Hi,
Last year my sons school made a safeguarding referral to the LA that resulted in a section 47 investigation. It was resolved quickly however they offered voluntary support, it CiN plan. This was actually worse than the Section 47. It was a different social worker and he was horrible to me. He spoke about risk and escalation and wouldn't listen. They refused to share a copy of the section 47 report. I know they don't have to. The thing is I had nothing in writing from the to say what the outcome was or anything. I did a SAR. I almost wish I hadn't. It's just awful. The things they write. The headteacher of my childs previous school has called him all sorts of things, he is autistic and she's called him stubborn immature, opinionated. She said he will do anything not to tell the truth. They have said that I was aggressive when all I'd done was send them an email about his EHCP not being implemented. The have written that my child might be at risk of harm from us, this is against the finding of the section 47. They are clear section 17 was voluntary. So It was shocking to read. They have bought up mental health from 9 years ago. I had no idea what they were thinking in the background about us. The thing is our child is autistic and what happened was a miss understanding. I moved schools and he's in a SEN school now, and doing well. I'm concerned that this awful narrative will follow us for the rest of his childhood. I'm so anxious now that someone will make a referral. My son has complex needs and when he was a baby his Dr referred us to Social services. They were so supportive they are arranged a home start volunteer and two baby sitters as my child was tube fed over night and slept on a monitor. They drove me to an emergency mental health appointment when it all got to much, the two social workers were with us until he was 4 years old, he was settled and started school and stepped down our CiN plan. I can't believe the difference in how we've been treated this time. People that have never met me in a meeting laying into me. Making comments about me based off very little evidence. They don't mention my husband at all it's all Mother this and Mother that. I actually really depressed. Why do they get to talk about people like dirt. This was a strategy discussion. It's an investigation. They can't assume everyone is guilty of something. In the end they closed the CiN plan and said everything is in place and we should get in touch if anything changes. We had done nothing wrong. When you have a disabled child you are three times more likely to be referred. My son was under 17 professionals at one point. The only people to ever have a concern were the school that failed him. The Dr previously had referred due to Complex Health needs. I trusted them. I am so stupid. I realise now how dangerous they are. I opened up to them and told them I sometimes struggle. It's hard dealing with disability.
My question is what do these records mean. Will it haunt us for life? If we move School or area will it be shared. I'm worried as I'll have to move my childs school again. I don't want everyone thinking badly of me. I don't want to be treated with suspicion. The last school treated me with suspicion all along, they had the wrong information on file it started we were on a CPP when it was a CiN plan. I wonder if that's why they were so suspicious of me. They raised every tiny little thing. Asked me why I took my son to a different clinic once, it was just because 111 told me there was space there. They challenged me for forgetting to put milk in my sons bag. They called me in saying my son had flea bites, it was an insect that had bitten him at riding for the disabled. They said they noticed he doesn't say goodbye to me. He's autistic! I just feel so judged and sad. It's been difficult with him as health. I don't deserve any of this. I feel like if they ever come back I'll just hand him over and run. I can't face it again.
SAR
-
Winter25
- Posts: 309
- Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2025 12:05 pm
Re: SAR
Hi Lilathecat21,
I’m really sorry. What you are describing is exactly why SARs can feel so brutal. It is not just “seeing paperwork.” It is suddenly seeing the private narrative people were building about you and your child without ever saying it to your face in a clear or fair way. That is genuinely shocking, and you are not overreacting.
You were not stupid to trust them.
What happened when your son was younger sounds like a support-based response to complex health needs. What you were pulled into this time was a safeguarding investigation. Those are very different processes, and they often feel completely different from the parent side. That difference is about the system, not about you having done something wrong. Working Together is clear that strategy discussions and section 47 enquiries are part of safeguarding decision-making, but that still does not give professionals a free pass to write misleading or inaccurate records.
The first thing I want to say is this: these records do not mean you have been “found guilty” of anything for life.
A section 47 investigation is an investigation. It is not a conviction. The fact that the case later closed and the CiN plan ended with everything in place matters. That outcome matters. And if you have a closure email or letter confirming that, hold onto it carefully, because it is one of the strongest documents you can use to anchor the file against the more hostile opinions sitting around it.
The real issue here is not just that records exist. It is whether they are fair, accurate, and likely to mislead future readers.
From what you have written, there are several separate problems:
the section 47 outcome was never clearly explained to you in writing
the later CiN work seems to have carried a much darker internal narrative than the outcome justified
some of the language used about your autistic son sounds judgmental and lacking proper understanding of neurodivergence
and there may also be plain factual errors, like a school recording CPP when it was actually CIN
Those are not small things. Those are exactly the sort of things worth challenging.
On your question about whether this follows you: children’s social care records can be retained for a long time, and relevant safeguarding information may be shared where agencies consider it necessary for a child’s welfare. School records also transfer when a child moves school. So I would not tell you “none of this will ever be seen again,” because that would not be honest. But nor does it mean every professional automatically gets the full worst version of events forever. Information sharing is supposed to be necessary and proportionate, not a free-for-all.
I would focus on three things.
First, get the outcome pinned down. If you still do not have a clear written confirmation of the section 47 outcome, ask for it.
Second, separate factual errors from opinion. If the school recorded the wrong legal status, for example CPP instead of CIN, that is exactly the kind of factual inaccuracy you should challenge directly. The ICO says people can ask for inaccurate personal data to be rectified and can also ask for incomplete data to be supplemented.
Third, where they refuse to alter wording because they say it is “professional opinion,” ask for a clear supplementary statement or addendum so future readers cannot miss your position and the wider context. The ICO’s guidance says incomplete data may need to be completed by a supplementary statement.
So the stronger line is not:
“they are dangerous and I trusted them.”
It is:
“This record contains factual inaccuracies and opinion presented in a way that risks misleading future professionals. The section 47 did not end in substantiated harm. The CiN later closed. My son is autistic, the previous school appears to have misunderstood him badly, and parts of this file need to be corrected or supplemented so the record is fair.”
That is much harder for them to dismiss.
A simple follow-up request could be:
------------
Dear [Local Authority / Data Protection Team / Children’s Services],
Following my SAR, I am requesting clarification and rectification/supplementation of parts of the record.
In particular, I request:
Written confirmation of the outcome of the section 47 enquiries.
Confirmation of what records from the section 47 and CiN process were shared externally, and with whom.
Rectification of any factual inaccuracies, including any incorrect reference to a CPP if the correct status was CIN.
Where wording is said to reflect professional opinion rather than factual error, a supplementary statement/addendum to be attached to the relevant records so future readers are aware that the concerns were disputed, that the matter was resolved, and that the CiN plan later closed with support in place.
I am concerned that the current wording risks creating a misleading narrative for future professionals, particularly given my child’s autism and the misunderstandings that arose in the previous school setting.
Kind regards,
[Name]
-------------
If they refuse to deal with that properly, then yes, you can look at complaints and also the ICO route for data accuracy issues.
Most importantly, please do not turn this into “I trusted them and now I can never ask for help again.” I completely understand why it feels like that, but your son has complex needs and you may need support again in future. The goal here is not to disappear. It is to make sure the record is fair enough that the next person who opens the file sees the real picture, not just the most suspicious one.
Please do not let this file make you feel like dirt, and do not let it terrify you out of ever asking for help again. Your son has complex needs, and you have been a fierce, protective advocate for him his entire life. Take a breath, let the shock settle, and send that email to force them to clean up their sloppy paperwork.
=============
For full transparency, I am not an official adviser. I am a parent with lived experience of the system, courts and laws, offering supportive and strategic guidance.
I’m really sorry. What you are describing is exactly why SARs can feel so brutal. It is not just “seeing paperwork.” It is suddenly seeing the private narrative people were building about you and your child without ever saying it to your face in a clear or fair way. That is genuinely shocking, and you are not overreacting.
You were not stupid to trust them.
What happened when your son was younger sounds like a support-based response to complex health needs. What you were pulled into this time was a safeguarding investigation. Those are very different processes, and they often feel completely different from the parent side. That difference is about the system, not about you having done something wrong. Working Together is clear that strategy discussions and section 47 enquiries are part of safeguarding decision-making, but that still does not give professionals a free pass to write misleading or inaccurate records.
The first thing I want to say is this: these records do not mean you have been “found guilty” of anything for life.
A section 47 investigation is an investigation. It is not a conviction. The fact that the case later closed and the CiN plan ended with everything in place matters. That outcome matters. And if you have a closure email or letter confirming that, hold onto it carefully, because it is one of the strongest documents you can use to anchor the file against the more hostile opinions sitting around it.
The real issue here is not just that records exist. It is whether they are fair, accurate, and likely to mislead future readers.
From what you have written, there are several separate problems:
the section 47 outcome was never clearly explained to you in writing
the later CiN work seems to have carried a much darker internal narrative than the outcome justified
some of the language used about your autistic son sounds judgmental and lacking proper understanding of neurodivergence
and there may also be plain factual errors, like a school recording CPP when it was actually CIN
Those are not small things. Those are exactly the sort of things worth challenging.
On your question about whether this follows you: children’s social care records can be retained for a long time, and relevant safeguarding information may be shared where agencies consider it necessary for a child’s welfare. School records also transfer when a child moves school. So I would not tell you “none of this will ever be seen again,” because that would not be honest. But nor does it mean every professional automatically gets the full worst version of events forever. Information sharing is supposed to be necessary and proportionate, not a free-for-all.
I would focus on three things.
First, get the outcome pinned down. If you still do not have a clear written confirmation of the section 47 outcome, ask for it.
Second, separate factual errors from opinion. If the school recorded the wrong legal status, for example CPP instead of CIN, that is exactly the kind of factual inaccuracy you should challenge directly. The ICO says people can ask for inaccurate personal data to be rectified and can also ask for incomplete data to be supplemented.
Third, where they refuse to alter wording because they say it is “professional opinion,” ask for a clear supplementary statement or addendum so future readers cannot miss your position and the wider context. The ICO’s guidance says incomplete data may need to be completed by a supplementary statement.
So the stronger line is not:
“they are dangerous and I trusted them.”
It is:
“This record contains factual inaccuracies and opinion presented in a way that risks misleading future professionals. The section 47 did not end in substantiated harm. The CiN later closed. My son is autistic, the previous school appears to have misunderstood him badly, and parts of this file need to be corrected or supplemented so the record is fair.”
That is much harder for them to dismiss.
A simple follow-up request could be:
------------
Dear [Local Authority / Data Protection Team / Children’s Services],
Following my SAR, I am requesting clarification and rectification/supplementation of parts of the record.
In particular, I request:
Written confirmation of the outcome of the section 47 enquiries.
Confirmation of what records from the section 47 and CiN process were shared externally, and with whom.
Rectification of any factual inaccuracies, including any incorrect reference to a CPP if the correct status was CIN.
Where wording is said to reflect professional opinion rather than factual error, a supplementary statement/addendum to be attached to the relevant records so future readers are aware that the concerns were disputed, that the matter was resolved, and that the CiN plan later closed with support in place.
I am concerned that the current wording risks creating a misleading narrative for future professionals, particularly given my child’s autism and the misunderstandings that arose in the previous school setting.
Kind regards,
[Name]
-------------
If they refuse to deal with that properly, then yes, you can look at complaints and also the ICO route for data accuracy issues.
Most importantly, please do not turn this into “I trusted them and now I can never ask for help again.” I completely understand why it feels like that, but your son has complex needs and you may need support again in future. The goal here is not to disappear. It is to make sure the record is fair enough that the next person who opens the file sees the real picture, not just the most suspicious one.
Please do not let this file make you feel like dirt, and do not let it terrify you out of ever asking for help again. Your son has complex needs, and you have been a fierce, protective advocate for him his entire life. Take a breath, let the shock settle, and send that email to force them to clean up their sloppy paperwork.
=============
For full transparency, I am not an official adviser. I am a parent with lived experience of the system, courts and laws, offering supportive and strategic guidance.
-
Suzie, FRG Adviser
- Posts: 4970
- Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2011 1:57 pm
Re: SAR
Dear Lilathecat21,
Welcome back to the parents’ forum and thank you for your post. My name is Suzie and I am the online adviser at Family Rights Group. I hope that the following advice and information is helpful to you. You can click on the hyperlinks in my post to take you to more information on our website.
I am sorry to hear about your distress when you got the documents from your subject access request. It sounds like it has been an extremely upsetting process and I can understand your shock and anxiety now that you have seen what has been written about your son and yourself. You have had some information from another forum user who has suggested that you can challenge any inaccurate or misleading information in these documents. In particular you may want to ask the school to alter their records which state that your son was subject to a child protection plan when in fact he was subject to a child in need plan, and you may want to ask children’s services to add addendums to documents or alter inaccurate information.
If you decide to make a complaint (which you may do, for example, if children’s services refuse to add an addendum or alter inaccurate information) then you may find it helpful to look at information about the complaints process on our website HERE.
You want to know whether these records will be shared with professionals in the future. Information stored on your son’s children’s services file – (for example the documents from the section 47 investigation, the child in need plan and any assessments that were completed) – will be saved and can be shared in future with children’s services in another area if you move. They will only be shared if it is deemed necessary and proportionate. For example if you moved to a different local authority and a safeguarding referral was made, the new local authority may ask for these documents to be shared with them if they decide to carry out a section 47 investigation. However documents and information should not be shared with any professionals without your consent unless there is adequate reason to do so (for example if there were safeguarding concerns).
It is good to hear that your son is in a specialist school now and that he is doing well. You have been a strong advocate for your son’s needs and because of this it sounds like he is thriving. This is testament to you and you should feel proud of yourself. Please do not let this bad experience stop you from reaching out for support in the future if you or your son need it. You received some helpful support when your son was younger and it may be necessary for support to be put in place at some point in the future so that your son can flourish as he grows into adulthood.
I hope that this is of some help. Please post again if you have any further queries or you can call our free, confidential adviceline on 0808 801 0366 (Monday to Friday, 9:30am – 3pm). We also have a webchat which is currently open on Monday and Thursday afternoons.
Best wishes,
Suzie
Welcome back to the parents’ forum and thank you for your post. My name is Suzie and I am the online adviser at Family Rights Group. I hope that the following advice and information is helpful to you. You can click on the hyperlinks in my post to take you to more information on our website.
I am sorry to hear about your distress when you got the documents from your subject access request. It sounds like it has been an extremely upsetting process and I can understand your shock and anxiety now that you have seen what has been written about your son and yourself. You have had some information from another forum user who has suggested that you can challenge any inaccurate or misleading information in these documents. In particular you may want to ask the school to alter their records which state that your son was subject to a child protection plan when in fact he was subject to a child in need plan, and you may want to ask children’s services to add addendums to documents or alter inaccurate information.
If you decide to make a complaint (which you may do, for example, if children’s services refuse to add an addendum or alter inaccurate information) then you may find it helpful to look at information about the complaints process on our website HERE.
You want to know whether these records will be shared with professionals in the future. Information stored on your son’s children’s services file – (for example the documents from the section 47 investigation, the child in need plan and any assessments that were completed) – will be saved and can be shared in future with children’s services in another area if you move. They will only be shared if it is deemed necessary and proportionate. For example if you moved to a different local authority and a safeguarding referral was made, the new local authority may ask for these documents to be shared with them if they decide to carry out a section 47 investigation. However documents and information should not be shared with any professionals without your consent unless there is adequate reason to do so (for example if there were safeguarding concerns).
It is good to hear that your son is in a specialist school now and that he is doing well. You have been a strong advocate for your son’s needs and because of this it sounds like he is thriving. This is testament to you and you should feel proud of yourself. Please do not let this bad experience stop you from reaching out for support in the future if you or your son need it. You received some helpful support when your son was younger and it may be necessary for support to be put in place at some point in the future so that your son can flourish as he grows into adulthood.
I hope that this is of some help. Please post again if you have any further queries or you can call our free, confidential adviceline on 0808 801 0366 (Monday to Friday, 9:30am – 3pm). We also have a webchat which is currently open on Monday and Thursday afternoons.
Best wishes,
Suzie
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