that they are:
- able to identify possible signs of abuse
- more aware of what actions may cause harm to vulnerable individuals
- know how to report concerns
We also have a safe recruitment process to make sure that only the most suitable people are employed to work with children, young people and adults with care and support needs.
We follow the safeguarding and child protection procedures set by the Southend Essex Thurrock (SET) Safeguarding Board.
We support the work of Essex County Council (ECC) who has the legal responsibility for child and adult protection.
We have also set out our commitment to combatting slavery and human trafficking in our modern slavery statement.
Report a concern
If you are concerned about the immediate safety of a child or vulnerable adult you should call 999.
If you are concerned about an adult you can call Adult Social Care on 0345 603 7630 or report it to ECC online.
If you are concerned about a child you can call the Children and Families Hub on 0345 603 7627 or report it to ECC online.
You can also report concerns about a child to the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000.
If you are a child or young person, you can talk to someone in confidence by calling ChildLine on 0800 1111.
You can contact the council’s designated Safeguarding Officer by phone 01279 446192 or email christine.howard@harlow.gov.uk
We cannot accept referrals for children or adults at risk - these must be directed to ECC.
For more information on safeguarding you can visit the Essex Safeguarding Adults Board or Essex Safeguarding Children Board website