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This page is for professionals. If you're a member of the public, visit:
Report a concern about a child or a teenager

Before you contact the SPoA

Discuss your concerns about a young person with your safeguarding lead. Assess the level of need by reading and using the Continuum of Need
Do not contact SPoA

when families already have a social worker. Contact the social worker directly. (The exception is if you are making a CAMHS referral.) If you are unsure who their worker is, you can get this from SingleView.

about Level 1 and 2 needs. The Council doesn't normally offer advice about Level 1 and 2. Instead, see Organisations that help families

Call SPoA on 01323 464222

if the child does not have a social worker and you have immediate safeguarding concerns. Or if the child is at risk of harm, or has sustained an injury.

if the practitioner has Level 3 or 4 concerns (targeted and child protection services.)

when a practitioner and safeguarding lead manager have assessed a child as being at immediate risk of significant harm. Phone SPoA straight away and say your concern is about immediate risk.

when the safeguarding lead is not available.

when practitioners have a concern about a child with emotional, wellbeing or mental health issues. (SPoA is now the contact point for referrals to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS))

What SPoA will ask you

have you checked SingleView? Are any Council services already supporting the child?

have you spoken to any of these services?

who else you have spoken to?

details of child and family

a summary of your concerns

have you referred to the Continuum of Need?

do you need to report a child protection concern? (Forms below.)

Reporting a child protection concern using a form

You can report a child protection on the Children's Portal to report your concerns to SPOA.

If a child is at risk of immediate harm, or has sustained an injury, please call SPOA directly on 01323 464 222 before completing your referral.

Contacting the SPoA

Telephone: 01323 464 222
Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 5pm and Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm.

Email: Single Point of Advice team
(Do not use GCSx email - it is no longer in use.)

Out of hours:

Telephone: 01273 335 906 or 01273 335 905

Contact our Emergency Duty Service (EDS) with serious concerns that cannot wait until the next working day.

EDS operates Monday to Thursday 5pm to 8.30am and
Fridays, weekends and bank holidays, 4.30pm to 8.30am.

SingleView access

SingleView gives partners an overview of Children's Services involvements, case status and relationships.

For SingleView information and applications see SingleView.

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Contacting the Single Point of Advice (SPoA)

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Actions to take before you call, what they will ask and how to contact the Single Point of Advice team.

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As well as speaking with school staff, you are able to report any safeguarding concerns to SPOA (Single Point of Advice) in East Sussex. This includes self-referrals for CAMHs

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YoungMinds | Mental Health Charity For Children And Young People

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YoungMinds are a mental health charity for children, young people and their parents, making sure all young people can get the mental health support they need.

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The NSPCC is the UK’s leading children’s charity, preventing abuse and helping those affected to recover. Help us be here for children. Please donate now.

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Family Support Work : The Sussex Charity for Children Since 1890

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We help families in Sussex to overcome their difficulties and prevent crisis. We support families struggling with issues such as poverty, ill health, learning difficulties, bereavement, family break-up and domestic abuse.

We provide emotional and practical support to families in need. This includes listening, advice, advocacy, food parcels, support groups and play activities. We stay with a family until they get back on their feet.

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Family Support Work | The Sussex Charity for Children Since 1890

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Welcome to Family Support Work We help families in Sussex to overcome their difficulties and prevent crisis. We support families struggling with issues such as poverty, ill health, learning difficulties, bereavement, family break-up and domestic abuse.

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We use some essential cookies to make this service work.

We'd like to set additional cookies so we can remember your settings, understand how people use the service and make improvements.

We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.

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Family hubs and youth hubs in East Sussex.

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If you have concerns about your child's mental health, please do speak with staff in school who will be able to share support that can be provided in school. You can also seek support from charities and outside agencies such as Young Minds and the NSPCC

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Visit our website below for more information on how to access emergency food or how to donate food.

6 Foodbank Centre(s)

If you have a food voucher, you can visit a food bank centre to pick up your emergency food parcel.

Donate food

Visit the food bank's website to find out where to donate food and which items are needed

Visit foodbank website

How to get emergency food

Find your local food bank

Enter your postcode to find your local Trussell Trust food bank and click through to find their website and contact details.

Get a food voucher

Check your local food bank website or contact them to find out to get a food voucher.

Collect your food parcel

Exchange your voucher for an emergency food parcel at your local food bank.

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Eastbourne Foodbank - The Trussell Trust

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Visit our website below for more information on how to access emergency food or how to donate food. 6 Foodbank Centre(s) If you have a food voucher, you can visit a food bank centre to pick up your emergency food parcel.

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I have been at FSN since 2010. When I first came I knew about it because the fellowship was founded on Christian principles 80 years ago. Volunteering has changed my life. It is not only the staff who are always there to help you when you are at your lowest and feel down, but it is also a place where you can come and meet people. Volunteering for FSN has changed my life. "The Community Learning courses have been a valuable resource for our clients looking to improve their mental health and wellbeing, as well as providing insight to self-management/coping strategies to build resilience. Our clients have reported they have found them interesting, informative and easy to engage with due to the welcoming and supportive staff and informal setting." - Community Connectors, Southdown I just want to thank everyone at FSN who have made the last two years so amazing. I have learnt so much and met so many inspiring people. The work you do with the community truly changes lives, as it changed mine. The courses you provide have led me into employment and given me the skills to create a life for myself.
I will continue to sing your praises to those that I meet and tell people about the amazing work that you do and hope that FSN thrives for many years to come. I know you'll touch many lives as you did mine.
2,549 children and young people aged have been supported
561 bereaved of a father
276 bereaved of a mother
227 bereaved of a sibling
768 bereaved of a grandparent
389 bereaved of a relative or friend
423 bereaved through multiple deaths
167 bereaved by suicide
35 pre-bereaved
- Dragonflies Bereavement Project "I feel more open in front of other people now"
"I'm less stressed, more confident"
"I feel good about myself - I am amazing"
"I found people that have experienced the same, it's good to talk to them"
"I've learnt little things that I can do"
"It's helped me talk to people and to make friends" - My Time Now young people's comments

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I have been at FSN since 2010. When I first came I knew about it because the fellowship was founded on Christian principles 80 years ago. Volunteering has changed my life. It is not only the staff who are always there to help you when you are at your lowest and feel down, but it is also a place where you can come and meet people.

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Information and guidance for children and young people aged 0-25 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and their families, in East Sussex.

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For families with disabled children and young people in Sussex - Amaze

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Amaze is a charity that offers information, advice and support to parents and carers of children and young people with special needs or disabilities in Brighton and Hove.

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We offer parent/ carer peer support to families whose children are struggling with their mental health. We provide a safe space for you to come together, connect, chat and know that you are not alone.
Get Support

We are a registered charity offering parent/ carer peer support. A safe, non- judgemental space where you can connect with others on a similar journey; chat, share and be supported along your journey. We are a team of parents with lived experience and wish we had somewhere we could have turned to when we needed it. We understand. Most importantly we want you to know that you are not alone.

Get involved with Holding Space

As a small charity, run by volunteers, we are always looking for people to support our cause. Whether that's through volunteering, fundraising, sponsorship, or business support; please get in touch with us if you can help in any way.

Help us to make a difference to children's and young people's lives.

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Holding Space: Family Mental Health Support in East Sussex

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We support parents, carers, children and young people who are struggling with their mental health. Know that you are not alone.

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Antibullying week is 11th - 15th November 2024 please also find links to various sites who can provide information relating to bullying

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Antibullying week is 11th - 15th November 2024 please also find links to various sites who can provide information relating to bullying

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As part of our long-term commitment to tackle any incidents of bullying in school, we have reviewed and updated our Antibullying policy to include a ’bullying investigation’ form.  This clearly sets out a protocol for staff to follow when managing bullying allegations in school.  This has been implemented based on your feedback where you shared that you do not always feel that things are investigated consistently in school.

The form clearly outlines what bullying is and isn’t so that investigations can be carried out fairly and consistently with clear actions for staff (and children) as part of the investigation.

You can access the relevant policy on our website via this link

https://www.oakwoodprimaryacademy.org/policies/

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September Sleep Tips for Your Child or Teen (2)

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Anti-bullying advice and new insights from Childline

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Last year Childline counsellors delivered 6,654 sessions about bullying – and analysis highlights how, while for some children lockdowns were a respite from bullies, for others the bullying transferred online.

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Advice for parents and carers to help keep children safe from bullying, wherever it happens.

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Internetmatters.Org provide a host of accessible advice and support for parents around online safety.

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supporting primary schoolers online

six to tens

`{`Music`}`

between the ages of six to ten it's

likely your child

might get their first connected device

perhaps a games console or a tablet

so take the time to have regular chats

with your child about their well-being

and safety online

this will help them develop coping

strategies to deal with online risks

and encourage them to make safer choices

`{`Music`}`

online

set up parental controls on your home

broadband as well as any

internet-enabled devices that your child

has access to

our setup safe parental control guides

will walk you through the steps

so you can get set up in just a few

minutes don't forget to check that any

online accounts are password protected

if you're concerned about the time your

child spends online

many devices and apps will have inbuilt

controls to help you set limits

on when they should be using them and

for how long ensure your child maintains

a good balance of online and offline

activities

and that their online activities are

positive and have purpose

it's helpful to agree some rules with

your child to encourage them to develop

good digital habits for the future

if you're looking to give them their own

devices choose ones that offer

child-friendly content and tailored

parental controls to give them a safer

space to explore online

don't forget that gaming consoles also

offer internet access

so it's important to set parental

controls

be involved with your child's internet

use this will make it easier for you to

advise them on issues they might

experience

and for them to share concerns about

anything that may upset them

encourage them to question what they see

online to build their critical thinking

create a user account for your child

that only allows access to the sites and

apps you've chosen

you could also set your home page to a

child-friendly site

such as an educational site like bbc

bite size

or a safe search engine like swiggle

activate

safe search settings on sites like

google and youtube

and encourage them to use child friendly

apps like youtube kids

many popular games involve playing

online with others

so be aware that your child may be

creating an online presence

age ratings on games and apps are a

helpful way of establishing if they are

age appropriate

and use the strictest privacy settings

if they're playing free to play games

make sure to set a password on your app

store account to restrict

in-app purchases and avoid getting

caught out with a big bill

as soon as they can share and interact

with others online

talk about what information they should

and shouldn't share

discuss what it means to be a good

digital citizen

and emphasize the importance of

developing a good digital footprint

some children may find themselves

bullying or being bullied online

so it's important to talk to them about

being a good friend online and where to

get support if they need it

remind them that they can talk to you or

a trusted adult if they have any

concerns

because safety on the internet matters

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Online safety advice for 6-10 year olds | Internet Matters

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supporting primary schoolers online six to tens `{`Music`}` between the ages of six to ten it's likely your child might get their first connected device perhaps a games console or a tablet so take the time to have regular chats with your child about their well-being and safety online this

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If you or someone you know, is affected by domestic violence, help is available.

Please speak to Mrs Wood or any of the DSLs in school.

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Supporting friends and family - SafeLives

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Active listening can be key to supporting children when they have concerns/worries. The ESCC Mental Health Support team have created a really helpful workbook to support parents when having difficult conversations with children.

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East Sussex Parenting Courses for July-September 2025 (including ADHD!)

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East Sussex Parenting Courses for July-September 2025 (including ADHD!)

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With summer holidays approaching we know that the summer can be a long time to support children - particularly where challenging behaviours exist. please do look at the support that can be offered during this time via the East Sussex parenting hub.

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We know that returning to school after a long break can be both exciting and anxiety provoking for children. Take a look at the top tips below to support the transition back to school. We look forward to seeing you all on the 4th!

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We believe in school and home working together collaboratively to support your children. We hold informal coffee mornings throughout the year and often invite in 'guests' from external agencies/charities to talk about areas of SEN or just have an open forum where staff are available for a coffee and chat!

We would love to see you there - Everyone is welcome!

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CLASS+ Alternative services to support families

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CLASS+ Alternative services to support families

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Sadly, CLASS+ the autism service who specifically support families in the home, will no longer exist from February. We know that this may cause concern for some families but have been reassured that support is still available for families (please see attached). You can also always speak with school too!

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Education Division Signposting information for parent carers January 2026 (1)

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Please do ake advantage of this free online session supporting SEN children where there are challenges around food and eating.   The East Sussex parent carer forum are hugely supportive and ready to help!

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Please do take advantage of this free online session with the East Sussex Parent carer forum! The team are incredibly supportive and ready to help!