Safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk

Safeguarding is the protection of a person’s rights to live in safety and free from abuse and neglect. London Ambulance Service (LAS) are committed to safeguarding vulnerable members of our community and continue to work closely with our partner organisations across the London boroughs to improve this process.

Please note that we cannot receive safeguarding concerns or referrals about yourself or a member of the public via this webpage. If you have concerns about a child, young person or adult at risk please speak with your local authority directly. If you do not know who your local authority are or how to contact them, you can search for the information at www.gov.uk/find-local-council

Children and Young People
A child as defined in the Children Act 1989 is a person under the age of 18. This is in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and civil legislation in England and Wales.

Safeguarding children is defined in Working to Safeguarding Children 2018 document as:
- Protecting children from maltreatment
- Preventing impairment of children’s health and development
- Ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with provision of safe and effective care
- Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes
More information
Adults at risk
Care Act 2014 defines an adult at risk as, anyone over the age of 18, who:
- Has needs for care and support (whether or not the authority is meeting any of these needs)
- Is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect
- As a result of those needs is unable to protect themselves against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it
More information
Safeguarding Enquiries from Partner Agencies

If you are a partner agency and have a query, including but not limited to requests for information or our participation in statutory reviews for both children and adults please contact the LAS Safeguarding Team via [email protected]. This email is monitored Monday-Friday during normal working hours.

Our safeguarding policies and annual report can also be requested via this email address.