A new service for families will make it easier for parents to make contact with Durham County Council.
The First Contact Service will launch next month and is designed to help anyone who has a concern about a child and those who:
Feel their family needs support or advice
Are under 18 and need help
Are worried about the welfare or safety of a child or young person
It is hoped that by simplifying the current system, more children will be helped at an earlier stage.
The introduction of a single number means concerns can be addressed through a single point of contact, so help can be offered at an early stage and information can be better shared.
Carole Payne, head of children’s services with Durham County Council, said: “We want to offer help earlier; before families get to the point they need specialist services.
“We have worked to reduce the amount of paperwork and simplify our systems so we only have one assessment process with all agencies working together to provide effective early help.
“We also want to make sure we deal with underlying issues.”
Cllr Ossie Johnson, Cabinet member for Children and Young People, said: “This is a fantastic development which puts the needs of children and young people first.
“Having just the one number will make it easier to get in contact with us and enable us to offer help at the very earliest stage.”
The changes have been made in partnership with Durham Constabulary and County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust.
The telephone number for the new service, which will be launched on April 7, is: 0845 850 50 10. (See story on 0845 numbers on Page 5)