There are two main types of child safeguarding concerns; ‘child in need’ and ‘child protection’. Child protection concerns arise when a child is at risk of significant harm, whereas child in need concerns involve a child requiring additional support to achieve a reasonable standard of health or development.  

While understanding the distinction between these enquiry types is important, the required response from housing and property management staff remains the same; any concern about a child’s welfare must result in a safeguarding alert being raised without delay. 

For more detailed information, please see the Safeguarding Children Partnership thresholds. You can also find more detailed assessment guidance in the Multi-agency Support and Assessment Guidance.