HEALTH officials have assured councillors there are ‘many ways’ in which young people in Lancashire can raise concerns about abuse or safeguarding issues.

Referring to the child abuse scandal in Rotherham, members of Lancashire County Council’s health overview and scrutiny committee asked NHS officials if school nurses were accessible and willing to listen to any concerns.

Minutes of their meeting said: “In response the committee was informed that schoolchildren knew who the school nurse was and that they could see her/him if they wanted to; and each child completed a questionnaire about their needs at regular intervals throughout their school lives.

“The nurse would work with the school to get a perspective on the child's needs and produce an action plan.

“It was recognised that it was not only important that children were heard but also that their concerns were responded to and acted on as appropriate.

“There were many ways through which young people could be heard and safeguarding roles were in many different guises with a variety of agencies gathering intelligence and working collaboratively.”