Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 says local authority children's social care is responsible for making the referral process in its area clear, with contact details signposted so that practitioners and families know who to contact (paragraph 163). How that is done is up to each area, so "front door" is a working description rather than a defined service.
In some areas the front door is a MASH, where social care, police, health and others share information on new referrals. In others it is a duty and assessment team, an advice line or a single point of access, sometimes with a separate route for Family Help requests. Some front doors take referrals by online form only; others still take phone calls, especially out of hours.
What the guidance does fix is the timescale. Within one working day of a referral, children's social care should acknowledge it to the referrer and a social work qualified manager should decide the next steps (Working Together 2026, paragraph 167; KCSIE 2026, paragraph 70). The referrer should get feedback on the decision (paragraph 165).
For the DSL, the practical points are to know your area's referral route and form, the out-of-hours number, and the escalation process if you disagree with a decision. KCSIE says referrals should follow the local referral process (paragraph 65), and GOV.UK's Report child abuse to your local council tool finds the right contact details.