How to contact us for advice
We provide advice to parents, grandparents, relatives, friends and kinship carers who are involved with children’s services in England or need their help. We can help you understand processes and options when social workers or courts are making decisions about your child’s welfare.
Our advice service is free, independent and confidential.
To speak to an adviser, please call our free and confidential advice line 0808 801 0366 (Monday to Friday 9.30am to 3pm, excluding Bank Holidays). For Textphone dial 18001 followed by the advice line number. Or you can ask us a question via email using our advice enquiry form.
Our online advice forums are an anonymous space where parents and kinship carers (also known as family and friends carers) can get legal and practical advice, build a support network and learn from other people’s experiences.
Our get help and advice section describes the processes that you and your family are likely to go through, so that you know what to expect. Our webchat service can help you find the information and advice on our website which will help you understand the law and your rights.
Last year one in every 64 children in England was subject to a child protection enquiry. Child protection enquiries (section 47 investigations) have increased by 9.6% since 2020/1. Since 2009/10, there has been an enormous 144% increase.
Only 29% of these investigations resulted in a Child Protection Plan, which are made when the state believes the child has or is likely to suffer significant harm, compared to around half in 2009/10. The number of Child Protection Plans increased by 1.8% in 2021/22.
“This new data shows a children’s social care system in crisis.”
“More and more families are being subject to the stress and anxiety of intrusive child protection investigations without it concluding that a child is a significant risk of harm. The Independent Review on Children’s Social Care rightly concluded that, “improving child protection is not the same as increasing the amount of child protection activity”. The system too often spends time and scarce resources on intrusive investigations that often do not result in a child protection plan, serving only to increase the pressure on families in difficulty at a time when extra support would make a difference.”
“The child welfare system urgently needs reform and investment in early help if it is going to deliver for families and children.”
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