Section 47

[Lilathecat21]

Hi,

A while back my child's school reported me to social services. My Disabled child was accused of Harmful Sexual Behaviour against one of his friends. The Section 47 was done very quickly and was not substantiated. There is no evidence of any harm to my child, it was his word against another SEN child, however, they've recorded it as my son being the leader. I have changed School due to this. I am still a bit upset as I had a bad relationship with the school, and I don't think they made this all up, but they were the ones to potion blame on my son and not the other child where I believe it was probably both of them. My son has never shown any interest in anything sexual before of after this incident. He doesn't have access to the internet apart from via a kids kindle. I was devastated, thinking the worst, suspecting his carers or school transport. The school also punished my son and not the other child. They interviewed the boys in the same room, the list goes on, there were so many mistakes. This has all led me to a real lack of trust. SS listed the errors and read them out to me. They would not let me see s47 myself. Then I found out from the Headteacher that nobody ever visited the School to share the findings of S47 with them, so they got away with all the mistakes and a disabled child got punished. I have asked to see the S47 report myself. I want to know what the school said about me. I still have another child in the School and he does not want to leave. My gut is telling me just to take him out, but I can't do it. SS's have said Section 47 is a Professionals document and that I am not allowed to see it. But under data protection law you are entitled to see any data they hold on you. Section 47 isn't exempt but parts of it can be for specific reasons. Has any one ever dealt with this before? I don't think its fair to make unfounded allegations of child abuse against a family, which is basically what they are saying when they investigate you and talk about harm. Then not even share the report. What can be in there that is so bad? I know what my child is accused of. I know I don't have a criminal record or any history of drugs or anything like that. I am a very boring 40 something who likes gardening and cats. I have nothing to hide. I was open with them about everything. Why are they not able to be open? They offered a CIN plan so my son could get more help, but at this point I don't trust them enough so I probably won't do it, having said that. This all happened 5/6 months ago and so far they've not gotten around to it. They have visited but nothing happened!

[Winter25]

Hi Lilathecat21,

I've just read your post, and I am so sorry for what you and your son have been put through. To have your disabled child wrongly blamed, to be subjected to a flawed investigation, and to then be denied access to the very report that contains allegations about your family is a profound and infuriating injustice. Your lack of trust is not just understandable; it is the correct and sane response to being treated so unprofessionally.

You are being lied to, and you are 100% correct in your understanding of the law. Let's get you a clear, powerful plan to fight back.

They Are Unlawfully Withholding Your Data
When the social worker told you that a Section 47 report is a "Professionals document" and that you are "not allowed to see it," she was lying to you, outright lie.

You are absolutely right. Under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have a legal right to access the personal data an organisation holds on you and your child. A Section 47 report is not exempt.

Redactions, Not Refusals: They can redact (black out) specific parts of the report if there is a lawful reason to do so (for example, to protect a third party's confidential information), but they cannot withhold the entire document from you. Their blanket refusal is unlawful.

Why are they lying? They are likely lying for two reasons: firstly, because they are lazy and it's easier than preparing the document for disclosure. Secondly, and more importantly, because the report likely details the school's procedural failures and their own, and they do not want you to have that evidence in writing.

Your Plan: The Formal Demand

You need to stop asking them for it informally and make a formal, legal demand that they cannot ignore. You need to send a hard-hitting email to the social worker and their Team Manager.
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Subject: FORMAL SUBJECT ACCESS REQUEST (UK GDPR) & COMPLAINT: Unlawful Refusal to Disclose Section 47 Report for [Son's Name]

Dear [Social Worker's Name] and [Team Manager's Name],

I am writing to formally complain about the unlawful refusal to provide me with a copy of the Section 47 report regarding my son, [Son's Name], dated approximately [Date, e.g., 5/6 months ago].

On [Date], I was informed by [Social Worker's Name] that the report is a "Professionals document" and that I am "not allowed to see it."

This is legally incorrect. As a parent with Parental Responsibility, I am making a formal Subject Access Request under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 for a full copy of this report.

Your refusal to provide this document is a breach of my statutory rights. It prevents me from understanding the allegations and information held about my family and from correcting any inaccuracies. Furthermore, your failure to share the findings with the school has allowed their procedural errors to go unchallenged, which is a safeguarding failure in itself.

You have a statutory deadline of one calendar month to comply with this Subject Access Request.

If I do not receive a full copy of the report (with any lawful redactions clearly explained) within this timeframe, I will submit a formal complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) for a breach of my data access rights.

I look forward to your prompt compliance.

Yours sincerely,
[Your Name]
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Why This Works
It Uses Legal Language:
It moves this from a simple request to a formal legal demand under GDPR.

It Puts Them on a Timer:
They now have a one-month statutory deadline to respond.

It Threatens Escalation:
The threat of a complaint to the ICO (the data protection regulator) is something they have to take seriously.

You are right to be angry. They have treated you and your son appallingly. Send this email and force them to follow the law.
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For full transparency, I am not an official adviser for this forum. I am a parent who has been through a long and successful legal battle with a local authority, and I am here to offer supportive, strategic advice based on my own lived experience. The information I share is for guidance, and it is always up to each parent to decide what is right for their own situation.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Lilathecat21,

Thank you for your post and welcome to the parents’ forum. I am Suzie, an online Family Rights Group adviser replying to you today.

I am sorry to hear that you and your family have had such challenging experiences recently.

You explain that children’s services have offered a child in need plan for your son but that you do not have sufficient trust in services at this point to feel this could be beneficial. You feel that the school have treated your son unfairly and that children’s services have not provided a full or accurate response to your request for the section 47 report.

There are two separate issues in your post –

• your request for access to records
• Your son’s experiences and possible need for support.

I will address each in turn.

The Family Rights Group advice sheet on accessing personal information held by children’s services would equip you with all the information you need to consider your next steps in requesting access to the S.47 report. You can link to it here. If children’s services consider that some information is exempt and has to be redacted they should explain this to you in writing rather than contend that the whole report is a ‘professional document’ and that none of it can be shared.

Details of how to make a complaint to children’s services are here.

Contact details for the information commissioner’s office are here.

You could also ask your son’s former school for details of their complaints process.

Turning to the issue of support for your son, I would suggest that you ask for a meeting with the social work team manager and social worker to talk about how a child in need plan could help and to see if some better communication could be achieved between you and the professionals involved. The Family Rights Group web page on child in need plans is here. You may also find the Family Rights Group guide to working with social workers helpful here.

You don’t mention your son’s age but I am sending you a link to Shore –here a Lucy Faithfull Foundation project for teenagers worried about harmful sexual behaviour or wishing to find out more about staying safe in case it is of use. If this resource is not age or needs appropriate – Shorespace may be able to signpost you to a service that is a better fit.

I also wondered if your son would benefit from the support of an independent advocate. You can read more about children working with advocates here.

You come across as an open, honest parent trying to do the best for your son and willing to explore his needs and experiences. It is such a shame that this mishandling has undermined your trust. I hope that you receive some better responses from children’s services and the school so that you can return your focus to support for your son.

There are many different ways to contact Family Rights Group if you seek further advice in the future:

• A free telephone advice line open Monday to Friday between 9.30am and 3pm (excluding Bank Holidays) on 0808 801 0366
• Easy-to-follow online information. Features include an A-Z, FAQs, films, ‘top tips’ and legal advice sheets;
• A webchat service where you can message an adviser online, who will help you find information and advice to support you.
Submitting an email enquiry via the here
• to receive a response within 5 working days.

Best wishes,
Suzie