Investigating allegations of child neglect or abuse

If you contact us because you suspect a child or young person is being abused, or is at risk of being neglected, harmed or abused, we’ll look into your claims. You may have told us you think the child or young person is being:

• physically injured (hit, kicked, punched)
• neglected (not properly clothed or fed)
• sexually abused (sexually assaulted or subjected to inappropriate sexual language or behaviour)
• emotionally abused (constantly criticised, ignored, humiliated, bullied or affected by domestic abuse)

When we receive a report about the safety of a child, our social workers will investigate and explore any concerns you might have.

Child protection investigations

When we carry out a child protection investigation, we try to find out as much detail as we can about the concerns that have been raised.

A social worker, police officer, or possibly both, will talk to the child concerned and their parents or carers. They'll also talk to other people involved with the family, such as the child’s teachers, family doctor, and health visitor to help us piece together the full picture.

If there's evidence to suggest that the child is in immediate danger, or the assessment reveals serious concerns about the child’s welfare, our social care service, the police, and other professionals who know the child will meet to decide what action to take.

The group may decide that one of our social workers or the police need to interview the child to clarify exactly what's happened to them. This interview takes place in a safe and friendly environment, and the officers who conduct the interview are specially trained to deal with children in these situations.

Outcomes of the investigation

Most parents think we’ll take their children away from them as a result of the findings of a child protection investigation. In most situations this isn’t the case.

Sometimes we find a safe place for the child away from their immediate family while we make further enquiries. Then we’ll agree with the parents that the child can stay with extended family. If this isn’t possible, we’ll arrange to place the child with approved carers. If we can’t come to an agreement with the child's parents, we may seek to apply to the courts for a court order to protect the child.

In most cases, if the investigation identifies that the child is at risk of serious harm, we’ll hold a case conference to agree a plan to protect the child. The child's parents and all the agencies that have had involvement with the child will be invited to attend. Children themselves may also attend the meeting, and will be supported to do so if needed.

Following a case conference, in most cases children remain at home with their parents. However, sometimes court proceedings may be necessary to make sure children are protected from harm. This may result in them living with extended family, friends or council-approved carers.

More information

You can find more details about how we keep children and young people safe on our safeguarding children webpages.