Would you call SS

[DontWorry1]

If you regularly saw children age 5,7 and 8. Wondering up and down the street. Which is a very busy road and cars come fast and it is a bus route. The children are constantly in the garden pretty much most of the day until like 9pm ish as I can hear them and they are not being watched, it has no gate so they are just wondering down the drive way and onto the street by themselves and I don't think their mum even knows/cares.. They go near the road and into peoples front gardens and run across them and I have seen them looking into peoples cars on their drive ways on our road. The younger one I can always hear crying and screaming and don't think their mum goes out to see them as it just carries on. Can't speak to them or mum as I don't think she speaks English.

Yeah

I think having got to the point of worrying enough to post on MN, then yes contact SS. Imagine how you would feel if the 5yo wandered out and was hit by a bus. And then you had to say 'I was concerned because they were regularly unattended, but I decided not to report'.

How do you know their age if you can't talk to them? They may look younger than they are. If they are as young as you say, I wouldn't worry about them looking in cars, it's likely to just be curiosity. I wouldn't be all that worried about them being out if the older one seems to look out for the younger one.
Do you know their full names? SS may not take a referral without names but you could call the police when you see them out and ask police for a welfare check.

You don't have to be confident on all details to refer.
You can contact SS and say concerned that children who look to be about ages X, y, z are in this situation, and this and this.
Then SS who are the experts can decide whether to follow up.

By all means, it’s never wrong to pass on concerns.

I don’t think it’s wrong to play in a garden though.

Yes do it. It's a small step that might ensure their safety and it's off your conscience. I phoned up about an 11 year old who plays out alone wearing a nappy ( development issues) roaming the streets and asking strangers for food. Whether they responded I don't know as it continues but I can't do anything else.

I work in a school and have rcd a ss referral for exactly this

If you see them wandering in the street call the police at the time. That will get more attention than you calling social services to be honest.