Firstly thank you for allowing me to join this forum. I will try and explain as best I can.
My daughter got pregnant at 16 by and 18yr old boy and because of her age the midwife called social care. When they found out who the father was they immediately told her she wasn’t allowed contact with him and neither was the baby. The boy had been done when he was much younger about 14 I think for sexual offences. So all agreed no contact
Anyway this was 5 years ago and about 2 years ago she started having behaviour problems with her son. She reached out to the other grandparent to find out a family history and it was decided between them that he should have a part in his son’s life. There is a letter from the police to say any register he was on stopped at 2023 and the court letter just stated that he shouldn’t have contact with girls under the age of 16 until that time in 2023 where he is seen to be no threat to either sex. He also went to his solicitor who wrote to social care saying he wanted contact and they completely ignored them so next steps would be court.
Anyway because my grandson has lots of issues we have reached out for help from school and social care but social care said that she was doing the best she can and they don’t need to have any input. But because she has applied for an ehcp they have asked for all agencies to get involved to figure out what help is needed. This is when she gets a call yesterday from a social worker to say they are doing a section 47 against her because he is seeing his dad. She was told to stop contact immediately with him and that she would get a call today and someone would be out to see her to start an assessment. Also asking why she didn’t inform them that he was in contact. Baring in mind we have the solicitor letter that was sent. She is in absolute bits about this scared that they are going to take her son. Also the massive knock on effect it’s going to have with my grandson is going to be detrimental to him. They have a fantastic bond and he has helped loads with his behaviour problems. I’m now thinking they are going to try and say that he is the cause of his problems.
And to top it off she has been waiting all day for a phone call and no one has bothered so they can’t be that concerned about him surely.
I hope all that makes sense I’m just a very stressed grandmother
Section 47
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Winter25
- Posts: 310
- Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2025 1:05 pm
Re: Section 47
Hi Thelastofus,
I’m really sorry you’re going through this. I can hear how frightened and stressed you are, and it’s completely understandable. Section 47 wording is terrifying when you first hear it, especially as a grandmother watching your daughter fall apart.
The most important thing to understand is this:
A Section 47 enquiry does not mean they are about to remove your grandson.
It means they believe they need to make enquiries because they think there may be a safeguarding risk that has not been properly assessed.
In this situation, the trigger is very clear: contact with a father who has historic sexual offence convictions.
Even if his restrictions ended in 2023, and even if he now has police letters, social care will still treat this as something that must be formally risk assessed before they are comfortable. Children’s services do not view “sentence complete” as the same thing as “no safeguarding relevance” when a child is involved.
That doesn’t mean your daughter has done something malicious. It means the LA will want to see:
What the history actually was
What risk (if any) exists now
What boundaries are in place
Whether contact is being managed safely
The mistake here is that this was restarted informally without a clear written risk assessment or formal plan agreed with professionals. That’s often where LAs become alarmed.
A few practical points:
They can’t simply order “stop contact forever”
They may advise a pause while enquiries are made, but long term contact decisions are ultimately for the family court unless the child is at immediate risk.
The fact they haven’t called today doesn’t mean it’s nothing
Social care delays are unfortunately common. It doesn’t mean they aren’t concerned, just that the system is slow and overstretched.
Your daughter needs to stay calm and cooperative
This is not the moment to argue the bond or fairness emotionally, even though it feels deeply unfair. The safest approach is:
“I understand why you need to assess this. I want to work with you to ensure my son is safe.”
Get everything in writing now
Your daughter should immediately ask for:
Confirmation in writing that this is a Section 47 enquiry
What the specific safeguarding concern is
What they expect as interim safety measures
A clear timescale for the assessment
----
Send this email
The best immediate step is for her to email the team today asking for clarification and next steps. Here is a draft she can use:
Subject: Urgent Clarification of Section 47 Enquiries and Next Steps – [Child’s Name / DOB]
Dear [Social Worker’s Name] / Safeguarding Team,
I am writing following the telephone call on [date] informing me that Children’s Services intend to undertake Section 47 enquiries in relation to my son, [child’s name].
I am extremely anxious and want to engage appropriately, but I have not yet received the follow-up call or visit I was told would take place today. I would therefore be grateful if you could confirm the following in writing as soon as possible:
Confirmation that this is a Section 47 enquiry, and the specific safeguarding concern being assessed.
What interim safety measures you are requesting while enquiries are carried out.
The expected timescale for the assessment and when I will be contacted next.
Whether you have received the correspondence previously sent via the father’s solicitor regarding his wish to pursue contact formally.
I understand the local authority has a duty to make enquiries where concerns are raised, and I want to cooperate fully to ensure my son’s welfare and safety.
Given my son’s additional needs and the potential impact of sudden disruption, I would appreciate that any decisions are clearly explained and confirmed in writing.
Kind regards,
[Mother’s Full Name]
[Child’s Name / DOB]
[Address / Contact Number]
[Case reference if known]
--------------
Legal advice is important
Because the father has already tried the solicitor route, this is likely heading toward family court for a formal child arrangements order. A court can also request proper risk assessments rather than informal pressure.
It may also help your daughter to gather:
The police letter about the register ending
The original solicitor correspondence to social care
Any proof contact has been safe and supervised/managed
School/EHCP evidence about your grandson’s needs
She has not done anything criminal. But in safeguarding, historic convictions don’t vanish. Social care will want to tick their boxes. The quickest way to get them out of your life is to engage calmly, provide paperwork, and push for written closure once the enquiries are complete.
==========
For transparency, I’m not an official adviser, just a parent with lived experience in the courts with Local Authorities. But from what you’ve written, this sounds like social care reacting to an unassessed safeguarding factor, not a case where removal is imminent.
I’m really sorry you’re going through this. I can hear how frightened and stressed you are, and it’s completely understandable. Section 47 wording is terrifying when you first hear it, especially as a grandmother watching your daughter fall apart.
The most important thing to understand is this:
A Section 47 enquiry does not mean they are about to remove your grandson.
It means they believe they need to make enquiries because they think there may be a safeguarding risk that has not been properly assessed.
In this situation, the trigger is very clear: contact with a father who has historic sexual offence convictions.
Even if his restrictions ended in 2023, and even if he now has police letters, social care will still treat this as something that must be formally risk assessed before they are comfortable. Children’s services do not view “sentence complete” as the same thing as “no safeguarding relevance” when a child is involved.
That doesn’t mean your daughter has done something malicious. It means the LA will want to see:
What the history actually was
What risk (if any) exists now
What boundaries are in place
Whether contact is being managed safely
The mistake here is that this was restarted informally without a clear written risk assessment or formal plan agreed with professionals. That’s often where LAs become alarmed.
A few practical points:
They can’t simply order “stop contact forever”
They may advise a pause while enquiries are made, but long term contact decisions are ultimately for the family court unless the child is at immediate risk.
The fact they haven’t called today doesn’t mean it’s nothing
Social care delays are unfortunately common. It doesn’t mean they aren’t concerned, just that the system is slow and overstretched.
Your daughter needs to stay calm and cooperative
This is not the moment to argue the bond or fairness emotionally, even though it feels deeply unfair. The safest approach is:
“I understand why you need to assess this. I want to work with you to ensure my son is safe.”
Get everything in writing now
Your daughter should immediately ask for:
Confirmation in writing that this is a Section 47 enquiry
What the specific safeguarding concern is
What they expect as interim safety measures
A clear timescale for the assessment
----
Send this email
The best immediate step is for her to email the team today asking for clarification and next steps. Here is a draft she can use:
Subject: Urgent Clarification of Section 47 Enquiries and Next Steps – [Child’s Name / DOB]
Dear [Social Worker’s Name] / Safeguarding Team,
I am writing following the telephone call on [date] informing me that Children’s Services intend to undertake Section 47 enquiries in relation to my son, [child’s name].
I am extremely anxious and want to engage appropriately, but I have not yet received the follow-up call or visit I was told would take place today. I would therefore be grateful if you could confirm the following in writing as soon as possible:
Confirmation that this is a Section 47 enquiry, and the specific safeguarding concern being assessed.
What interim safety measures you are requesting while enquiries are carried out.
The expected timescale for the assessment and when I will be contacted next.
Whether you have received the correspondence previously sent via the father’s solicitor regarding his wish to pursue contact formally.
I understand the local authority has a duty to make enquiries where concerns are raised, and I want to cooperate fully to ensure my son’s welfare and safety.
Given my son’s additional needs and the potential impact of sudden disruption, I would appreciate that any decisions are clearly explained and confirmed in writing.
Kind regards,
[Mother’s Full Name]
[Child’s Name / DOB]
[Address / Contact Number]
[Case reference if known]
--------------
Legal advice is important
Because the father has already tried the solicitor route, this is likely heading toward family court for a formal child arrangements order. A court can also request proper risk assessments rather than informal pressure.
It may also help your daughter to gather:
The police letter about the register ending
The original solicitor correspondence to social care
Any proof contact has been safe and supervised/managed
School/EHCP evidence about your grandson’s needs
She has not done anything criminal. But in safeguarding, historic convictions don’t vanish. Social care will want to tick their boxes. The quickest way to get them out of your life is to engage calmly, provide paperwork, and push for written closure once the enquiries are complete.
==========
For transparency, I’m not an official adviser, just a parent with lived experience in the courts with Local Authorities. But from what you’ve written, this sounds like social care reacting to an unassessed safeguarding factor, not a case where removal is imminent.
-
Thelastofus
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2026 9:24 am
Re: Section 47
Thank you for your reply. She is happy to fully engage with them and explain that the dad has always had supervised visits. She has now had a call and they are sending out a support worker to talk through what’s going to happen before she will have a meeting with the social worker. Am I able to take notes myself as she is wanting me to be with her when this happens
-
Winter25
- Posts: 310
- Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2025 1:05 pm
Re: Section 47
Hi Thelastofus,
Yes, absolutely, you can take notes, and it’s a very sensible thing to do.
In fact, I would actively encourage it. These meetings are stressful, and it’s very easy for a parent to forget what was said afterwards or to feel overwhelmed in the moment. Having you there calmly writing down key points can really help.
A few practical tips:
She can say at the start, politely:
“Just so I don’t miss anything and can follow this properly, my mum is going to take notes for me.”
That is completely normal.
If anything important is agreed (for example around supervision, contact arrangements, or next steps), it’s also fine to ask:
“Could you confirm that in writing afterwards, just so we’re all clear?”
On recording: in the UK, parents are allowed to make their own record of meetings for personal accuracy, but it is always best to be open about it rather than doing it secretly. Some professionals will be uncomfortable, and it can escalate tension unnecessarily.
So the safest forum advice is:
Notes are strongly recommended.
Recording is legally possible, but if she wants to do that she should tell them upfront and keep it calm, because it can change the tone of the meeting.
The main thing is: supervised contact already happening is a very important protective detail. It shows she has been cautious and child-focused, not reckless.
She is doing the right thing by engaging fully, and having you present as support is completely reasonable.
================
For transparency, I’m not an official adviser, just a parent with lived experience
Yes, absolutely, you can take notes, and it’s a very sensible thing to do.
In fact, I would actively encourage it. These meetings are stressful, and it’s very easy for a parent to forget what was said afterwards or to feel overwhelmed in the moment. Having you there calmly writing down key points can really help.
A few practical tips:
She can say at the start, politely:
“Just so I don’t miss anything and can follow this properly, my mum is going to take notes for me.”
That is completely normal.
If anything important is agreed (for example around supervision, contact arrangements, or next steps), it’s also fine to ask:
“Could you confirm that in writing afterwards, just so we’re all clear?”
On recording: in the UK, parents are allowed to make their own record of meetings for personal accuracy, but it is always best to be open about it rather than doing it secretly. Some professionals will be uncomfortable, and it can escalate tension unnecessarily.
So the safest forum advice is:
Notes are strongly recommended.
Recording is legally possible, but if she wants to do that she should tell them upfront and keep it calm, because it can change the tone of the meeting.
The main thing is: supervised contact already happening is a very important protective detail. It shows she has been cautious and child-focused, not reckless.
She is doing the right thing by engaging fully, and having you present as support is completely reasonable.
================
For transparency, I’m not an official adviser, just a parent with lived experience
-
Suzie, FRG Adviser
- Posts: 4996
- Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2011 2:57 pm
Re: Section 47
Dear Thelastofus
Welcome to the parents’ discussion board. Thank you for your post. My name is Suzie. I am Family Rights Group’s online adviser. I will reply to your post here today but if you need further advice, please use our kinship carers' board as you are a grandmother and can get advice and support there from relatives, as well as me.
I am sorry to hear about the current stressful situation. Please accept my apologies for my late reply.
You explain that children’s services have begun a child protection investigation as your 5-year-old grandson has been having contact with his father (which you explain has always been supervised).
The context is that your grandson’s father committed a sexual offence against a child when he was a young person. He was subject to the Sex Offenders’ registration requirements (ended in 2023).
When your daughter was 16 and pregnant with your grandson, children’s services told her about the baby’s father’s history and recommended that she did not allow contact. She agreed. It is important that your daughter knows what the offence was and the context as these will be key factors in the risk assessment.
When your daughter was struggling with her son’s behaviour a couple of years ago the paternal family got involved. The child’s father contacted children’s services via a solicitor to request contact but had no response. It seems the solicitor did not follow this up and the child’s father did not make a court application for contact. Of course, children’s services should have responded to the solicitor’s letter, I don't know why that didn't happen. But children’s services are worried that your daughter knew about the concerns and still allowed contact. She was a child herself when she had her baby so maybe not enough work was done to explain the potential risks or what to do if father sought contact later.
Children’s services are the lead agency when it comes to protecting children and promoting their welfare. Their role is to assess risk to a specific child (your grandson) as opposed to risk in the community. Although all reporting restrictions have been lifted, this does not necessarily mean that there is no risk or a reduced risk. This depends on whether your grandson’s father engaged in any interventions to address risk.
It is reassuring that you say that your daughter always ensured that contact between her son and his father was supervised. This was protective of her. And she is willing to stop contact as children’s services have requested while they assess the situation.
I am glad that children’s services contacted your daughter again following your first post and arranged for a support worker to visit her to discuss the situation. Of course, you can sit in on the meeting and take notes to help your daughter keep a record of what is discussed and agreed (with your daughter’s consent).If you are considering recording the meeting please ask the support worker’s consent to do this in advance and for a copy of their policy on parents’ recording children’s services workers. It is not a good idea to record covertly.
If your daughter has a disability or a vulnerability, then she can request an advocate to assist her.
I understand that your daughter is very worried and her main concern is that children’s services will remove her son. Many parents worry about this and so we have drafted a FAQ to explain the only circumstances in which this can happen:
Social workers from children’s services departments cannot remove a child from their parent or carer to the care system unless either:
1) The Family Court has approved a plan for the child to be removed and made an order allowing children’s services to put that plan into action, or
2) A parent (or someone else) with parental responsibility has given their real and voluntary agreement to children’s services removing the child and no one else who is able (entitled) to object, is objecting. But the law says only certain people with parental responsibility can object.
The purpose of the child protection investigation is to assess if a child has suffered or is at risk of suffering significant harm. Their concern is that your grandson’s father may pose an unassessed risk of harm and they want to explore with your daughter how she is safeguarding her son and her understanding of risk.
If your grandson’s father is not named on his birth certificate/has not been granted parental responsibility (PR) by the court, then your daughter is the only person with PR for her son. So, she is the legal decision maker for him, including when making decisions around contact.
You can find out exactly what happens when there are child protection concerns here.
Children’s services want to assess if your grandson is thriving, whether he /your daughter needs any support with his behaviour, they will look at the relationship with his father (you say that they have a fantastic bond), his father’s history and what work he has done since; they will also consider whether your grandson would be able to voice any concerns taking account of his age, vulnerability, any additional needs etc.
Your daughter is willing to engage, and you are on hand to support her and access advice to enable her to do so. That is very positive.
She is now involved in a child protection process and so the social worker will make recommendations when they have completed their assessment. There can be different outcomes to a child protection investigation depending on the assessment of risk and protective factors/safety plan in place.
I would encourage you (or your daughter) to speak to an experienced adviser on our freephone advice line (0808 8010366) if it would be helpful to discuss the situation more fully and to get tailored advice. You can find details of all our advice options here.
I would also suggest that you contact the child protection charity, Stop It Now, as they provide advice to anyone affected by child sexual abuse, including the non-offending parent. They also have lots of information about safety planning.
I also wanted to mention family group conferencing (FGC) to you as children’s services can offer this voluntary service to families to help them make safe family plans for a child.
I hope this helps.
Best wishes
Suzie
Welcome to the parents’ discussion board. Thank you for your post. My name is Suzie. I am Family Rights Group’s online adviser. I will reply to your post here today but if you need further advice, please use our kinship carers' board as you are a grandmother and can get advice and support there from relatives, as well as me.
I am sorry to hear about the current stressful situation. Please accept my apologies for my late reply.
You explain that children’s services have begun a child protection investigation as your 5-year-old grandson has been having contact with his father (which you explain has always been supervised).
The context is that your grandson’s father committed a sexual offence against a child when he was a young person. He was subject to the Sex Offenders’ registration requirements (ended in 2023).
When your daughter was 16 and pregnant with your grandson, children’s services told her about the baby’s father’s history and recommended that she did not allow contact. She agreed. It is important that your daughter knows what the offence was and the context as these will be key factors in the risk assessment.
When your daughter was struggling with her son’s behaviour a couple of years ago the paternal family got involved. The child’s father contacted children’s services via a solicitor to request contact but had no response. It seems the solicitor did not follow this up and the child’s father did not make a court application for contact. Of course, children’s services should have responded to the solicitor’s letter, I don't know why that didn't happen. But children’s services are worried that your daughter knew about the concerns and still allowed contact. She was a child herself when she had her baby so maybe not enough work was done to explain the potential risks or what to do if father sought contact later.
Children’s services are the lead agency when it comes to protecting children and promoting their welfare. Their role is to assess risk to a specific child (your grandson) as opposed to risk in the community. Although all reporting restrictions have been lifted, this does not necessarily mean that there is no risk or a reduced risk. This depends on whether your grandson’s father engaged in any interventions to address risk.
It is reassuring that you say that your daughter always ensured that contact between her son and his father was supervised. This was protective of her. And she is willing to stop contact as children’s services have requested while they assess the situation.
I am glad that children’s services contacted your daughter again following your first post and arranged for a support worker to visit her to discuss the situation. Of course, you can sit in on the meeting and take notes to help your daughter keep a record of what is discussed and agreed (with your daughter’s consent).If you are considering recording the meeting please ask the support worker’s consent to do this in advance and for a copy of their policy on parents’ recording children’s services workers. It is not a good idea to record covertly.
If your daughter has a disability or a vulnerability, then she can request an advocate to assist her.
I understand that your daughter is very worried and her main concern is that children’s services will remove her son. Many parents worry about this and so we have drafted a FAQ to explain the only circumstances in which this can happen:
Social workers from children’s services departments cannot remove a child from their parent or carer to the care system unless either:
1) The Family Court has approved a plan for the child to be removed and made an order allowing children’s services to put that plan into action, or
2) A parent (or someone else) with parental responsibility has given their real and voluntary agreement to children’s services removing the child and no one else who is able (entitled) to object, is objecting. But the law says only certain people with parental responsibility can object.
The purpose of the child protection investigation is to assess if a child has suffered or is at risk of suffering significant harm. Their concern is that your grandson’s father may pose an unassessed risk of harm and they want to explore with your daughter how she is safeguarding her son and her understanding of risk.
If your grandson’s father is not named on his birth certificate/has not been granted parental responsibility (PR) by the court, then your daughter is the only person with PR for her son. So, she is the legal decision maker for him, including when making decisions around contact.
You can find out exactly what happens when there are child protection concerns here.
Children’s services want to assess if your grandson is thriving, whether he /your daughter needs any support with his behaviour, they will look at the relationship with his father (you say that they have a fantastic bond), his father’s history and what work he has done since; they will also consider whether your grandson would be able to voice any concerns taking account of his age, vulnerability, any additional needs etc.
Your daughter is willing to engage, and you are on hand to support her and access advice to enable her to do so. That is very positive.
She is now involved in a child protection process and so the social worker will make recommendations when they have completed their assessment. There can be different outcomes to a child protection investigation depending on the assessment of risk and protective factors/safety plan in place.
I would encourage you (or your daughter) to speak to an experienced adviser on our freephone advice line (0808 8010366) if it would be helpful to discuss the situation more fully and to get tailored advice. You can find details of all our advice options here.
I would also suggest that you contact the child protection charity, Stop It Now, as they provide advice to anyone affected by child sexual abuse, including the non-offending parent. They also have lots of information about safety planning.
I also wanted to mention family group conferencing (FGC) to you as children’s services can offer this voluntary service to families to help them make safe family plans for a child.
I hope this helps.
Best wishes
Suzie
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