Appendix 6: MOD contacts

1.

Points of contact for the relevant Service agencies in child protection matters are:

Royal Navy

2.

All child protection matters within the Royal Navy are managed by the Naval Personal and Family Service (NPFS), the Royal Navy's social work department. This provides a confidential and professional social work service to all Naval personnel and their families, liaising as appropriate with local authority children's social care services.

Child protection issues involving the family of a member of the Royal Navy should be referred to the relevant Area Officer, NPFS:

• NPFS Eastern Area Portsmouth
  (02392) 722712
  Fax: 725803
• NPFS Northern Area Helensburgh
  (01436) 672798
  Fax: 674965
• NPFS Western Area Plymouth
  (01752) 555041
  Fax: 555647

Royal Marines

3.

The Royal Marines Welfare Service is staffed by trained but unqualified Royal Marine senior non-commissioned officers (NCOs). They are accountable to a qualified social work manager at Headquarters Royal Marines, Portsmouth. For child protection matters involving Royal Marines families, social services departments should notify SO3 (WFS) at Portsmouth. Tel: (02392) 547542.

Army

4.

Staffed by qualified civilian Social Workers and trained and supervised Army Welfare Workers, the Army Welfare Service (AWS) provides professional welfare support to Army personnel and their families. AWS also liaises with local authorities where appropriate, particularly where a child is subject to child protection concerns. Local Authorities who have any enquiries or concerns regarding safeguarding or promoting the welfare of a child from an Army Family should contact the Senior Army Welfare Worker in the nearest AWS team location or:

Chief Personal Support Officer
HQ AWS
HQ Land Command
Erskine Barracks
Wilton
Salisbury
SP2 0AG

Tel: 01722 436564
Fax: 01722 436307
e-mail: LF-AWS-CPSO@mod.uk

Royal Air Force

5.

Welfare Support for families in the RAF is managed as a normal function of Command and co-ordinated by each Station's Personnel Officer, the Officer Commanding Personnel Management Squadron (OCPMS) or the Officer Commanding Administrative Squadron (OCA), depending on the size of the Station.

6.

A number of qualified SSAFA Forces Help Social Workers and trained professionally supervised Personal and Family Support Workers are located throughout the UK to assist the chain of Command in providing welfare support.

7.

Any Local Authority who have any enquiries or concerns regarding safeguarding or promoting the welfare of a child from an RAF family should contact the parent's unit, or if this is not known, contact the OC PMS/OCA of the nearest RAF Unit.

Additionally, the SSAFA Forces Help Head of Service RAF can be contacted at:

Head of Service
SSAFA-Forces Help
HQ Air Command
RAF High Wycombe
Buckinghamshire
HP14 4UE

Tel: 01494 496477
Fax: 01494 497971
e-mail: AirPersPol-SSAFAForcesHelpHd@mod.uk

or

Director of Social Work SSAFA-Forces Help
19 Queen Elizabeth Street
London SE1 2LP

Tel: 020 7403 8783
Fax: 020 7403 8815
e-mail: directorofsocialwork@ssafa.org.uk

Overseas

8.

The following should be consulted:

Royal Navy
Area Officer (NPFS) Eastern
HMS Nelson
Queen Street
Portsmouth
PO1 3HH

Tel: (02392) 722712
Fax: (02392) 725083

Army and Royal Air Force
Director of Social Work SSAFA-Forces Help
Contact details shown above.

For any child being taken abroad and subject to child protection procedures or the subject of a child protection plan, the Director of Social Work SSAFA-Forces Help must be consulted, using the same contact details shown above.