This part of the website provides referral information for professionals from healthcare, local authorities and the voluntary sector who work with children and young people.
If you are a young person looking for advice on local support and resources available to help you, visit our section on What's In Dorset for Me? If you are a parent or carer looking for advice on local support and resources available to your child, visit our section on Useful Resources for Parents.
Urgent contacts
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council
If you have concerns about the safety or welfare of children and young people or where you require support in agreeing an Early Help offer, the Children's Services First Response Hub is the first point of contact for everyone and provides access to all services for children and families living in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. If you believe a child or young person is at immediate and significant risk, please call 999.
Contact the Children's Services First Response Hub:
- If you are worried a child or young person is at risk of, or is being hurt or abused
- If you know of a child or young person who may be vulnerable without additional help and support
- If you want to know more about the services available to support children, young people and their families
The Children's Service First Response Hub provides the public and professionals with advice, information and support for children who are vulnerable and at risk and is made up of the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) and Early Help Team in providing:
- prompt response when children or young people are considered to be at risk of harm
- advice and support for practitioners in agreeing an early help offer for children and young people
- simpler access to advice and support
Contact the Children's Services First Response Hub
Telephone Number: 01202 735046
Email: childrensfirstresponse@bcpcouncil.gov.uk
If you are concerned about a child/young person living in the Dorset County Council area, please contact them on:
Email: MASH@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
Phone: 01202 228866
Additional out of hours contacts
The Children’s Social Care Out of Hour’s service is the emergency response service for any child who is in crisis, needs urgent help or is at serious risk of significant harm. Hours of operation are 5:00pm to 9:00am from Monday to Friday, all day Saturdays and Sundays and all bank holidays, including Christmas Day and New Year's Day. If you believe a child or young person is at immediate and significant risk, please call 999.
- Telephone 01202 738256
- Email ChildrensOOHS@bcpcouncil.gov.uk
Dorset: please contact Dorset Council for more information
Local support for children and young people
The Dorset Core-CAMHS service is part of a wider network of children’s emotional health and wellbeing services. Other services that form part of the network are listed below. For more detailed information about specific referral guidance and service contacts, please see our Referral Guidance.
- Young People’s Eating Disorder Service (YPEDS)
- CYP Early Intervention Psychosis Service (EIS) *For young people 14+
- CAMHS Learning Disability Service
- CAMHS SWIFTS - Outreach Community Service *Learning disability with behaviours that challenge
- CAMHS Inpatient Service *Referrals cannot be made directly to this service
Find information about these services on the Dorset HealthCare website.
Additional services offering support:
Early Help Advice Points (EHAP)
If you are working in Bournemouth or Poole with a family/young person and have identified that they may benefit from support over and above what you or any of the services listed here are able to offer, but they don’t meet the threshold for CAMHS, contact the Early Help Advice Point (EHAP). The Early Help Advice Point (EHAP) can offer support, advice and signposting to you. You will need explicit consent from the family and/or young person.
Phone: 01202 262626
Family Partnership Zones
Family Partnership Zones can provide family support workers for families in difficulty, but who don't meet the social care threshold. They can also advise on the availability of other local support for Christchurch families. Professionals can refer, or families can make a request for support directly. Find out more here.
| Zone name | Phone | |
|---|---|---|
| Chesil | chesilfamilypartnershipzone@dorsetcc.gov.uk | 01305 225750 |
| West Dorset | westfamilypartnershipzone@dorsetcc.gov.uk | 01308 421714 |
| Dorchester | dorchesterfamilypartnershipzone@dorsetcc.gov.uk | 01305 221348 |
| Purbeck | purbeckfamilypartnershipzone@dorsetcc.gov.uk | 01305 225729 |
| Christchurch | christchurchfamilypartnershipzone@dorsetcc.gov.uk | 01202 225724 |
| East Dorset | eastfamilypartnershipzone@dorsetcc.gov.uk | 01202 225710 |
| North Dorset | northfamilypartnershipzone@dorsetcc.gov.uk | 01305 224310 |
Home Start
Voluntary organisation offering support, friendship and practical help to families at home with at least one child under 5. Referrals are usually made through a health visitor or children's centre.
Tel: 01202 574877
www.homestartsoutheastdorset.org.uk