What does the Child Protection Enquiry usually involve?

A Section 47 Child Protection Enquiry can either be led by Children's Services or the police, or by both working together.

During the investigation the social worker will meet with parents and other professionals involved with the family, for example, the child's teacher or Health Professional.

Children's Services will aim to:

• Gather information about the child/ren and their family.
• Understand what a "day in the life of" looks like for the child and family.
• Decide whether they think the child is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm.
• Decide whether any actions are needed to safeguard or promote the child's well-being.

Children's Services will always try to work with everyone who has Parental Responsibility (PR) and get agreement from them before starting to collect information. However, in line with Child Protection Legislation, information can still be gathered even if those with PR have not given consent.

The voice of the child is central to understanding the potential harm the child might be experiencing. Therefore, the social worker leading the assessment will normally see the child/ren alone, but they will normally ask the parents' permission before they do this. Where children are seen alone without parents' knowledge, parents will always be provided with an explanation about why this had to happen.