If you are concerned for a child, young person or vulnerable adult and they are in immediate danger, call 999.
If you have concerns about the welfare of a child, young person, or that an adult might be experiencing abuse or neglect adult, you need to make a safeguarding referral. Find out more about safeguarding, and make a referral below.
If you would like to talk to someone about ongoing support for someone who has disabilities, or a serious or deteriorating health condition, please see our page about making a referral. This is when a person is not in danger.
What is Safeguarding
Everybody has the right to be safe, no matter who they are or their circumstance. They have the right to live their life free from violence, fear and abuse, but not everyone can protect themselves.
If you are concerned about the welfare of a child or young person up to age 18, please visit the Children’s Safeguarding page. There is information about how to make a referral, and what happens next.
Visit Children's Safeguarding page
If you are concerned that an adult over 18, who is vulnerable due to their disability, or age, may be experiencing abuse or neglect, please visit the Adults Safeguarding page.
Visit Adults' Safeguarding page
Make a safeguarding referral for a child and young person:
- Child Multi-Agency Referral Form
- Email us at multiagencyreferralunit@cornwall.gov.uk
- Telephone us on: 0300 123 1116
Make a safeguarding referral for an adult over 18 (for yourself or someone else):
- Adults' Referral Form
- Telephone us on: 0300 124 4131
Make a safeguarding referral out of hours for any age person. (This is after 5.15 on Mondays to Thursdays, or after 4.45 on Fridays, at the weekend or on bank holidays, or before 8.45 in the mornings on a working day)
- Telephone us on: 01208 251 300
Protecting a family member who doesn’t have mental capacity
Some people do not have capacity to make decisions about their own care, finances, or health matters. For some, they have never had that capacity, and for others it occurs later in life.
There are systems and protections set up for people who do not have capacity to make their own decisions, to protect them.
If you are a carer, or family member of someone who cannot make decisions about their own care, and you need to know more, see our pages about:
- Power of Attorney (to set up the framework for you to manage someone else’s affairs)
Read more about Power of Attorney
- Appointeeship and Deputyship (for people who have no-one else who can manage their finances for them)
Visit our Appointeeship and Deputyship page
- Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (to protect the welfare of people who live in a care home or other residential setting)
Visit our Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards
Caldicott Guardian
Cornwall Council's Caldicott Guardian is:
Emma Trethewey
Service Director | Business Support, Integrated Systems and Performance (Care and Wellbeing and Together for Families)
Our Deputy Caldicott Guardian is:
Ben Davies
Service Director | Children and Families | Together for Families
There are four key areas of responsibility for the Caldicott Guardian:
- Strategy and governance
- Confidentiality and data protection expertise
- Internal information processing
- Information sharing
The Caldicott Guardian ensures that we meet high standards in handling personal information. They ensure that any information we share is legal and ethical. Even if a service is provided by another organisation as part of a contract.
For further information, you can contact Emma Trethewey at caldicottguardian@cornwall.gov.uk
Information for Town and Parish Councils, Voluntary and Community Groups
The role of a local council and the voluntary and community sector in serving its local community is becoming more important than ever.
As services are handed to local control it is important that steps are taken to ensure that the interests of the most vulnerable people in their communities are taken into account and provided with protection. This includes:
- children
- young people
- adults at risk
As part of this commitment, we have a role in helping organisations in Cornwall to meet their safeguarding obligations. This is:
- town and parish councils
- voluntary groups
- community groups
We have prepared a toolkit to help you to undertake a review of your safeguarding arrangements or put them into place for the first time.