There were over 230,000 section 47 child protection enquiries last year, and fewer than a third reached a conference

A section 47 enquiry is what a local authority opens under the Children Act 1989 when it has reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm. It is the formal child protection process, and for the parents involved it is frequently the most frightening thing that has ever happened to them.

Department for Education figures show more than 230,000 section 47 enquiries in the year ending 31 March 2025. That is the highest figure in the series and an increase of around 6,100, or 2.7%, on the previous year.

What happens to those enquiries

An enquiry that finds concerns substantiated normally proceeds to an initial child protection conference, where a decision is taken on whether the child needs a child protection plan.

In 2012-13, 47% of section 47 enquiries reached that stage. By 2024-25 the figure was 31%. So enquiries are rising while the proportion that establish significant harm is falling, which means a growing number of families are going through the process and coming out the other side with no further action.

Roughly seven in ten section 47 enquiries do not lead to a child protection conference.

Why that matters rather than reassures

It would be easy to read a falling substantiation rate as the system being appropriately cautious, and there is a version of that argument worth taking seriously. Social workers are criticised heavily when they miss a case and rarely praised when they close one safely, so the incentive runs towards investigating.

The cost of that caution falls on the families investigated. A section 47 enquiry means interviews, home visits, contact with the child’s school and GP, and a written record that follows the family. Where parents are separated, an enquiry initiated on the account of one parent becomes evidence in the private law proceedings between them, and a father who is the subject of an enquiry that closes with no further action will still find it referenced in a Cafcass safeguarding letter months later.

What parents are and are not told

Parents are frequently unclear on the distinction between a section 17 assessment, which concerns a child in need of support, and a section 47 enquiry, which concerns suspected significant harm. The two feel similar from the receiving end and carry very different consequences.

You are entitled to know which one you are in, to be told what the concern is, and in most circumstances to have the enquiry explained to you. You can be accompanied to meetings. You can request the records held about you under data protection law, subject to redaction of third-party information.

Practical points

Ask in writing which section the local authority is acting under and what the specific concern is, because a verbal answer will not be on the file later. Keep your own record of every visit and call with dates and who attended. Do not refuse contact with social workers, since refusal is itself treated as a risk indicator, but you are entitled to ask for appointments at reasonable notice. And get advice early rather than at the conference stage: Family Rights Group runs a free advice line specifically for parents dealing with children’s services, and legal aid remains available for care proceedings.