This study provides an analysis of the ‘investigative turn’ in England by comparing two large
groups of children, one whose fifth birthday was in 2011-12 and the other in 2016-17. It
shows a 35% increase in children investigated before their fifth birthday to a rate of one in
every 16 children in 2017. Investigations were less likely to lead to a child protection plan
and there was a 60% increase in children facing the collateral damage of an unfounded
investigation. Where it was deemed necessary to respond to child protection concerns with a
plan of action concerns were focussed less on immediate safety and more on the long-term
effects of neglect or emotional harm caused by a range of family related problems The rate of
children separated from their parents at the age of five had substantially increased and there
were wide variations in adoption and child protection trends between local authorities. The
study shows that the chances of a family receiving support or being split up are determined
by national and local policies, resources and a growing culture of child rescue responses to
family difficulties