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I’m a parent or carer

It is everyone’s job to make sure all the people of North Lanarkshire are protected.

Last updated on: February 4, 2026

Concerned about a child or young person
Online Safety
Domestic Abuse
Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC)
If your family is involved in the Child Protection process
The Promise
Useful Contacts

Do you know someone who is being harmed?

If you or someone you know is being harmed, it is important to tell someone now.

Contact your local social work office during business hours or use the emergency service number 0800 121 4114 after hours.

In immediate danger, call 999.

Speak to a trusted individual like a doctor, care worker, nurse, school staff or health visitor.

They will take your concerns seriously and work to make sure everyone is safe.

Get Help Now

Concerned about a child or young person

Most children grow up in homes where they are loved and well cared for. However, for a variety of reasons sometimes a child may be hurt or mistreated in a way that is likely to cause them significant harm. This can be a result of abuse and neglect.

What is Child Abuse & How to Keep Your Child Protected | NSPCC

Types of Child Abuse & How to Prevent Them | NSPCC

Speak Up – Child Protection Scotland

Listen up, Speak up | NSPCC

As a parent or carer, you are responsible for bringing up a child or young person, promoting their wellbeing, health and development and protecting them from harm.

Most parents and carers in North Lanarkshire do a very good job but it can be difficult at times and sometimes parents, or others caring for a child, need some advice, help or support.

Parentline Scotland provides free telephone advice to any adult caring for a child or young person in Scotland. You can call them on 08000 28 22 33.

Concerns about your child or another child

If you’re concerned about your child or another child – speak to someone.

This might be a health visitor, nursery staff, teacher, GP, social worker, police officer or member of staff from our social work locality offices.

You can also make contact with the Social Work Emergency Service at times when the locality office is closed in the evenings and on weekends by calling 0800 121 4114.

If the child is in immediate danger you should contact the police (999).

Online Safety

The internet has revolutionised how we communicate and socialise with people 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  With access at our fingertips, it can be challenging to keep children and young people safe online, especially when they have their own computers, laptops, smartphones/mobile phones, tablets and games consoles.

As a parent or carer, it’s important to understand both the opportunities that the online world offers and the associated risks. Equipping yourself – and the children and young people in your care – with this knowledge is key to helping them navigate the digital world safely.
 

Here you’ll find lots of resources and information to help protect and support your children in their online lives.

CEOP Education – the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command (CEOP) is part of the UK’s National Crime Agency and works to protect children from online sexual abuse and harmful communication. Their website provides parents and carers with reporting tools, expert advice, and practical online‑safety resources to help protect children from grooming and sexual abuse online.

Online abuse | NSPCC – this NSPCC website provides guidance for parents and children on understanding what online abuse is, the different forms it can take, the risks and warning signs, and how to get support to help keep children safe online.

Online Behaviour & Safety | Parent Club – Parent Club offers simple guidance to help parents keep children safe online by applying the same protective steps they use offline across different age groups.

Internet Watch Foundation – online safety and advice resources – The Internet Watch Foundation provides online safety advice and guidance for young people, adults and parents/carers on a variety of topics including sextortion and how to prevent young people from being contacted in their own homes on the internet and asked for sexual pictures and videos.

Parental controls and privacy settings guides | Internet Matters – this resource provides step-by-step guides to help parents and carers layer up parental controls across networks, devices and apps, so children can have safer online experiences as they grow.

Cyber resilience and internet safety: a guide for parents and carers – This guide provides advice and information on digital parenting. It will help parents speak to their child about safety online in a positive way and point towards resources that will help manage and reduce risks online for their child.

Guide for parents and carers on managing children’s digital lives –  The Children’s Commissioner for England has published a guide to help parents and carers manage children’s digital lives. The guide aims to explain common online challenges, help families start and sustain open conversations, and provide support with setting boundaries.

#AskTheAwkward – help to talk with your children about online relationships – this resource has been created to help parents/carers to explore online relationships with their secondary-school aged children, making these conversations part of everyday life.

Home – Shore – a safe and anonymous place for young people to get help and support when worried about their own, or someone else’s, sexual behaviour both online and offline. The Digital Safety Plan is particularly helpful for children and young people to think about the different steps to stay safe online.

Think Before You Share Campaign from IWF – this campaign aims to help young people understand the harm of sharing explicit images and videos of themselves, and others, and encourage parents and educators to start timely conversations with children and young people.

Report Remove | Childline – this is a confidential online service by Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), designed for young people under 18 in the UK to report and request the removal of nude or sexual images or videos of themselves shared online. This includes any images that have been created using AI.

Take It Down – a free, anonymous service that helps people remove or stop the online sharing of nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit images of themselves taken before age 18 by generating a secure unique digital fingerprint that participating platforms use to detect and take down the content.

 

Domestic Abuse

Domestic abuse causes children serious harm, even if they are not being physically hurt.

If you are being assaulted, emotionally or sexually abused by a partner, there is help available here in North Lanarkshire. It is important that those living with domestic abuse do not feel alone.   We want to help you by understanding what support you need for you and your children, and how we can offer this in a way which feels safe to you.

There are many agencies that can help and offer support.

You can contact Women’s Aid North Lanarkshire (WASL) or phone 01236 432 061 or 0800 046 3791.

For information on Women’s Aid for Asian, black and ethnic minority women/children contact Hemat Gryffe Women’s Aid.

Domestic abuse can also affect men and those in same sex relationships. If you are not sure what to do then there is help available. You can contact the Men’s Advice Line and talk it over or visit the LGBT domestic abuse website.

You can also contact the Domestic Abuse Helpline (24 hours) on 0800 027 1234.

Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC)

Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) is the National approach and underpins the Scottish Government’s commitment to provide all children, young people and their families with the right support at the right time so that every child and young person in Scotland can reach their full potential.

Most children and young people get all the support and help they need from their parent, carer, wider family and local community. There may be times, however, when a child or family need additional advice or support. The GIRFEC approach helps children and their families to work in partnership with services that can help them. When services work together and keep the child at the centre of all planning and actions, outcomes for children will improve.

Our vision for children and young people living in North Lanarkshire is that they will be safe, healthy, active, nurtured, achieving, respected, responsible, and included so they can realise their potential and grow to be successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors, and responsible citizens.

For more information, visit our GIRFEC website.

If your family is involved in the Child Protection process

Child Protection means protecting a child or young person from child abuse or neglect.

Abuse or neglect need not have taken place in order for action to be taken to protect a child or young person; action can be taken when there is a likelihood or risk of significant harm from abuse or neglect.

We know that being involved in the child protection system can be a stressful time for families.

It is important that:

  • everything that’s happening is explained to you
  • you and your child/children’s views are listened to
  • you are advised of the best way you can support your child during this time

Your social worker should keep in regular contact with you and should give you a number where you can contact them, or leave a message if they are not available.

A  leaflet is available for people who become involved in a child protection investigation, to help them to understand:

  • why people are concerned
  • what is likely to happen during the investigation
  • what will happen after the investigation

We have also produced a suite of information which to help you understand what’s going on and explains some of the other processes that you might be involved in that are designed to keep your child safe.

Contact the child protection committee, if you would like copies of this information.

The Scottish Government has also launched an online information resource, providing guides about child protection processes written for children, young people and families who may become involved in the child protection process. The online resource, called ‘Keeping children safe in Scotland’, is available at the following link where downloadable versions are also available for use offline – Keeping Children Safe in Scotland | Guides for younger children, young people and parents and carers.

If you feel you need legal advice regarding you or your child’s rights you can contact:

or

The Promise

Between February 2017 and February 2020, the Independent Care Review took place. The Review heard from over 5,500 people with experience of care, in an attempt to truly understand what needs to change to ensure Scotland’s most vulnerable children have the childhood they deserve.

In February 2020, The Promise was published as part of the Independent Care Review’s conclusion. The Promise reflects what was heard during the Review and outlines a vision for what Scotland must do to ensure our children grow up loved, safe and respected.

North Lanarkshire Council, along with various other bodies, communities, and groups across Scotland have pledged to #KeepThePromise.

You can read The Promise, The Pinky Promise (for younger readers) and all other related reports here on the care review website.

    Useful Contacts

    Useful websites for further information and advice

    Video Links

    • Hanni and the Magic Window | Childnet Written for children aged 3 years and up, this story is about speaking up and getting help.
    • Buddy the dog internet safety story
    • One of the key missions of Child Focus is prevention. This clip was made as an e-safety awareness campaign for children between 4 and 8 years. It’s being aired on Belgian kids’ channels and will be distributed in other European countries too.
    • Smartie the Penguin is a story by childnet.com that explores various scenarios that a child may find themselves in when using a device, it repeats the message of telling an adult.
    • NSPCC Share Aware
    • NSPCC Meet Pantosaurus! He’s a friendly dinosaur who has an important song to sing for you, which conveys an important message.