Social services have a mission to help children and families
who are having difficulties.
They might be having trouble coping,
there might be a lot of arguments at home,
or perhaps someone in the family has a mental illness
or a drinking problem.
It also might be that the parents are worried about their child
or that the child engages in dangerous behaviour.
Many families contact social services themselves for help and support.
Both children and adults can contact social services;
it is called ”making an application”.
But a family can also be contacted by social services
because someone outside the family is concerned about a child’s situation.
It might be someone at the child’s pre-school or school who is worried,
or a healthcare worker or police officer.
Everyone who works with children must report to social services
if they are concerned about a child’s welfare.
This is called a ”report of concern”.
Social services can help in different ways,
depending on what the difficulty is
and what the family and the child need.
For example, if there are many conflicts in the family,
they would get help to resolve them
and to find other ways to talk to one another.
The child might may be given the opportunity to talk to other children
who are in a similar situation,
or with a grown-up outside the family, who can offer support.
Social services provide support that best suits each family.