What happens when I make a report?

CEOP works hard to protect children and young people from online sexual abuse and exploitation and help keep them safe online. If a child or young person is being sexually abused or groomed online we will do everything we can to help keep them safe. Please remember that CEOP are unable to respond to reports about bullying, fake accounts or account hacking.

If you're a member of the public

If you do not know the child that you are concerned about you can still make a report to CEOP with the information that you know. Don't worry if you don't have all of the details, whatever you tell us will be useful. Please also remember it is never the child's fault and try not to blame or judge them for what has happened.

The most important thing to remember is that if you make a report to us we will do everything we can to make sure the child concerned is safe. 

What will CEOP do with your report?

• Your report will be read by a Child Protection Advisor at CEOP, who will immediately start planning how we will help the child. Our Child Protection team are specialist workers who have helped thousands of children and they will understand the situation.
• If your report relates to a child being sexually abused or groomed, we will contact you as quickly as we can. When we contact you we will talk about what has happened and we will make a plan together about what to do next.
• Our job is to make the child as safe as possible, so we may need to ask other professionals to help protect them. This might include sharing what you have told us with other professionals, including local statutory services.

If you're a professional working with children

If you are a professional working with children and young people you can use the reporting form to share your concerns with us and we will work directly with you to make that child safer.

Before you make a report to us please ensure you have followed your organisation's safeguarding policy and procedures. If you have already reported your concern to your local statutory service, including the local children's social care or the police, you do not need to make a report to CEOP.

The CEOP Education programme provides resources, training and support for professionals who work directly with children and young people to help them keep themselves safe online and from sexual abuse and exploitation.

What will CEOP do with your report?

• Your report will be read by a Child Protection Advisor at CEOP. If your report meets CEOP thresholds then a Child Protection Advisor will contact you as quickly as possible and will provide you with specialist advice and guidance on how you can safeguard the child and discuss with you the steps you may have already taken to make sure the child is safer. Please be advised that CEOP will work to protect children and young people from sexual abuse and grooming online. CEOP are unable to respond to reports about bullying, fake accounts or account hacking.
• We will work with you to create a plan on how to safeguard the child or young person. This may involve us making a referral to local children's social care or the local police Child Protection Unit as well as speaking to theat child's parent/carer if you have not already done so.