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Contents

1. Section 47 Enquiries
2. Core Assessment

1. Section 47 Enquiries

Section 47 Enquiries must always involve:

• separate interviews with the child who is the subject of concern, or alternatively some other method of understanding the child's wishes or feelings where an interview is inappropriate due to the age or level of understanding of the child; this could involve, in the case of a young child, observation
• the Record of Section 47 Enquiry should include the date(s) when the child was seen alone by the Lead Social Worker and, if not seen alone, who was present and the reasons for their presence
• interviews with the parents or carers of the children
• observation of interaction between children and their parents or carers

Section 47 Enquiries should only be undertaken by professionals who have been trained to undertake such enquiries.  

Section 47 Enquiries will often involve professionals visiting the family home. Social workers, police officers and any other professionals involved in Section 47 Enquiries (or other assessments involving vulnerable children and their families) must not undertake home visits without being clear about the purpose of the visit, the information to be gathered during the course of it, and the steps to be taken if no one is at home. No visits should be undertaken without the social worker, or other professionals concerned, checking the information known about the child by other safeguarding agencies.  All visits must be written up on the case file.

Section 47 Enquiries may also include:

• medical examination of the child, in relation to actual or suspected physical or sexual abuse, or neglect
• interviews and/or medical examination of other children
• enquiries with others who are either professionally or personally involved with the child or parents

Those conducting the enquiries, usually either social workers or a joint investigative team of police officer and social worker, should make all reasonable efforts to enlist the co-operation of the parents in the Section 47 Enquiries.

In circumstances where parents refuse to co-operate with Section 47 Enquiries, Children's Social Care should seek legal advice.

(See Appendix 9.1, Legal Considerations in Relation to Immediate Protective Action)

All aspects of Section 47 Enquiries should be conducted in a manner which allows for future constructive working relationships with families, given that in the majority of cases children remain with their families at the conclusion of the enquiries.

This can be aided by providing clear explanation and information, including leaflets produced by Knowsley Safeguarding Children Board, about the purpose, process and potential outcome of the investigation throughout, and by providing parents and children of sufficient age and understanding with a clear written explanation of the outcome of the investigation at its conclusion, which takes account of any particular communication needs.

Where a child is living in a residential setting, consideration should be given to the possible impact of Section 47 Enquiries on other children living in the same setting.

At the conclusion of Section 47 Enquiries, Children's Social Care should discuss the findings of the enquiries with all those involved in the investigation, including other professionals, parents, carers and children subject to age and understanding, and provide them with a written record of the outcome.  This information should be in an appropriate format for younger children and those people whose preferred language is not English, or where disability means that a specific method of communication is preferred. 

Where the child concerned is living in a residential setting which is subject to inspection, the relevant Regulatory Authority should be informed by the manager.

2. Core Assessment

(See also the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families, DoH, 2000)

A Core Assessment is an in-depth assessment which addresses the most important aspects of the needs of a child and the capacity of his or her parents to respond appropriately to those needs. This includes the parents' capacity to ensure that the child is safe from Significant Harm.

The timescale for the completion of the Core Assessment is a maximum of 35 working days, and is deemed to have commenced at the point the Initial Assessment ended.  In a case where there is concern that a child may have suffered Significant Harm, the Core Assessment can be deemed to have begun when the Strategy Meeting decided to initiate a Section 47 Enquiry. Section 47 Enquiries therefore form part of the Core Assessment in cases of suspected or actual Significant Harm.

For those children who are subject of a Child Protection Plan, the Core Assessment should be completed in accordance with the Child Protection Plan, and the assessment of a child's needs should provide evidence for future planning on how to best safeguard a child.  In this way the Core Assessment should inform the Core Group and the Child Protection Plan produced.

Children's Social Care may make referrals for specialist assessments, which may extend beyond the timescale for the Core Assessment and could subsequently inform the Child Protection Plan.

End