Safeguarding Children

For more information on how you can make a referral, please click the link below.

• How to make a referral

Referrals to South Tyneside, Sunderland, Gateshead and Durham can be made via Datix by choosing the appropriate dropdown in the Datix safeguarding module. If you need to refer to any other Local Authority please access the Local Authority's website. Some links for neighbouring authorities are below: 

North Tyneside Local Contacts
Referral form 

Newcastle Local Contacts 
Referral form

Northumberland Contacts
Referral form
 

Follow this link for guidance on making a good referral to Children's Services

Staff can contact the Safeguarding Children's Team Monday - Friday between 9:00am - 5:00pm. On the following numbers:

• Childrens Safeguarding Team can be  contacted for advice and support on 0191 541 0555 ext. 40555 or email stsft.safeguardingteam@nhs.net

• Children in Care Team on: 0191 5699129 based at: The Children’s Centre, Durham Road

Out of hours your own manager/link/matron or Paediatric Consultant on call can be contacted as can the duty social worker.

Designated and Named professionals can be contacted on the numbers below.

• Kerry Pate - Named Nurse safeguarding children: Mobile 07717360549
• Dr Sunil Gupta- Designated Doctor for Safeguarding South Tyneside: Tel 0191 4041000
• Stephen Edgeley/Gary Stokes - Designated Nurses for Safeguarding Children Sunderland: Mobile 07771358202
• Victoria Cotter - Designated Nurse for Safeguarding Children South Tyneside: Mobile 07385382817
• Dr Rhona McCrone – Named Doctor for Safeguarding Bleep. 59820
• Dr Sarah Mills - Designated Doctor for Children in Care Sunderland – 0191 5699012 Mobile: 07899935688
• Janice Blakey - Named Safeguarding Midwife - 0191 5410555

Children in Care are:

A child/young person who is the care of the Local Authority or who is provided with accommodation by the Local Authority Childrens Services department for a period of more than 24hours.

This includes children in repect of whom a compulsory care order or other court order has been made, including those on an adoption pathway. It also refers to children that are accommodated voluntarily, including under an agreed series of short term placements which may be called short breaks, family link placements or respite care, as well as those on remand.

A child ceases to be cared for when they are adopted, return home without a care order in place or turn 18 years old. However Local Authorities are required to support childen leaving care at 18 until they are at least 25 years of age. This may involve them continuing to live with their foster family.

The Children in Care Health Team are based at:

The Childrens Centre Durham Road , Sunderland.

We have a team of :

• Named Doctors and Named Nurses
• Community Paediatric Medical team
• Advanced Clinical Practitoner Children in Care
• Children in Care Nurses
• Admin Support

Our contact details are:

0191 5699129 (direct Line)

Additonal Information

• Promoting the health and well-being of looked after children
• Looked After Children and Young People and Consent to Treatment
• Private Fostering

ISIT / ICRT (Integrated Safeguarding and Interventions Team) (Integrated Contact and Referral Team):

The ISIT and MASH are multi-agency teams that  receive contacts and referrals from professionals and members of the public who are concerned about a child.

The team includes representatives from Local Authority, Education, Early Help, Police, STSFT and Probation services, who are co-located to enable swift and effective information sharing and decision making.

The Safeguarding Nurse Advisor role within the (ISIT) consists of searching and collating health information for children between the ages of 0-18 and their families.

The Advisor plays a part in the assessment of child concern notifications and referrals received into the ISIT. They ideally have access to accurate, timely, health information and data bases and can collate information within a short period of time to speed up the safeguarding assessment process. Whilst adhering to a code of practice, information is interpreted, and shared within a multiagency fire walled team to safeguard and improve outcomes for children at risk of harm and abuse.

ICRT Health Representative is employed by Harrogate and District Foundation Trust. They supply health information on behalf of the health economy.

Early Help:

For Early Help information and referrals please click the links below:

• Early Help - Contact and Referral Processes - Sunderland/Durham/South Tyneside/Gateshead
• Support with Family Life (Early Help - South Tyneside)
• Sunderland Together for Children - Early Help  
• Gateshead - Early Help

For local safeguarding procedures, please visit the following websites:

• North and South of Tyne Safeguarding Children Partnership Procedures
• Durham Safeguarding Children Partnership
• Durham Safeguaring partnership - making a referral 
• Tees Safeguarding Children Procedures

Standards and Guidance 

• Standards and Guidance for Childrens Safeguarding in STSFT
• Guidance on making a 'good' safeguarding referal to Children's Services 

Safeguarding Documents

• Health Professional Template for Initial/Pre-Birth/Transfer/Review Child Protection Conference
• ICPC - RCPC Report Guidance 
• Child Protection Medical Guidance
• Report Following Attendance at a Multi-Agency meeting
• Court report
• Body map-baby and toddler
• Genogram Template

• Bruising in Non-Mobile Baby, Non-Mobile Child, Non-Mobile Young Person Pathway

Was Not Brought (South Tyneside and Sunderland)

• Was Not Brought Flow Chart
• Please also refer to Standards and Guidance for Childrens Safeguarding in STSFT

Safeguarding Children Board Procedures Manual and Threshold Documents  

Please follow the links for threshold guidance:

• Threshold documents for South Tyneside, Sunderland, Gateshead, Newcastle,North Tyneside and Northumberland

• Threshold document for Durham

• Sunderland Neglect Toolkit

Child Protection Medical Guidance

• Child Protection Leaflet
• Child Protection Medical Record Booklet
• Information Leaflet for parents/carers - Skeletal Survey, CT Head scan & MRI
• Emotional Abuse / Chronic Longstanding Neglect / Historic Sexual Abuse Paediatric Assessment Referral Form

Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews (CSPR) are undertaken by local safeguarding children's partnerships for every case where abuse or neglect is known-or suspected and either: a child dies or a child is seriously harmed and there are concerns about how organisations or professionals worked together to protect the child.

Publications and learning bulletins from recent Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews undertaken by Sunderland and South Tyneside Partnership Boards can be found below.

• 7 minute briefing - Baby Kate
• 7 minute briefing - Vulnerable Baby - Baby Steven 
• SSCP including CSPR CHILD FC and CSPR Helan and Jane
• STSCAP CSPR Child J

Key Learning

• Serious Case Review Learning Bulletin-Baby A
• 7 Minute Briefing - BABY 'A' SCR
• 7 NSPCC - Case Reviews published in 2018

Please also refer to the local Safeguarding Partnership site for South Tyneside and Sunderland for recent published case reviews.