S47 investigation

[Raerae25]

Hi Suzie,

Thank you for all the advices on this forum which has been helpful for me.

We have had a s47 investigation initiated against us without our knowledge. Our 16yr old child made false allegations about us hitting her and starving her of food. She ran away from home and didn’t return so we had to make a missing person report. She has done that so many times and she is known to the police as a child who always runs away from home whenever we say no to her.

Social worker came to our home, interviewed us about the allegations. We told them exactly what happened which was that our child was the one who hit her mother, pushed her down the stairs. The mother didn’t hit him. Social worker interviewed our son who is 9 in his school. He confirmed to her the same thing and told her that his older sister was never hit by the mother. Social worker also interviewed our 16 yr old who still said she was hit by her mother and that she doesn’t want to come back home to stay with us anymore.

Social worker then decided to initiate s47 jointly with the police despite our son saying the mother didn’t hit his older sister.

We had the police with the social worker ambush us in our home 2 days later without any warning. The police asked me few questions and also told my wife that she will be invited to the station for a voluntary interview under caution. This was 2 weeks ago and she is still waiting for the invitation. The police then went to our 9 yr old son’s school and interviewed him and he maintained that it’s his sister that hit his mother and pushed her down the stairs.

We chased the social worker to know what this is about. It was only then that she mentioned a s47 investigation has been initiated against my wife for the physical abuse our 16 year old daughter has made against her.

We asked details about this and she said the s47 was initiated 25 working days ago. So do we assume that their concerns were not substantiated and that no initial child protection plan is going to take place as the 15 working days to do so has passed?

Also, since our 16yr old does not want to stay with us anymore and is staying at a family friend’s place, we have been asked whether we would agree to a section 20 voluntary placement for her. The social worker’s reason is that our 16 yr old has refused to come home and also because we also have concerns about her behaviour and the risk she might put her younger siblings in.

The social worker said once they placed her in a voluntary placement under section 20, we will have a vigorous family support in place to build relationship between my wife and our 16 yr old, including parenting programs. And to help our 16yr old move back home.

So honestly we don’t understand why the s47 was initiated as it doesn’t look like their concerns were substantiated considering the turn of event. Also, the police have still not contacted my wife for the interview despite it being nearly 2 weeks. Surely they don’t think there is any risk if it’s taking this long? Also our other 3 children are subject to the assessment as they live in the same house which I understand.

Social worker says she hasn’t completed her assessments as she has 45 working days and is currently on 25 working days. And yet she’s come to us with section 20 option and possible family support. Please help us to understand.

[Winter25]

Hi Raerae,

Thank you for sharing your situation. What you are experiencing is understandably confusing, but there are some very important legal and procedural points working in your favour, and it’s essential you understand them clearly so you can stay in control of the process.

What is Actually Happening: Breaking it Down

Your Section 47 Investigation

A Section 47 investigation is only used when social services believe a child is at ongoing risk of significant harm.

If, during that investigation, they decide the threshold is met, they must convene an Initial Child Protection Conference (ICPC) within 15 working days of the strategy discussion.

You have confirmed that 25 working days have already passed and no ICPC has been arranged.

This strongly indicates that the threshold of significant harm has not been met.

In other words, they have not found sufficient evidence that your daughter is at ongoing risk requiring a Child Protection Plan.

What they are doing now!

The social worker has effectively stepped down the case into a Child and Family Assessment under Section 17, which has a 45 working day timeline.

This is not a child protection process; it is for identifying support needs.

They are now asking you to agree to a Section 20 Voluntary Accommodation for your 16-year-old. This is not “support”—it is a legal mechanism for the Local Authority to assume care of your child with your consent.

Your Concerns Are Valid, The police have not pursued criminal action.

Your nine-year-old child has corroborated that no assault took place.

Your daughter is refusing to return home by her own choice; this is now a placement issue, not a protection issue.

The Local Authority still has a duty under Section 20 to provide accommodation for a 16-year-old who refuses to live at home – but only with your informed consent.

Why This Matters!

You are not being accused on a legal basis of harming your child. Instead, the Local Authority is seeking your agreement to accommodate her because she is refusing to return home. This is a very different issue, and you must protect your parental rights while remaining cooperative.

Action You Should Take Now in my opinion are as follows

You should write to the social worker and Team Manager to:

Confirm the Section 47 outcome

Challenge the use of Section 20 without proper legal reasoning

Make your position clear that you are seeking family support, not voluntary care arrangements

Here is a draft email you can send if you wish, just alter the parts to suit you
-----------------------------------------------
Subject: Formal Clarification of Section 47 Outcome and Section 20 Proposal – [Daughter’s Name]

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

I am writing to request formal clarification regarding the status of the Section 47 investigation and the proposed Section 20 voluntary accommodation for my daughter, [Daughter’s Name].

As you have advised that the Section 47 investigation was initiated 25 working days ago, and no Initial Child Protection Conference has been convened within the statutory 15 working day timeframe, I must assume that the threshold for significant harm has not been met. Please confirm in writing that the Section 47 investigation has concluded and that the concerns have not been substantiated.

With regard to the Section 20 proposal, I understand that this is a voluntary legal agreement for a child to become “looked after” by the Local Authority. Before I can consider this further, please provide:

The legal and factual basis for proposing Section 20, given that no findings of significant harm have been made.

A copy of the proposed care plan for [Daughter’s Name], including details of placement, timescales, and reunification plan.

An explanation as to why support under Section 17 (Child in Need) cannot be provided while my daughter remains part of the family, rather than entering voluntary care.

For the avoidance of doubt, we do not accept that we have caused harm to our daughter. We are willing to engage with support services to help rebuild our relationship with her, and we wish to understand why a Section 20 arrangement is being suggested instead of a supportive Child in Need plan.

Please confirm the outcome of the Section 47 investigation and provide the information requested above as a matter of urgency. We will be seeking independent legal advice before agreeing to any Section 20 arrangements.

Yours sincerely,
[Your Full Name]
[Your Contact Details]
--------------------------------------------------
Why this email is important

It forces them to confirm in writing that the Section 47 concerns were not substantiated.

It prevents them from informally moving your daughter into care under the guise of “support.”

It shows you are reasonable, informed, and acting lawfully.

Final Guidance this is important!

Do not sign anything under Section 20 without legal advice.

Keep everything in writing and request all decisions to be confirmed formally.

You are not in a child protection process unless they initiate a conference.

You are in a stronger position than you have been led to believe. By requesting written clarity now, you will regain control and prevent any misuse of voluntary accommodation.

Please update here if you receive a response, and I can guide you through the next steps.
=============
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.

[Raerae25]

Thank you so much Winter25,

This is really handy. I will be sending them the letter and definitely will not be signing any section 20 voluntary placement. Especially when they have sent me a copy of the section 20 voluntary agreement document by email which essentially says that my daughter has expressed her wishes and feelings to go into care as she feels she will be safer there and happier. That my daughter has told the social worker that she wishes to go into care because her mother has consistently physically and emotionally abused her over a consistent of time and her being in care will make her feel safe. And the social worker wants me and my wife to sign that.

By signing that agreement with those accusations in the form, it essentially means we are agreeing that we’ve physically assaulted her. I just can’t believe the social worker expects us to sign something that basically incriminates us.

But thank you so much for your timely advice. We will be doing just that.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Hi Suzie,
Thank you for all the advices on this forum which has been helpful for me.
We have had a s47 investigation initiated against us without our knowledge. Our 16yr old child made false allegations about us hitting her and starving her of food. She ran away from home and didn’t return so we had to make a missing person report. She has done that so many times and she is known to the police as a child who always runs away from home whenever we say no to her.

Social worker came to our home, interviewed us about the allegations. We told them exactly what happened which was that our child was the one who hit her mother, pushed her down the stairs. The mother didn’t hit him. Social worker interviewed our son who is 9 in his school. He confirmed to her the same thing and told her that his older sister was never hit by the mother. Social worker also interviewed our 16 yr old who still said she was hit by her mother and that she doesn’t want to come back home to stay with us anymore.

Social worker then decided to initiate s47 jointly with the police despite our son saying the mother didn’t hit his older sister.

We had the police with the social worker ambush us in our home 2 days later without any warning. The police asked me few questions and also told my wife that she will be invited to the station for a voluntary interview under caution. This was 2 weeks ago and she is still waiting for the invitation. The police then went to our 9 yr old son’s school and interviewed him and he maintained that it’s his sister that hit his mother and pushed her down the stairs.

We chased the social worker to know what this is about. It was only then that she mentioned a s47 investigation has been initiated against my wife for the physical abuse our 16 year old daughter has made against her.

We asked details about this and she said the s47 was initiated 25 working days ago. So do we assume that their concerns were not substantiated and that no initial child protection plan is going to take place as the 15 working days to do so has passed?

Also, since our 16yr old does not want to stay with us anymore and is staying at a family friend’s place, we have been asked whether we would agree to a section 20 voluntary placement for her. The social worker’s reason is that our 16 yr old has refused to come home and also because we also have concerns about her behaviour and the risk she might put her younger siblings in.

The social worker said once they placed her in a voluntary placement under section 20, we will have a vigorous family support in place to build relationship between my wife and our 16 yr old, including parenting programs. And to help our 16yr old move back home.

So honestly we don’t understand why the s47 was initiated as it doesn’t look like their concerns were substantiated considering the turn of event. Also, the police have still not contacted my wife for the interview despite it being nearly 2 weeks. Surely they don’t think there is any risk if it’s taking this long? Also our other 3 children are subject to the assessment as they live in the same house which I understand.

Social worker says she hasn’t completed her assessments as she has 45 working days and is currently on 25 working days. And yet she’s come to us with section 20 option and possible family support. Please help us to understand.

Dear Raerae

Welcome to Family Rights Group parents’ forum and thank you for your posts.

My name is Suzie, online adviser at Family Rights Group and I will respond to your posts.

I apologise for the delay in responding to you. In your initial post you said you were helped by the advice on the forum. This is good feedback, as the purpose of the forum is for peer support where persons feel able to share their own experiences to help others in a similar situation.

I am sorry for the difficulties that you and your family are experiencing now with children’s services involvement. You have asked several questions relating to the procedures children’s services is following during the assessment process.

Although you, your wife and 9-year-old son have informed the social worker that your wife did not hit your 16-year-old daughter. She maintains that she was hit and as such, the social worker view is that she has suffered harm and is at risk of future significant harm and on this basis has initiated section 47 child protection enquiries. You can read more about this HERE . Section 47 investigation can take up to 45 days although different authorities have their own timescale within this framework.

Your daughter has maintained that she does not wish to return home, children’s services must consider her wishes and feelings so they have asked you agree to section 20 voluntary arrangement so they can continue keep her from your home. Children’s services must have consent if a child is to remain out of their home, or apply to the court for an order. This could be an emergency protection order or care order. In your daughter’s case this may not be necessary since your daughter, as a 16-year-old, can sign herself section 20 voluntary arrangement.

Children’s services can support improved family relationship so your daughter feelable to return home. You have concerns about her younger siblings, it might help if your daughter has a little time from home to reflect on her behaviour.

You do not wish to sign the section 20 agreement, worded to state consistent abuse of your daughter. This is understandable and you can insist the wording is changed to reflect the circumstances as you see it.

You may find it useful to read our guide working with a social worker


Regarding the police, their investigation would relate to whether there is a criminal offence based on the allegations made by your daughter against her mother. Unfortunately, the police can take some time in their investigation, and it may help if your wife contact them to find out what is to happen now. A time delay does not mean they do not consider that a risk exists and, your daughter is no longer in the home where the alleged action took place so she would be considered safe.

You may wish to speak with one of our experienced advisers and, if so, you can telephone our advice line on 0808 801 0366. The advice line is open from 9.30am to 3.00pm. Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays). You can also contact us using the web enquiry form and there is Webchaton Monday and Thursday between 2.00pm and 4.00pm.

I hope this will be helpful to you.

Best wishes

Suzie

[Raerae25]

Thank you Winter and Suzie.

Our 16 yr old daughter now lives with a family member in a different county up in the north and we have agreed to that. This agreement does not involve a section 20. It was agreed between I and my wife and the social worker.

The social worker says this has now turned to a s17 assessment for our younger children as our 16 yr old no longer lives with us and she is safe where she is. Social worker asked if we would consent to a s17 as it is voluntary. We said no as our younger children are safe and are doing fine without their older sibling. So social worker has now closed the case and sign posted us to further help should we need it.

We still haven’t heard from the police and wondering whether the police will still investigate as the social worker has informed them of the outcome?

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Raerae25

Suzie (FRG Adviser) here, thank you for your update.

It may be helpful, (for ‘peace of mind’) if you contact the police and ask if the matter is being followed up by them or whether they have been informed by the social workers that children’s services have closed the case.


Best wishes
Suzie
Family Rights Group Adviser