Referrals
Parents should be informed and their consent obtained prior to a referral unless doing so would place the child or another person at significant risk of harm. Where parents are separated and both hold parental responsibility for the child, both parents should be informed and consent sought before making the referral, unless there is a significant risk of harm or another lawful reason not to do so.
Referrals for Settings in Brighton & Hove
Referrals in Brighton & Hove should be made to Front Door for Families. This includes safeguarding concerns and Early Help / Best Start Family Hubs referrals.
Consultation on any issue does not require notification. FDfF should be able to advice depending on the circumstance.
☎ 01273 290400
Any allegation or concern about a member of staff or volunteer must be reported to FDfF, LADO and, Ofsted.
The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) is responsible for the oversight and management of allegations made against employees. Consequently they should be informed of all allegations that come to an employer’s attention.
The LADO for Brighton and Hove City Council can be contacted via:
Consultation Form: https://www.bhscp.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/04/LADO-Referral-Consultation-Form.docx
Further information is available here:
Referrals for Settings in East Sussex
In line with the EYFS, the Lead Practitioner for Safeguarding is responsible for liaising with the Local Safeguarding Children's Board. The Single Point of Access (SPoA) provides guidance on concerns about children at Level 3 or 4 (targeted/specialist and child protection services) on the continuum of need .
Key points for referrals in East Sussex:
- Submit a Statement of Referral (SOR) through The Children's Portal
- Contact SPoA: • Phone: 01323 464222 (Mon-Thu 8:30am-5pm, Fri 8:30am-4:30pm) • Email: 0–19.SPOA@eastsussex.gov.uk • Emergency (out of hours): 01273 335906 or 01273 335905
- DSL should contact SPoA to discuss concerns or report incidents
- Timing of referrals should reflect perceived risk levels
- Verbal referrals must be confirmed in writing within 24 hours
Contact the LADO for East Sussex County Council via:
For more information on the LADO's role:
Referrals for Settings in West Sussex
West Sussex Integrated Front Door: for Early Help and Children’s Social Care referrals, advice and safeguarding concerns.
01403 229900 (Mon-Fri 9am - 5pm) 033 022 26664 (Outside working hours) https://www.westsussexscp.org.uk/professionals/workingtogether/making-a-referral
Local Authority Agency Summary
Brighton & Hove County Council (BHCC)
Front Door for Families (FDfF)
East Sussex Country Council (ESCC)
Single Point of Access (SPoA)
01323 464222
West Sussex County Council (WSCC)
Integrated Front Door (IFD)
01403 229900 /Mon-Fri 9am - 5pm)
033 022 26664 (Outside Working Hours)
Record Management
The DSL will telephone the Duty and Assessment Team to notify them of a safeguarding concern and follow instructions on completion of paperwork.
Where concerns relate to an allegation against a member of staff, or volunteer the referral should include the child’s name, address, gender and date of birth together with full details of the complaint or allegation, including witness statements.
All records will be held confidentially but will be shared with other agencies as needed where this assists an ongoing investigation. Records will be held for a reasonable period of time after children or staff members have left the provision in case they are needed for any future investigation.