Safeguarding & Child Protection

The Continuum of Need is a collaborative approach to Safeguarding support that drives our shared ambition of the right help, at the right time from the right service and, importantly, from the right person, whilst always acting in the best interests of the child.

It has been developed to help those who work or volunteer with children and families across the Wakefield District with making decisions about how to best provide support.

This approach is aligned to the district's Wakefield Families Together model, where a child and their family receive the right help, at the right time, from the right service, and importantly, from the right person, whilst always acting in the best interests of a child.

Wakefield Families Together brings services together, so that it’s easier for you to find and access the support you need, at the earliest opportunity.
We want children, young people, and families to tell us they are happy, healthy, and safe. Wakefield Families Together are about working on your behalf so that if you have a concern about your child or family member, you only need to have one conversation with us, and we can direct you to the right support. You can access this support through your child’s school, family hub, or in the local community.

Everyone needs help and support at some point in their life. So, when you do and find it hard to deal with a difficult situation, or have worries around family relationships, behaviour, school attendance, emotional and mental health, domestic abuse, parental conflict, housing issues, or employment and debt problems, Family can help direct to the right people and services. We call this 'early help'.

The 'Team Around' approach brings together a team of professionals that will work together with you to identify and offer early help and support. So when a concern has been raised, either by you as a parent/carer or one of the Team Around professionals, a request for support can be made with your agreement so that a Team Around meeting can take place.

Your request for support would then be reviewed at one of the regular meetings at school. This would involve a detailed discussion of the concern, and drawing on their joint knowledge and understanding the Team would make a recommendation of the best package of support to offer, by which service.

Sometimes this might mean professionals from other services are invited or consulted, if it is felt they could contribute to a support plan for your child or family. This support plan would then be fed back to you, and the service who have been identified as responsible for leading on support would get in touch to agree the plan, discuss timescales, and start date.

The parent information leaflet includes more information.

The leaflet for young people is to help you understand TAS and to make sure your voice is captured throughout the process.

Here are some useful contacts to use while the Hub is closed.

Night Owls

Social Care Direct and Safeguarding Children

Samaritans - 0330 094 5717

Call 999 or go to A&E in serious or life-threatening situations.

If you need urgent medical help but it’s not an emergency use 111 online or call 111.

When GP practices are closed, support for urgent same day health requirements can be accessed through GP Care Wakefield. Please call your usual practice number and you will be redirected to the service.

You can also visit King Street Walk In Centre which is open from 10am to 10pm every day (including bank holidays). Pontefract Urgent Treatment also sees patients and is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can book an appointment by calling 111.

To find out which pharmacies are open during the bank holidays, you can use the pharmacy postcode checker here.