Social Services Involvement

What Social Services Involvement Means

"Social services" is the everyday name for local authority children's social care. This page describes the law and statutory guidance that apply in England. The statutory guidance, Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026, says anyone with concerns about a child's welfare should consider a referral, immediately where significant harm is suspected. Within one working day of a referral, a social work qualified practice supervisor or manager should decide the response: immediate protection, an assessment under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, or enquiries under section 47.

Each route begins with a social worker asking questions, but they carry different powers. Family Help is the guidance's name for targeted support: it covers non-statutory early help and statutory support and assessments under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, and the guidance says it is a voluntary approach needing the family's consent. Section 47 enquiries are different: they are a statutory duty on the authority and do not depend on your agreement, and they can lead to a child protection conference, a letter before proceedings or an application to court.

A child is "in need" under section 17(10) if they are unlikely to achieve or maintain a reasonable standard of health or development without services, if their health or development is likely to be significantly impaired without them, or if they are disabled. That is not a finding against you: the duty in section 17(1) is to safeguard and promote the child's welfare and, so far as consistent with that, to promote their upbringing by their family.

The Legal Tests the Social Worker Applies

Section 47(1)(b) says that where a local authority has reasonable cause to suspect that a child who lives, or is found, in its area is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm, it shall make such enquiries as it considers necessary to decide whether to take any action to safeguard or promote the child's welfare. The trigger is suspicion on reasonable cause, not proof. The authority must take reasonably practicable steps to obtain access to the child (section 47(4)) and must ascertain and consider the child's wishes and feelings (section 47(5A)).

Before enquiries begin, the guidance expects a strategy discussion between children's social care, the police and health, with other agencies such as the school where relevant. It shares information, agrees the conduct and timing of any criminal investigation and considers whether section 47 enquiries should start; the decision is the authority's, and the guidance lists practitioners, not parents, as the people involved.

The guidance sets an outer limit for the assessment: a decision on next steps no later than 45 working days from referral, with reasons recorded if that is exceeded. The social worker leading section 47 enquiries should see your child alone, explain the purpose, process and potential outcome of the enquiries and answer your questions openly unless doing so would affect the child's safety. If the concerns are not substantiated you should be told why; if they are, an initial child protection conference should follow within 15 working days of the strategy discussion. Our child protection conferences page covers what happens there.

Section 20: What You Can Agree To and Decline

Section 20 is how a child becomes "looked after" without a court order. Section 20(1) obliges the authority to accommodate a child in need who requires it because no one has parental responsibility for them, they are lost or abandoned, or their carer is prevented from providing suitable accommodation or care.

What matters for a parent is sections 20(7) and 20(8). The authority may not provide section 20 accommodation if a person with parental responsibility who is willing and able to provide or arrange accommodation objects, and any person with parental responsibility may remove the child at any time. Those rights do not apply while a person the child lives with under a child arrangements order, or a special guardian, agrees to the arrangement (section 20(9)), or where a child aged 16 or over agrees (section 20(11)). GOV.UK confirms that without a care order you keep parental responsibility; a written agreement or safety plan is not a court order either.

Without your agreement, a child can be removed in three ways. The court may make an emergency protection order under section 44, but only if satisfied there is reasonable cause to believe the child is likely to suffer significant harm if not removed, or, on a local authority application, that section 47 enquiries are being frustrated by access being unreasonably refused and access is needed urgently. The police may take a child into police protection under section 46, on reasonable cause to believe the child would otherwise be likely to suffer significant harm, for no more than 72 hours. And the court may make a care order in care proceedings.

Records, Evidence and Common Problems

Keep your own record: the date, who attended and what was said at every visit, every letter, assessment and plan you are given, and a copy of anything you sign. If care proceedings follow, Practice Direction 12A lists records of key discussions with the family, key minutes and records for the child, and pre-existing plans such as a child in need plan among the documents disclosed on request by any party.

Problems we see at this stage:

• signing a section 20 agreement or a safety plan at the door, without advice
• refusing the social worker access to your child, which under section 47(6) obliges the authority to apply to court for an order unless it is satisfied the child's welfare can be safeguarded without one
• missing meetings or leaving letters unanswered, so the record carries only the authority's side
• meetings without a professional interpreter, which the guidance says should be provided where needed
• disputed facts in an assessment left unanswered, so they are repeated in every later report

Section 26(3) requires every local authority to have a complaints procedure open to a child, a parent or anyone with parental responsibility about its Part 3 functions, which include sections 17 and 20. The Family Rights Group helpline, 0808 801 0366 (Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 3pm), gives free, independent advice to parents and relatives.

How the Process Usually Runs

1. A referral is received and within one working day the response is decided.
2. Under section 17, a lead practitioner assesses the child and family, and a multi-agency child in need plan is drawn up if services are to be provided.
3. Where significant harm is suspected, a strategy discussion is held and the authority decides whether to start section 47 enquiries.
4. During section 47 enquiries the social worker sees the child, usually alone, and interviews you.
5. The lead practitioner decides the outcome and, where concerns are substantiated, convenes an initial child protection conference.
6. If the authority later contemplates care proceedings, the case moves to the Public Law Outline and pre-proceedings stage. Since 15 July 2026 the letter before proceedings must offer a family group decision-making meeting under section 31ZA, to be held before the authority applies for a care or supervision order, unless the authority considers that would not be in the child's best interests.

When Legal Advice Is Especially Important

Advice matters most where:

• you are asked to agree to section 20 accommodation, or to sign a written agreement or safety plan, and are unsure whether you can say no
• section 47 enquiries have started, or a strategy discussion has taken place
• the social worker wants to see or examine your child
• an assessment contains facts you dispute, or allegations you deny
• there is domestic abuse in the household: harm under section 31(9) of the Children Act includes impairment from seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another; see our domestic abuse injunctions page

Legal aid is not something RakLAW provides. At the assessment and enquiry stage there is no means-test exemption. Once the authority gives written notice that it is contemplating care proceedings, or issues them, a parent or person with parental responsibility does not face a means test for legal aid, but that funding comes only through a firm that holds a legal aid contract, and RakLAW does not hold one. Our fees for family law page explains how we charge.

How RakLAW Solicitors Can Help

We advise parents and relatives from 42 Shad Thames in Southwark, near Tower Bridge, from the first contact with a social worker. We explain which section the authority is relying on, read anything you are asked to sign before you sign it, and advise on section 20 terms.

If the case moves on, we prepare you for a child protection conference, respond to a letter before proceedings and represent you in care proceedings on a privately funded basis. Where a relative could care for the child, we advise on special guardianship orders; an immigration matter running alongside belongs to our family immigration team. If you are in immediate danger call 999; the National Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0808 2000 247. Call 0203 345 2000, book a free consultation, or see our care proceedings and social services hub for every stage.