November 2022
What to do when you see a child who needs help
How to act when a child may be at risk, from what to notice, to helping in the moment, to the protective process that follows.
A great many children are living with risk: physical and emotional abuse, intimidation, and sexual exploitation. Often a child needs someone to help. Just as often, a child is trying to ask someone for help.
The first thing to do is help, immediately
Watch the child's manner, their eyes and how they behave. Avoiding eye contact or staring blankly, hesitant speech, restlessness. If something looks wrong, get the child out of that situation straight away.
Ask briefly about what is happening and who they are, and judge the level of risk. If the risk looks serious, call the authorities immediately, whether the police or a competent officer under the Child Protection Act. A child needs to reach a place of safety as quickly as possible.
The protective process that follows
Once a child has been reached by an agency, a multidisciplinary team takes over. That team establishes the facts, plans social welfare support, decides whether the child needs formal protective care or a place of safety, and assesses their situation before any return to the community.
The process also covers medical care, physical and psychological assessment, treatment, and legal assistance.
Everything leads back to prevention
Public awareness is the strongest protection a child can have, whether through campaigns, materials that inform the general public, or training for people who work with children.
You can be the person who gets a child out of a bad situation in time.