Report Abuse

If an adult is not in immediate danger but you need Police help, contact 101. 

If an adult is in imminent danger, call the emergency services on 999.

What is abuse?

There are different types of abuse and it can happen anywhere.

Abuse occurs when someone exploits another person or treats them in a way that harms or hurts them. It can happen once or on multiple occasions. People who abuse are not always strangers. They can be partners, relatives, a friend, neighbour or carer.

How to report abuse:

Before raising a safeguarding concern to the Local Authority, please use the Kent and Medway Threshold Tool, to support decision making:

Report to Kent Police

To report abuse to Kent Police, visit the Kent Police website for a number of services that you can use including a textphone service, Live Chat or a self-crime reporting option.

British Sign Language (BSL) speakers can make a BSL video call to 999.

Deaf people can use 18000 to contact 999 using text relay.

Prevent and Channel

Prevent is a national programme and a statutory duty for Kent County Council and Medway Unitary Authority, that aims to stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. It works to ensure that people who are susceptible to radicalisation are offered appropriate interventions, and communities are protected against radicalising influences.

The duty helps to ensure that people who are susceptible to radicalisation are supported as they would be under safeguarding processes.

The objectives of Prevent are:

  • Tackle the ideological causes of terrorism,
  • Intervene early to support people susceptible to radicalisation,
  • enable people who have already engaged in terrorism to disengage and rehabilitate

Channel is a multi-agency programme across England and Wales that provides support to people susceptible to becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism, underpinned by Section 36 of the CTSA 2015.

The overall aim of the programme is early intervention and diverting people away from potential risk. The Kent and Medway Channel Panel involves agencies working together to give individuals access to services such as health and education, specialist mentoring and diversionary activities -  Channel can (uniquely) provide theological or ideological mentoring. For those requiring support an appropriate package is offered based on an assessment of their vulnerability. Further information on Channel is available on the Government website.

How to report concerns

  • When a concern is identified, the ‘notice, check, share’ procedure should be applied as outlined in the Prevent duty awareness course.
  • If you have an immediate concerns about the welfare of any persons, then contact the Police by calling 999.
  • Make a referral - if  you have any concerns or are unsure about making a referral then discuss it with your organisation's safeguarding lead/Prevent lead and/or contact the Kent and Medway Prevent Team by emailing prevent@kent.gov.uk

For more information on Prevent, Channel and for more details on how to report concerns, visit the Kent Safeguarding Children Multi-agency Partnership website.

Further Information

For more information and useful resources, visit the Useful Resources and Guidance page.