Child Protection
Early help is where a collection of agencies work together across Stockport to provide a wide range of support, preventative and advisory services to children and families Early Help supports families at the earliest point when they first meet challenges, stopping problems from escalating. We very much try to support families who need help at the earliest point and can signpost to various agencies to help.
However because of the day-to-day contact with children, schools are particularly well placed to observe outward signs of abuse, changes in behaviour or failure to develop. Parents should be aware that when it appears to a member of staff that a child may have been abused, the school is required, as part of Stockport Child Protection Procedure, to report their concerns to the Social Services Department immediately. Consequently, in such situations it is likely that a social worker, not the school, will contact the parents.
This requirement forms part of the local authority’s procedures for dealing with child abuse and is not a matter for the discretion of individual headteachers or members of school staff.
