Are They Safe? Wellbeing and welfare concerns
Wellbeing/ welfare concerns
If you are worried about someone’s welfare and\/or wellbeing and the situation does not meet the threshold for a safeguarding referral in Suffolk below are some contact links for where you may find the support that is needed.
Sources of support include:
Customer First (Social Care)
Suffolk Information partnership (SIP)
Suffolk Advice and Support Service (SASS)
Local Welfare Assistance Scheme (LWAS)
Childrens Early Help Service
Customer First is the first point of contact for social services in Suffolk. They deal with enquiries and referrals about adults, children and mental health assessments.
If you are unsure if your enquiry is about social care, contact them. They will be happy to assist you if they can, and if they can’t they will point you in the right direction
Click on the link above to see how to contact social care in Suffolk, and what you can do to find help and support online.
The Suffolk Information Partnership manages a secure, online referral process to support vulnerable customers and clients and help them access services that they may not be able to on their own.
If the client would like to be referred to another organisation in the Scheme, or the practitioner feels it is in their best interests, their personal details and support needs can be safely and swiftly passed on to other partner organisations who will get in touch with the client to offer support. The process, which means that the client only needs to tell their story once, is underpinned by an Information Sharing Agreement that outlines the responsibilities of each partner and and a Privacy Statement.
Get free professional advice in confidence on a range of things that you might need some help with.
Call them to have a chat about:
- your mortgage or credit cards
- rent arrears or other debts
- COVID-19 related concerns and what it means for you and/or your family
- access to food
- one off grants for things such as:
- white goods
- fuel vouchers
- other unforeseen expenses
Helpline: 0800 068 3131
Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
Referrals into the the Local Welfare Assistance Scheme can only be made by a gateway partner. Click the category sections in the link above to see which organisations are currently signed up. They include, District and Borough councils, advice service, Domestic abuse services, Drug and alcohol services, Housing, Education/ Learning and childcare, Foodbanks, Health (including mental health services) and more…
Guidance for professionals, parents and carers can be found on the website above.
If you are a member of staff, including a volunteer, of an organisation in Suffolk and you are not sure whether to make a safeguarding referral or not you can contact the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) Professionals Line.
If you would like to discuss whether the situation you are concerned about should be the subject of a safeguarding referral, please contact the MASH Consultation Line on 0345 606 1499.