I just had to make my first safeguarding referral

[alittleshaken]

Obviously I can’t share details but I feel so upset for the poor child and family, and feel filled with guilt even though we’ve all agreed it was the right thing to do. It’s just not a pleasant thing to do at all

Are you able to say what job you do, OP?

Oh that’s upsetting but it was the right thing to do.

I work in admin

Why are you upset about it?

Why guilt?
If a child is potentially at risk then a safeguarding referral is the right thing to do.

It’s just not a nice thing to do. I feel awful for the poor little one and the entire family

How old is the little one? Will their school be able to help?

Because it seems like the family is in an awful situation

Then by making the referral they'll get some help?

SS don't want to remove children it is expensive and makes paperwork so they'd hope for helpful intervention in the first place.

You've done the right thing. It's hard separating your functional, work self from your private, feeling self.

But what makes it safeguarding over a child in need situation......

What I'm rather crudely trying to ask is, have you just made a referral to MASH etc or was this specifically safeguarding. If they just need support as things not good then it is different to a child at risk. Either way don't feel bad.

No, I know. I’ve just never done this before and it’s just an awful situation all around. The little one is the same age as one of my family members and thinking about how much they must be going through is horrendous.

What? I’ve followed what I’ve been told by our paediatric team.

So are you the one who has the primary concern or were you told to do the referral on behalf of someone else?

I had the concern. I sought advice from the team at my workplace who deals with this everyday and did what I was told to do by them.

It is upsetting making a referral because you have seen or heard something concerning about a young child that made you feel a referral is needed. Its very human to be shaken by whatever triggered it

It also normal to think have I done the right things, as we can all get the impression "services" make things worse. But we probably dont hear all times help did help.

Ok, so you've made a referral. At this stage there is no decision that this will be a safeguarding situation once it lands at the social workers desk.
It may make you feel better if you know it isn't necessarily a tier 4 level of case but tier 2/3 and child in need.

If the family are mistreating true child, why do you feel sorry for the family?

The child is on a plan so it likely will be. It’s just an awful situation all around

It sounds like a more complicated issue than this and it seems like a tragic situation, as opposed to one of pure evil and abuse.

I think you should reframe it - a safeguarding referral means the family will get help.

It's v v difficult to get a child removed, so all efforts will be made to get them on track.

Of course it would be great if it were never necessary, but this system is the next best thing (imperfect though it is).

And - with apologies for drama - you'd feel a bloody lot worse if something awful happened and you hadn't referred.

So the child is already subject to a child protection plan?
Im that case they'd have a social worker allocated, there would be a health person as part of the core group and information should have gone to them. You didn't need to make a new referral.....
I'm saying this as you've ended up having to do a lot of extra work when a call would have gone directly to allocated SW.

Absolutely this - it’s really normal to feel unnerved.

well done, you’ve done something that is essential but not easy.

withou it, possible neglect and prob pooor outcome

I don’t know the exact terms for what I’ve done. Maybe it’s just notifying people? I’ve literally never dealt with anything like this before and I don’t know why you’re picking holes in me