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For a non-emergency concern, contact the child-protection service or police agency responsible for where the child is. You can report a reasonable suspicion in jurisdictions that say so; you do not have to establish abuse yourself. Preserve factual information without confronting the suspected abuser, repeatedly questioning the child, or copying suspected illegal sexual images.
1. Act first when the child may be unsafe
Safety takes priority over documentation. If the child faces immediate danger, an assault is in progress, the alleged offender is present and threatening, or the child needs urgent medical care, call the emergency service for that location and follow the call-taker’s instructions.
- England and the UK guidance cited here: call 999 for immediate danger.
- South Australia: call 000 for an emergency.
- Victoria, Australia: call 000 for an emergency.
These numbers are examples tied to those jurisdictions, not a worldwide number. If the child is elsewhere, use the emergency number published by the authority serving that place. Do not delay the call while collecting evidence, obtaining permission from another adult, or trying to decide whether the facts meet a legal definition.
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If you are with the child and can do so safely, move the child away from immediate danger and obtain medical help. Do not put yourself or the child at greater risk by confronting an alleged abuser. Tell emergency responders what is happening, where the child is, who is present, and any urgent injuries or threats.
2. Choose the right non-emergency reporting route
For a concern that is not an emergency, report promptly to the child-protection or police agency for the child’s location. The receiving authority—not the caller—decides what assessment or investigation is appropriate.
| Location and situation | Where to report | What the cited guidance says |
|---|---|---|
| England, non-emergency concern | Local council children’s social care team; police through 101, a police station or the online options described by Police.uk | GOV.UK says you may withhold your details. Police.uk also identifies children’s social care and NSPCC as routes for advice. |
| South Australia, suspected harm | Child Abuse Report Line (CARL), 13 14 78; eligible non-urgent notifications may use e-CARL | The Department for Child Protection says serious concerns must be reported by phone. Check its current instructions at the reporting page and the mandated-notifier process. |
| Ontario, suspected protection need | The local children’s aid society; contact local police if urgent and the society cannot be reached | The Ontario government explains the reporting duty and route at its official page. |
| Victoria, Australia | Child-protection emergency service for welfare concerns; local police for recent or historical abuse reports | For immediate danger use 000. Victoria Police sets out reporting options at its child-abuse page. |
If the child is in one jurisdiction and you are in another, use the agency where the child is located and explain your own location. If you cannot identify the correct service, call local police and state that the concern involves a child at risk; ask to be directed to the responsible child-protection team.
3. You can report a suspicion without proving abuse
GOV.UK states: “You do not need to be sure that a child or young person has been abused – it’s OK to report a suspicion.” Police.uk similarly says to report even when you are not completely certain. This means you should pass on a genuine concern and the facts supporting it rather than conduct your own investigation.
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Describe why you are concerned, what you directly observed, and what someone else told you. Make clear which is which. Do not wait for a confession, a physical injury, corroborating witnesses, or permission from the suspected abuser.
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4. Prepare a clear report without investigating
Use this sequence when the situation is not an emergency:
- Identify the child and location. Give the child’s name, age or approximate age, address, school or other location, and current whereabouts if known. If you do not know a name, provide a description and any identifying details.
- State the immediate safety issue. Say whether the child is with the suspected person now, whether violence or threats are ongoing, and whether medical care is needed.
- Separate observation from hearsay. Use wording such as “I saw…” or “The child told me…” and identify the person who supplied second-hand information.
- Give dates, times and sequence. Explain when events occurred, how often a pattern has appeared, and whether anything changed recently.
- Describe the suspected conduct neutrally. Avoid diagnosis, legal conclusions or speculation. Report actions, words, injuries, threats, controlling behaviour or online contact as you experienced them.
- Provide identities or descriptions. Include the suspected person’s name, relationship to the child, address, vehicle, account name or other details if known.
- Offer a safe way to contact you. If you choose to give your details, tell the agency when and how it can reach you safely. Explain if another person may monitor your phone, email or home.
- Ask what to do with devices or other information. Tell the authority what phone, computer, account or physical location may contain relevant material and follow its handling instructions.
Do not interview the child repeatedly, ask leading questions, confront the suspected abuser, or recruit friends and relatives to investigate. Those actions can increase risk and may alter memories or disturb potential evidence.
5. Make factual notes as soon as it is safe
Write notes promptly after the event or disclosure, provided doing so will not expose you or the child to danger. A useful entry includes:
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- the child’s exact words where you can remember them, marked as a quotation or approximate wording;
- what you personally saw, heard or received;
- who else was present and what each person did or said;
- the order of events and any relevant changes over time;
- visible injuries or behaviour described objectively, without diagnosing a cause;
- your uncertainty, gaps in memory or information obtained from another person; and
- for online concerns, the platform, account or username, visible sender details, message dates and times, and how frequently contact occurred.
Victoria’s official preserving-evidence guidance recommends recording online threats or offending posts, message dates and times, and observations around events. Keep notes secure and share them only with the responsible authority or your safeguarding lead. There is no single mandated storage method in the cited guidance, so choose a location the alleged abuser cannot access and use a safe contact route if your device or account may be monitored.
Do not put explicit child sexual-abuse material into your notes. A neutral description of what appeared, together with the platform and account identifiers visible without further access, is safer than copying the material.
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6. Preserve a possible physical scene without taking evidence yourself
If police may need to attend, leave the relevant area and objects as undisturbed as safety allows. The College of Policing guidance gives examples of what callers may be told after the child is safe:
- do not clean or tidy the area;
- do not move possible evidence;
- do not wash the child or another person when doing so is not required for immediate care;
- do not change clothing that may be relevant;
- do not allow additional people or animals into the area; and
- do not tamper with computers, phones or photographic equipment.
These precautions never override safety or medical treatment. If the child needs care, obtain it; do not postpone treatment to preserve a scene. Do not collect, package, label or transport items yourself unless police or a qualified professional specifically instructs you. Ask the responding authority what it wants preserved and how.
7. Handle phones, computers and online material cautiously
Do not delete or alter potentially relevant data
Avoid deleting messages, accounts, files or applications, changing settings, or searching through a device to find more material. The College of Policing advises against tampering with computers, phones and photographic equipment while a scene is being preserved. Tell police which device and account may contain information and ask for specific instructions.
Whether a device should remain powered on, be disconnected, or be turned off depends on the circumstances. The cited public guidance does not establish one universal device-state rule. Minimize handling and do not experiment with settings.
Suspected child sexual-abuse images
If you encounter suspected illegal sexual images of a child, do not deliberately view them, screenshot or photograph them, copy, print, download, forward, share or attach them to a report. Victoria’s official guidance gives those prohibitions. UK guidance on protecting children from online sexual exploitation and abuse also says not to send indecent images of children as part of a report.
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Instead, record only a brief, non-explicit description; note the platform, account name, visible sender information, and date and time if you can do so without reopening or distributing the material; and contact police or the relevant child-protection authority for instructions. Do not download an image to “prove” the report. If the material is on a shared or monitored device, prioritize the child’s and your own safety before making notes or changing anything.
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8. What happens after you report
The receiving agency decides the next step. In England, GOV.UK says children’s social care may gather more information, refer a social worker to look into the concern, or contact police. Police.uk explains that uniformed officers may take an initial report and specialist detectives may investigate.
Do not promise the child or another adult that a particular action, arrest or outcome will follow. Authorities may be unable to disclose confidential information about their assessment. If you obtain new facts or the risk changes, contact the same authority again and state that the report is an update. South Australia’s guidance says further information can be added by contacting CARL or making another suitable online notification.
If the agency gives you a reference number, store it securely. If it does not, record the date, time, receiving office and the name or identification of the person who took the report. If danger becomes immediate after a non-emergency report, make a fresh emergency call rather than waiting for a callback.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.9. Mandatory reporting depends on role, place and the suspected conduct
Do not assume that every adult has the same legal duty worldwide. The obligation can depend on the reporter’s profession, the type of suspected abuse, the child’s location, the date of the conduct and statutory exceptions.
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Ontario
The Ontario government states that everyone in Ontario must report suspected abuse or neglect when they have reasonable grounds to suspect that a child may need protection. Follow the current instructions of the local children’s aid society and the Ontario government.
Victoria, Australia
Victoria Police describes mandatory reporting for specified groups. A professional should check whether their role is covered and follow the employer’s safeguarding procedure as well as the police or child-protection route.
South Australia
South Australia provides a 24-hour CARL route and a separate process for mandated notifiers. The Department for Child Protection’s mandated-notifier page explains the relevant process; serious concerns are directed to phone reporting rather than relying on an online form.
England
The Crime and Policing Act 2026 contains a duty for adults engaged in defined relevant activities who have reason to suspect that a child sex offence may have been committed, subject to the statute’s scope and exceptions. The exact commencement and application of provisions should be checked in the current legislation and official guidance before relying on a blanket statement about coverage.
A March 2026 House of Commons Library briefing described the position before the later Act as having no general statutory reporting obligation for individuals. That earlier description should not be treated as the final rule after the Act; professionals should check current law, their regulator and their organization’s safeguarding procedure. None of these role-specific duties removes the need to make an emergency report immediately.
Quick Recap
10. Common mistakes that can increase risk
- Waiting for certainty: report the suspicion and the facts supporting it where the local authority permits suspicion-based reporting.
- Delaying an emergency call: documentation can wait; immediate safety cannot.
- Confronting the suspected abuser: this can trigger retaliation, destroy information or place the child at greater risk.
- Repeatedly questioning the child: listen calmly, avoid leading questions and pass the disclosure to trained professionals.
- Cleaning, washing or moving items: preserve the scene only when doing so does not conflict with safety or medical care.
- Forwarding or screenshotting sexual images: do not create or distribute copies; give authorities a neutral description and ask how to proceed.
- Posting publicly: broad circulation can expose the child and compromise a response. Use the official reporting route.
- Promising confidentiality or a specific outcome: explain that the authority will decide what information can be shared and what action is appropriate.
11. A compact reporter’s checklist
- Check whether the child is in immediate danger or needs urgent medical care.
- Call the emergency number for the child’s location if the answer is yes.
- Otherwise identify the responsible child-protection or police agency.
- Report the concern promptly, even if you cannot prove abuse.
- Give location, identities or descriptions, dates, immediate risks and safe contact details.
- Separate direct observations from what another person said.
- Make dated, factual notes when safe.
- Leave relevant areas and devices undisturbed; do not collect items yourself.
- Never copy, screenshot, download, print, forward or attach suspected child sexual-abuse images.
- Follow up only with new information or a changed risk, and follow the authority’s instructions.
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