Southampton City Council fact sheet
The first response
When an allegation is made that a child is at risk, social workers will have a discussion with the police (this is called a strategy discussion) to decide how to deal with the situation. The safety of the child will be the first priority.
If we believe a child may be at risk of serious harm, we will begin a Child Protection Enquiry. This is an enquiry under Section 47 of the Children Act. The police will decide whether a criminal investigation is required.
A social worker will carry out and initial assessment of the child's circumstances, to gain a picture of the situation at home. The information from an initial assessment will be used to decide what steps need to be taken next.
Keeping parents informed
We will keep parents informed about any decisions that are made concerning their child, and any actions we will take.
We may ask other individuals or organisations for information, for example, the child's doctor or school. We will ask for the parent's permission to do this (unless information becomes known about a possible threat to the child’s welfare).
Any information parents give to us will be held in confidence within our service. If we need to discuss this information with anyone else or to share the information we will ask parents for their permission wherever possible. However, if we have reason to believe that not passing on information will increase the risk of harm to a child, we have the right to act without informing parents first.
Next steps
The initial assessment may show that there is nothing for us to worry about and we will not need to remain involved.
Sometimes, even if a child is not at risk there may be some problems within the family that we can help with. We will explain the services available to support and advise them.
If we discover reasons to worry about the safety of the child, we will either take emergency action (when there is an immediate and serious risk) or hold a Child Protection Conference.
Emergency actions
If we have to take emergency action to protect a child, it will usually be done on the same day that the allegation is made.
Usually the first order a court will grant in an emergency is an Emergency Protection Order. This is in response to a request for emergency action and is valid for eight days.
We will place the child in the care of experienced foster carers, or (preferably) with a suitable member of their family.
Police protection is provided in the most serious cases if there is immediate danger to a child. It could involve safeguarding the child while they are in hospital, or arranging for foster care at an undisclosed address.
We always prefer to carry out actions with the understanding and agreement of parents. We must stress that we do not need permission to act when we have reason to believe that a child may be at risk of significant harm.
It will help a child if parents work with the agencies while enquiries are being made. For example, parents may be able to suggest someone in the family who would agree to look after the child and work with us to keep them safe.
Child Protection Conference
If we decide that no emergency action is required, but the situation needs further investigation, we will hold a Child Protection Conference within 15 working days of the allegation being made.
The conference will be chaired independently, with a report from the social worker. It will involve parents, other family members and people working for other agencies, such as police officers, health visitors or the child’s school.
The information we share during the conference will be used to put together a Child Protection Plan for the child.
We will also decide at the conference whether to place the child’s name on the Child Protection Register. The register holds the details of children and families where the children are at risk. The information is reviewed regularly and used to speed up enquiries if more allegations are made at a later date.
The legal process
If the enquiry is continuing when the Emergency Protection Order expires, we may apply to the court for an Interim Care Order with care proceedings. Parents are usually present when this happens.
If we believe a child will be at risk and should remain in foster care but we do not have the parents’ agreement, we will apply for an Interim Care Order, which lasts for several weeks.
When we have finished our enquiry into the original allegations, which may be several months later, the court will make a final decision about whether a Full Care Order is needed.
A Core Assessment
At any stage in the child protection process, from the initial assessment onwards, we may decide to carry out a Core Assessment on the child to help with our decision making.
A Core Assessment will take place over several weeks, led by a social worker that has not been involved with the family before. During this assessment many members of the family will be interviewed, as well as others involved in the education, health and care of the child (such as teachers and doctors). We build up a complete and fair picture of the child’s home life, which will help us to plan with parents what to do next.
Parents' right to representation
In court parents have the right to represent their views and to contest any allegations made.
The social worker investigating the allegations will give you contact details for the Children’s Panel, a list of solicitors with experience in care proceeding cases, or these can be found in the Yellow Pages.
Any parent involved in care proceedings is automatically granted legal aid, which will cover solicitor’s fees.
Making a complaint
A Child Protection Enquiry is a serious matter because it follows serious allegations. From beginning to end our focus will be on keeping the child safe. If parents have a complaint or any comments to make about the process, or any other aspect of the enquiry, we have a dedicated phone line and leaflet to assist them.
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Last updated: 17 November 2011