Seven Recommendations for Child Protection
About This Page
This is the detailed policy response to the Government’s consultation on improving help and child protection.
It sets out:
- Seven core recommendations backed by research
- Detailed responses to each Government consultation question
- Evidence and reasons for each position
- Specific concerns about risks in the proposals
Key Themes
1. Support First, Investigation Second
Families seeking help should get support immediately, not investigation. This means creating a clear, separate pathway for cases where there is no sign of abuse or neglect.
2. Check If Multi-Agency Working Really Helps
When different services share information and coordinate, does it actually reduce harm to children? The research evidence is unclear. Regulations should require evaluation before these powers expand nationally.
3. Measure Real Outcomes, Not Activity
Success should not be measured by counting investigations or information-sharing activities. Instead, measure whether children are actually safer and whether families got the help they needed.
4. Protect Disabled Children
Disabled children are investigated far more often than other children. Disability, illness or unmet support needs should not be treated as abuse or neglect. The system needs disability-informed practice and independent monitoring.
5. Understand the Role of Poverty and Social Harm
Many problems facing families come from poverty, poor housing and lack of services – not from parental failure. Support should address these structural issues, not blame families.
6. Give Children and Families Real Power
Children and parents with lived experience should help design services, oversee decisions and hold the system accountable. Their involvement should be independent, supported and result in real change.
7. Create a Child Protection Authority That Asks Better Questions
Instead of just responding to serious incidents with more investigation, the new authority should ask: “What actually prevents harm and improves wellbeing?”
What’s Inside
The detailed response covers the Government’s consultation questions across these areas:
- Child and family voice – How children and parents can have real say in how services work
- Multi-agency working – How services coordinate and share information
- Help and support – Removing barriers to families getting help early
- Child protection teams – How to structure professional teams without over-investigating
- Extra-familial harm – Protecting children from harm outside the family (online, gangs, exploitation)
- Protecting disabled children – Why disabled children need special protection from unnecessary investigation
Who’s Responding
This detailed response is submitted by the Parents, Families and Allies Network (PFAN).
PFAN brings together:
- Parents with lived experience of children’s social care
- Disabled children and young people
- Practitioners and professionals
- Researchers and academics
The response is based on:
- Research on how child protection systems work
- Analysis of national data
- Personal experience from families and professionals
- Evidence from around the world about what improves child safety
Download or Read the Full Response
Download the full detailed response (PDF or Word)
The document includes:
- Answers to every Government consultation question
- Detailed reasoning for each position
- Research evidence and citations
- Specific concerns and safeguards needed
Key Evidence
The response is based on recent research:
- Bilson (2025) – Patterns of service for disabled children in English social care
- Bilson (2026) – Analysis of 130 local authorities showing that when services introduced coordinated information-sharing (MASHs), section 47 investigations increased significantly but there was no reduction in child deaths or serious harm
This evidence suggests that simply doing more investigations does not make children safer.
Why This Matters
How the Government responds to this consultation will affect millions of children and families for years to come.
Without pressure for change, the reforms risk:
- More families being investigated unnecessarily
- Disabled children being blamed for their disabilities
- Poor families being blamed for poverty
- Families avoiding seeking help because they fear investigation
With the right reforms, the system could:
- Support families early, before problems get worse
- Be fair to disabled children and families
- Focus on preventing real harm, not unnecessary investigation
- Respect children’s and families’ rights and dignity
What You Can Do
Send your own response using the simple summary form
You can:
- Use the seven recommendations above in your own response
- Download this detailed response and adapt it for your own views
- Add your own experience and why these issues matter to you
- Submit before 4 September 2026
Consultation closes: 4 September 2026
Questions?
For more information, contact: andy@bilson.org.uk
