Access Compass

Access Compass guide

Crisis & out-of-hours contacts (children & families)

Key numbers if things escalate–social care, safeguarding, and urgent repairs.

Published by Access Compass · How we research and check guides

Who it's for: Parents & carers, Professionals, Children & young people

Not yet verified Last checked 16 Jul 2026. Review due 15 Aug 2026. Always confirm details with the service before relying on them.

Visual explanations

These diagrams use real text, so the same complete information can be zoomed, selected, read aloud and printed.

Action plan · full text built in

Family crisis plan: prepare now, urgent help, emergency

A three-part printable crisis plan separating preparation, urgent support and emergency action. The headings and lists that follow are the complete text equivalent of this visual.

  1. Prepare now

    • Support
      Write one-page essentials

      Record communication, medication, health and behaviour needs, calming strategies, risks, safe people, preferred hospital and what must never happen.

    • Information
      Name backups

      List family, social worker or duty team, GP, school, adult transition worker, respite and out-of-hours contacts. Confirm who can step in.

  2. Urgent help

    • Urgent
      Say what has changed

      Contact the allocated worker, duty service, GP, NHS 111 or relevant crisis team. Explain what cannot safely continue today and ask for a recorded plan.

    • Urgent
      Keep everyone safe while help is arranged

      Use the agreed low-arousal plan, reduce demands, secure medication or hazards and bring in a trusted adult where safe.

  3. Emergency

    • Emergency
      Call 999

      Use 999 for immediate danger, a life-threatening medical emergency, serious self-harm risk, violence that cannot be safely managed or a missing person at immediate risk.

Printable and zoomable: this is structured text, not an image.

Step by step

  1. Safeguarding

    If a child is in immediate danger, has been left alone or is missing, call 999. Otherwise contact Northamptonshire MASH on 0300 126 7000 for advice or to raise a concern; the same number covers North and West Northamptonshire and is used out of hours. You can also email MASH@nctrust.co.uk where appropriate. Check the live NCT and NSCP pages before relying on contact details.

  2. Mental health (24/7)

    For urgent mental health support in Northamptonshire, call the NHFT Mental Health Number on 0800 448 0828, available 24 hours a day, every day. Use NHS 111 for urgent help when appropriate and 999 in an emergency. Check the current NHFT page for young-person and text/chat routes.

  3. Wheelchair repairs (urgent)

    Blatchford repair: 01536 511025 (emergency out of hours also via this number).

  4. Community equipment repairs

    Millbrook Healthcare repairs/replacements: 0330 124 1219.

  5. Health advice now

    NHS 111 online/phone for urgent but non-life-threatening health issues.

Source: https://nctrust.co.uk/report-a-concern-or-request-support/

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