The Integrated Front Door is the point of contact for enquiries and referrals relating to children and young people made by professionals, families and the public.
The Integrated Front Door is a team of multi-agency professionals including Child Protection social workers, Early Help Access Point workers, Health, Police and other partner agencies. These agencies work together to provide advice and guidance and to jointly triage referrals made in respect of children and navigate them to the correct service.
Referrals made by members of the public
If you are worried about a child that lives in Bolton, you can contact us and speak to a Social Worker by calling 01204 331500 and pressing Option 2. Our phone lines are open Monday to Friday - 8:45am to 5pm. For out-of-hours or bank holidays, can call the Emergency Duty Team on 01204 337777.
If you believe there is an emergency and a child is at immediate risk of significant harm, you must contact the Police on 999.
Referrals made by Professionals
If you are considering making a referral, please refer to Bolton’s Framework for Action Threshold Document in the first instance to assist you in determining what level of support is right for a child at that time.
View the Framework for action threshold document
It is also good practice to use internal systems and other support mechanisms that are available to you in Bolton to help you to decide if a referral is required at that time. This could include your own supervision, Team Around the School, Safeguarding in Education Team and DSL Supervision.
If you are supporting a family at Early Help and would like to talk to the Early Help Access Point for advice regarding how to continue to do so, you can call them on 01204 331500 and press Option 1.
Alternatively, if you are concerned that a child who lives in Bolton is suffering or is at risk of suffering immediate significant harm you should call us on 01204 331500 and press Option 2. Out of hours or bank holidays, you can call the Emergency Duty Team on 01204 337777. Following the phone call the referral should be followed up in writing using the online referral form within one working day via the link below.
Examples of significant harm include (but are not inclusive of):
- A child who has made an allegation of physical abuse
- Allegations of sexual abuse by a child
- A serious domestic abuse incident in which a child was present
- Concerns that a child may seriously harm themselves due to mental health difficulties
If your concern is not immediate, but you believe that a child and their family are in need of intensive support from Targeted Early Help Services or require protection or an assessment by a Social Worker, we ask that you please complete our Online Referral Form using the link below. When completing the online referral form, it is helpful to provide as much information about the child/ren as possible. This will help us to give you the right advice and deliver the right service to a child. Once submitted, your referral will be triaged and filtered to the correct service.
Information Sharing
It is very important that agencies are open and honest with families throughout their involvement with them regarding what information is shared about them, why it is being shared and with whom it is being shared with.
Consent must be sought for all referrals to the Integrated Front Door, unless doing so may place the child/ren and increased risk of harm.
Consultation Line
If you are unsure if a referral needs to be made at this time and would like to discuss this, you are welcome to contact us by dialling 01204 331500 and pressing Option 3. A Social Worker will talk through your query with you and give you advice on whether you need to complete a referral or not. This will be anonymous and no details about a specific family shared.
Professional Requests for Information
If you are a professional and would like to request information in respect of child or an adult related to them, please complete the online Request for Information form below. We will reply to your request within 5 working days.