Deliver a helpline to provide support and advice to any adult (including parents, carers and professionals) who may have concerns that a child or young person is experiencing abuse and/or neglect

Description

To help prevent children and young people from suffering from abuse and/or neglect the government has contributed funding towards the NSPCC helpline. This service provides adults and professionals across the UK with free, impartial and expert advice and support. Funding for the current model is approved to the end of March 2022. We are looking to work with the market to help us review the approach on how best to support adults to come forward to seek advice, support and report safeguarding concerns about a child or young person. This workshop aims to help us understand if continuing to fund a helpline service is the most effective way to encourage adults to share and report concerns and seek advice and support to protect vulnerable children and young people. We believe that there is a need for a service to: 1) reach, support and advise the general public, and professionals to recognise the signs of abuse, know what to do and how to act to report concerns; 2) be equipped with the latest safeguarding knowledge, have trained experts who have a good understanding of the children social care and education landscape, VCS organisations and other relevant agencies; 3) work openly and constructively with government and statutory bodies such as local authorities and the police to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people. 4) be aware of and can confidently advise on safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance; 5) innovate and respond to changes and developments including national and local strategies on child safeguarding and protection. We would therefore welcome your views on: whether the above proposed service objectives are broadly right; o how best to meet the needs of service users, i.e., adults and professionals, in today's digital world? o how you see service user needs evolving in the next 5 years and how do you think the market will respond to this? o what are the challenges (policy and commercial) of delivering these service objectives? Please note that the Department is interested in all organisations, including small and VCS organisations that have relevant and significant expertise and experience. We are open to different commercial arrangements, including consortia and partnership and encourage organisations of any size with the necessary expertise to attend the event.