Protecting vulnerable children and adults
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. It is the responsibility of protection agencies to determine whether or not a child or adult has been abused. It is our responsibility to report any concerns we have.
If you have a concern please do something about it, do not assume someone else has already done it. Your intervention could make a difference to someone’s life.
Oxfordshire County Council assesses all situations where concerns have been raised about the safety of a child or vulnerable adult. More information is available from the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board or for adults from the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Adults Board.
Report safeguarding concerns
If you are concerned about the immediate safety of a child or adult, please contact the Police on 101 at any time. In an emergency call 999.
Report concerns about a child
If you are worried that a child may be suffering or at risk or significant harm you can:
- call the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on 0345 050 7666 during office hours (8.30am to 5pm, Monday to Thursday, 8.30am to 4pm, Friday)
- call the out of hours Emergency Duty Team on 0800 833 408
Report concerns about an adult
If you suspect an adult is being neglected, harmed or suffering domestic abuse you can:
- call the Safeguarding Adults Service Consultation Line on 01865 328232 (Monday to Friday only)
- complete an online referral Raising a Safeguarding Concern
Safeguarding Policy - pdf - 622 Kb
Internet safety
The not-for-profit website Internet Matters, acts as a portal for parents to find important information about online safety for their children, and protect them against online dangers.
It contains a number of advisory pages, apps, tools and informative resources such as:
- E-safety advice for parents of children of all ages
- information on a range of topics including cyberbullying, avoiding inappropriate content and protecting a child's online reputation
- advice on how children can stay safe when chatting, gaming and using social networks online
Safeguarding vulnerable people from extremism
We have a duty to support vulnerable people and prevent people from being drawn into extremism. If you’re worried about someone you can find out more information on what signs to look for and how to share your concerns via www.actearly.uk, a website developed by Counter Terrorism Police, agencies and partners.
As part of the Prevent duty the Oxfordshire Channel Panel brings together a range of agencies to support people vulnerable to radicalisation in our district.
Worried about someone being radicalised? Visit the government’s website here.