There will be a duty social worker on call to deal with calls from the public during office hours.

Outside office hours there is usually an emergency social work service available. It is useful to keep the number of the emergency social work service near your telephone or on your mobile. Out of office hours emergencies are those which cannot wait until the daytime services are working. For example an acute or sudden emergency like a carer becoming unwell and a dependent person, who cannot be left alone, has to be found temporary accommodation with the support they need. They also offer emergency advice over the phone.

In both cases, the duty social worker you speak to may not be the social worker who is then allocated to your case.