What is Section 47 of the Children Act?
Section 47 places a duty on the local authority to make enquiries when there is reasonable cause to suspect a child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. These enquiries determine what action is needed to safeguard the child.
What is a Strategy Meeting?
A strategy meeting (sometimes referred to as a strategy discussion) is a multi‑agency safeguarding process that takes place when there is reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm.
It is a key decision‑making point within child protection processes and ensures that relevant agencies come together to share information, assess risk, and agree immediate actions to safeguard the child.
The strategy meeting is the point at which partners determine whether the threshold is met for child protection enquiries under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989.
What is Significant Harm?
Significant harm is the threshold that justifies compulsory intervention in family life. It can result from:
- A single traumatic event (e.g., physical assault).
- A combination of events that impair a child’s health or development (e.g., neglect, emotional abuse).
When does a strategy meeting take place?
A strategy meeting should be convened as soon as there are concerns of significant harm. This may include:
- Following a referral where child protection concerns are identified
- When new information emerges during an assessment
- When a child discloses abuse
- In response to serious incidents or injuries
- At any point where the threshold for child protection enquiries may be met
Strategy meetings should take place promptly. In most cases, this will be within one working day, although urgent situations may require a discussion within hours.
What format does a strategy meeting take?
A strategy discussion can take place in different formats depending on urgency and complexity:
- A face-to-face multi‑agency meeting
- A virtual meeting (for example, MS Teams)
- A telephone discussion between professionals
- A combination of the above
More than one strategy discussion may be required as information develops. All discussions must be clearly recorded, with decisions and actions documented
Who is involved?
As a minimum, the following agencies must be involved:
- Children’s Social Care (usually the lead agency)
- Police
- Health services
Other professionals will be invited where they hold relevant information, which may include:
- Education (schools, early years settings or colleges)
- Early help and family support services
- Mental health services
- Youth justice or probation services
- Housing or domestic abuse services
- Any other practitioner involved with the child or family
Representation should be at a level where decisions can be made.
Roles and Responsibilities:
All professionals attending a strategy meeting have shared and individual responsibilities.
Children’s Social Care
- Lead and coordinate the strategy meeting
- Ensure information is gathered and shared
- Assess risk in line with statutory thresholds
- Decide whether Section 47 enquiries should be initiated
Police
- Assess whether a criminal offence may have been committed
- Lead or contribute to any criminal investigation
- Advise on evidence, timing, and any safeguarding risks linked to enforcement action
Health professionals
- Provide information on the child’s health and development
- Identify any medical concerns or indicators of abuse or neglect
- Advise on whether a medical assessment is required
All agencies
- Share relevant, accurate and up-to-date information
- Analyse risk and consider the impact on the child
- Contribute to decision making and safety planning
- Challenge appropriately where there are differing professional views
- Take responsibility for agreed actions
The focus must remain on the child, their lived experience, and their immediate and longer‑term safety.
What happens during the meeting?
A strategy meeting will typically include:
- Information sharing from all agencies
- Consideration of the child’s current circumstances and history
- Analysis of risk, harm and protective factors
- Consideration of all children in the household
- Agreement of immediate safety actions
- Decision making regarding next steps, including legal thresholds
The discussion must be evidence‑based and clearly recorded.
Possible Outcomes:
A strategy meeting will result in clear decisions and actions. Outcomes may include:
- No further action (with rationale clearly recorded)
- Continued assessment under early help or child in need processes
- Initiation of Section 47 child protection enquiries
- Agreement for a single agency or joint investigation (for example, police and social care)
- Immediate safeguarding actions to protect the child
- Referral for medical assessment
- Consideration of legal action, including emergency protection
Where Section 47 enquiries are initiated, these will determine whether an Initial Child Protection Conference is required, which must take place within statutory timescales.
What Happens After a Strategy Meeting?
Where a strategy meeting concludes that there is reasonable cause to suspect a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm, partners will agree to initiate enquiries under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989.
These enquiries are undertaken to gather further information, assess risk, and determine what action is needed to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare.
What are Section 47 enquiries?
Section 47 enquiries are child protection investigations led by Children’s Social Care. Their purpose is to:
- Establish whether the child has suffered, or is likely to suffer, significant harm
- Assess the level of risk and need
- Decide what action is required to protect the child
These enquiries form part of a multi‑agency assessment and should be proportionate to the level of risk identified.
What format do Section 47 enquiries take?
Section 47 enquiries are not a single event but a coordinated process of information gathering and assessment. They may include:
- Direct work with the child, including seeing the child alone where appropriate
- Engagement with parents and carers
- Information gathering from all relevant agencies
- Home visits and observation of the child’s living environment
- Medical assessments where required
- Police enquiries where a criminal offence may have occurred
Enquiries may be:
- Single agency enquiries led by Children’s Social Care
- Joint enquiries with the police where there is suspected criminal activity
The approach will depend on the nature of the concerns and must be coordinated to avoid duplication and minimise distress to the child.
Expectations from partner agencies
Effective Section 47 enquiries rely on timely and meaningful multi‑agency contribution.
All partner agencies are expected to:
- Share relevant information promptly and in line with information sharing guidance
- Provide written and verbal reports as requested
- Participate in further strategy discussions where required
- Attend meetings and contribute to decision making
- Undertake agreed actions within set timescales
- Maintain a focus on the child’s lived experience and safety
Professionals should be sufficiently senior or informed to contribute to decision making and must be prepared to offer professional challenge where needed.
Children’s Social Care retain overall responsibility for coordinating enquiries, but safeguarding remains a shared responsibility across all agencies.
Possible outcomes of Section 47 enquiries
At the conclusion of Section 47 enquiries, a clear decision will be made about the next steps. Outcomes may include:
- Concerns are not substantiated
- The child may require no further statutory intervention
- Consideration may be given to support under Child in Need or early help arrangements
- Concerns are substantiated, but risk can be managed without a child protection plan
- Ongoing support may be provided through Child in Need arrangements
- Concerns are substantiated and the child is at continuing risk of significant harm
- An Initial Child Protection Conference will be convened within statutory timescales to determine whether a Child Protection Plan is required
- Immediate safeguarding or legal action is required
- This may include emergency protection or care proceedings
All outcomes must be based on a robust analysis of risk, evidence and the child’s needs.
How are outcomes communicated?
Clear and timely communication is essential following Section 47 enquiries.
Children’s Social Care will ensure that:
- All partner agencies involved in the enquiry are informed of the outcome and rationale
- Decisions are recorded clearly, including what actions are required and by whom
- Relevant professionals receive written confirmation, typically through case records, meeting minutes or formal notifications
- Further meetings (for example, an Initial Child Protection Conference) are arranged where required
Communication should include:
- The decision made and the reasons for it
- The level of ongoing risk identified
- Any safeguarding plans or interventions agreed
- Actions, responsibilities and timescales for each agency
Key principles for practice
- Section 47 enquiries must be child‑centred and evidence‑based
- Timeliness is critical to ensure children are protected without delay
- Information sharing must be lawful, proportionate and purposeful
- Multi‑agency collaboration and professional curiosity are essential
- Decisions must be clearly recorded with defensible rationale
Relevant Policy and Guidance
Local Contacts
Children and Families Social Care (for concerns, referrals, urgent safeguarding)
- Office hours: 0191 424 5010
- Out of hours: 0191 456 2093
Northumbria Police – Child Protection / Public Protection
- Non‑emergency: 101
- Emergency: 999
Probation (South Tyneside) – HM Probation Service
- South Shields Probation Office
Phone: 0191 933 3780
Secretan Way, South Shields, NE33 1HG