Safeguarding
How we keep community groups and the noticeboard safe, and how to tell us about a concern.
If someone is in danger now, call 999. If you are worried about a child, you can also call the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000. If you are worried about an adult, contact your council's adult social care team.
Groups and clubs
- Every group is checked before it shows: an automatic check first, and a person for anything unsure.
- Groups for children (under 18) or adults at risk must confirm they have a written safeguarding policy and a named safeguarding lead. They are always checked by a person before they show, and their page carries a safety note.
- Before you or someone you care for joins a group, ask to see its safeguarding policy and who its safeguarding lead is. Groups working with children should be able to tell you that their staff and volunteers have DBS checks where the law requires them.
- Groups confirm they are still running every 6 months, or they stop showing.
- A group's contact details show as a button, not printed on the page, so they are not harvested by bots.
Local ads
- Every post is checked before it shows, and every poster proves a UK mobile number.
- We don't allow: weapons, drugs, alcohol or tobacco sales, animals for sale, adult content, dating, or anything that targets or identifies a child.
- Meet in a public place, see an item before you pay, and never send money to someone you haven't met. See the noticeboard rules.
Report something
- Every group page and every post has a Report button. Three reports hide it until a person has looked.
- For anything about a child's or an adult's safety, email hello@localstreet.co.uk with the page's address. We look at safety reports first, and we pass concerns to the police or the council's safeguarding team where we need to.
We never publish women's refuges or domestic-abuse services' addresses. If you need help, call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247 (free, 24 hours).
