What happens after I report a case of child abuse?
If you have called 999, the
police will attend immediately.
If you have called the non-emergency number
0845 458 0000, the case will be referred to
Cheshire Constabulary’s Resource Deployment Centre and a Police
Officer will visit you and conduct an initial interview.
The Police Officer will then complete a
Referral Form and pass it to a Child Protection Team. There is a
Child Protection Team for each policing area of Cheshire -
Eastern, Western and Northern.
Sometimes a case is referred to the police by
the local authority, most often from the children’s social care
department and normally this ‘referral’ will be made direct to the
area Child Protection Team.
A child protection officer
will be allocated to the case and will be responsible for the
investigation from beginning to end.
A strategy meeting will then be held with
Children’s Social Care to decide what steps should be taken.
The child will be interviewed
in a special, child-friendly location, which is not part of a
police station. The interview may be videoed.
Other people who have been
in contact with the child will be
interviewed. This includes teachers, health
visitors or doctors.
How child abuse cases are investigated
Cheshire Police and Children’s Social
Care will normally conduct a joint investigation.
The police will be responsible for any criminal investigation and
children’s social care will look at whether there may be other
issues around keeping the child safe from further harm which may
require further protection measures need to be put in place.
In criminal cases where there is
sufficient evidence the matter may be referred to
the Crown Prosecution service who will decide if
any one should be charged for the matter to be considered in a
criminal court (a Magistrates or Crown Court). In some
circumstances it may be necessary for the Local Authority to seek
an ‘order’ from the Family Court to protect the child (for example,
a care order or a supervision order).
Support for the child once
the case goes to a criminal court is provided by the
NSPCC who will allocate a specific
worker to the case who will then support the child; prior, during
and after any criminal trial.
If the child has to give evidence in any
criminal court then the Crown prosecution can apply for ‘Special
measures’ which include; allowing the child to give their evidence
by video recording and for any cross-examination to be done via a
‘video-link so that the child will not have to give evidence in the
same room as the alleged offender.