First 24 Hours After an Online Abuse Report

In the first 24 hours after an online abuse report, parents should focus on safety, calm, evidence preservation, and the right reporting route. UK guidance emphasises not blaming the child, not over-questioning them, and recording the concern accurately so safeguarding professionals can act quickly.

Please do not upload, email or paste suspected child sexual abuse material to this site. Report it directly to the IWF, CEOP or police instead.

1. What to do in the first 24 hours

• Make sure the child is safe right now. If there is immediate danger, call 999; if there is an urgent safeguarding concern, contact police or CEOP without delay.
• Reassure the child. Tell them they are believed, not in trouble, and did the right thing by telling someone.
• Do not investigate in detail. Avoid repeated questioning, confrontation, or trying to prove what happened yourself.
• Preserve evidence. Keep messages, usernames, links, screenshots, call logs, and dates; do not delete chats, images, or accounts before advice is given.
• Write down the facts. Record who said what, when it was said, what platform was used, and any immediate risk to the child.
• Report through the right channel. Use CEOP for grooming or exploitation, IWF for illegal images, and NSPCC/Childline for support. Reporting is anonymous where needed, and you don't need proof — suspicion is enough for CEOP and IWF to act.
• Limit who knows. Share information only with people who need to know for safeguarding, such as school designated safeguarding leads (DSLs), police, or social workers.

2. What to avoid

• Don't remove the child's phone or computer unless it is needed for immediate safety or a safeguarding professional advises it.
• Don't promise secrecy if you may need to pass information to police or safeguarding staff.
• Don't punish the child by taking away support, privacy, or trusted contact.
• Don't forward or re-share any suspected abuse images or videos.

"In the first 24 hours, your priorities are to keep the child safe, stay calm, preserve evidence, and report through the right route. Avoid repeated questioning or deleting messages, and only share details with people who need to know to protect the child."

3. Helpful follow-up links

• Childline — 0800 1111 — free, confidential support for children and young people.
• NSPCC Helpline — 0808 800 5000 — advice for parents and carers worried about a child.
• CEOP — ceop.police.uk — online grooming and exploitation.
• IWF — iwf.org.uk — suspected child sexual abuse images.
• Childline + IWF Report Remove — support for under-18s to help remove sexual images or videos of themselves from the internet.

🤍 After the first 24 hours

The child still needs calm, routine, and reassurance in the days and weeks ahead. For what to say and how to keep supporting them, see our full guide.

💙 Remember

Stay calm, believe the child, preserve the evidence, and let the professionals lead the investigation. You do not have to prove anything yourself.