Guides / Social services
Chapter 7 · 8 min read
The conclusion and what happens next
In short
- 1Get the outcome, the reasons, the dated plan and review dates in writing.
- 2Ask what would need to change for the plan to end.
- 3For any restriction, know whether it's voluntary or legally required. Follow binding ones exactly, and get advice before agreeing to anything open-ended.
The assessment ends with a decision. It should say what social care has decided about your child's needs and safety, the reasons, and exactly what happens next.[1][13]
This chapter covers what that decision can be, what you might be asked to do, and how to work with a plan, even one you don't fully agree with.
The three outcomes
| Outcome | What it means |
|---|---|
| The case closes | Social care isn't going to stay involved. You may be pointed to other support. |
| Family HelpFamily Help. The coordinated approach described in Working Together 2026, bringing targeted early help and section 17 support into a more seamless offer through a family help plan and named lead practitioner. Local arrangements… | Your child and family are offered support, set out in a plan. It's voluntary. |
| Child protection | Social care has reason to think your child may be at risk of significant harm, and has to look into it. |
Child protection doesn't have to wait for the assessment to finish. If there's reasonable cause to suspect significant harm, section 47Section 47. Local authority duty to make enquiries where there is reasonable cause to suspect significant harm. enquiries and immediate safety steps can start straight away.[24]
If the case closes
Social care has decided your child doesn't need its help. That isn't the same as saying nothing happened, and you may still be pointed towards other support, like early help or a service at school.
Ask for the decision and the reasons in writing, and keep them. If anything in the assessment is wrong, ask for it to be corrected now, because the assessment may be read again if social care is ever involved in future. After the case closes covers what comes next.
If it's Family Help
Your child has needs that social care thinks your family should have support with. You will have one lead practitionerLead practitioner. The named professional who coordinates support and keeps the family’s plan under review. and one plan. If the support is provided under section 17Child in Need (CIN) / section 17. A child who is unlikely to achieve or maintain a reasonable standard of health or development without services; whose health or development is likely to be significantly or further impaired without services; or who…, you may hear it called a Child in Need plan.[17]
It's voluntary. You can say no, but think about what that would mean for your child, and ask what happens if you do. In practice, taking part usually helps your child and shows you're working with people.
If it's child protection
This is the serious one, and the one where you most need to stay steady.
Professionals hold a strategy discussionStrategy discussion. Multi-agency discussion (usually without parents) to plan section 47 enquiries and immediate safety., and social care carries out section 47 enquiries. These can go ahead without your agreement. You should be told what the enquiries are for, how they will work and what could come out of them.[1]
Enquiries don't always lead to a plan. They can end in one of three ways:
- The concerns aren't borne out. The enquiries end. You may still be offered support.
- There are concerns, but your child isn't thought to be at continuing risk. You may be offered support through Family Help.
- Your child is thought to be at risk of significant harm. A child protection conference is held, normally within 15 working days of the strategy discussion. It decides whether your child needs a Child Protection PlanChild Protection Plan. A formal multi-agency plan to reduce the risk of significant harm..[9]
Get advice early. The Family Rights Group runs a free advice line, and a solicitor who does public law children work can tell you where you stand. Meetings and conferences covers the conference itself.
What you should come away knowing
Whatever the outcome, make sure you know:
- what was decided, and why
- what's expected of you, and what support you will get
- when it will be reviewed, and who to contact
You're entitled to clear information about the process, what's expected of you and your rights.[15] If you don't have it, ask for it in writing.
Thanks for going through the outcome. Could you send me a written summary of what's been decided, the reasons, what's expected of me, and when it will be reviewed?
If a safeguarding concern is identified
Don't skim this part. A recorded concern can affect support, safety arrangements, contact and later decisions.
A concern is usually recorded under one of four headings: physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse or neglect. Domestic abuse counts as a concern in its own right, including where a child has seen or heard it.[25] Worries about a parent's mental health, drinking or drug use are usually recorded because of their effect on the child, not as a concern in themselves.
Ask which heading it falls under, what evidence supports it and how it affects your child. Correct any mistakes in writing, and keep the focus on your child's safety.
If a restriction or safety arrangement is proposed
You might be asked to accept supervised contact, no overnight stays, not being alone with your child, handovers somewhere neutral, no direct contact with the other parent, or staying away from the family home. These are usually part of a safety plan or a Child Protection Plan.[9]
Ask three things:
- Is this a request, a voluntary agreement, a bail condition or a court order?
- What's it for, and what needs to change for it to end?
- How long will it last, and when will it be reviewed?
Follow bail conditions and court orders exactly. Get legal advice before agreeing to anything major or open-ended.
I want to keep my son safe and I'll work with this. Could you confirm in writing what the arrangement is, whether it's voluntary or legally required, what needs to change, and when it will be reviewed?
If specific work is recommended
You might be asked to do a parenting course, domestic abuse work, a behaviour change programme, or to get help with your mental health, drinking or drug use. These are usually actions in a Family Help or Child Protection Plan.[9]
Ask which concern the work is meant to address, and what change they expect to see for your child.
A recommendation isn't a court order, but how you respond to it can affect later decisions. If you're unsure, take advice before you agree or refuse.
Know which plan you're on
A plan turns the assessment into action. Always ask for the current, dated version.[1]
| Plan | What it is | Is it voluntary? |
|---|---|---|
| Family Help plan | Support for your child and family. If services are provided under section 17, ask whether it's also the Child in Need plan.[17] | Yes. |
| Temporary safety arrangement | Short-term steps to keep your child safe while concerns are looked at. | Ask. It may be voluntary, or part of bail conditions or a court order. |
| Child Protection Plan | A formal plan made at a child protection conference, where there's a risk of significant harm.[9] | It isn't a court order. But if things don't improve, the local authority can consider going to court. |
What a good plan looks like
Whichever plan it is, it should tell you:
- what needs to change for your child, by how much and by when
- what support will be provided, and by whom
- what's expected of you, and of the professionals
- how progress will be checked, and when it will be reviewed[1][15]
It should build on what your family already does well, not only list the worries.[1]
If your plan just says "Dad to engage with services", ask what that means in practice: which service, what it's for, and how you will know it's working.
When a plan ends
A plan isn't meant to last for ever. A Child Protection Plan should end when your child is no longer thought to be at risk of significant harm.[1] It may then step down to Family Help, or close altogether. A Family Help plan ends when the outcomes have been met, or the family no longer needs or wants the support.
From the first meeting, ask what would need to be different for the plan to end. It gives you, and everyone else, something specific to work towards.
What would need to be different for this plan to end? I'd like us to be clear on that from the start, so I know what I'm working towards.
Family group meetings
At any stage, you can ask about a family group conferenceFamily group conference / family group decision-making. A voluntary, family-led way to bring relatives and other trusted people together to make a plan for a child alongside skilled practitioners. A Family Group Conference is one model of family group decision-making.. It's a meeting led by your wider family and support network, not professionals, to agree how to keep your child safe. It's voluntary, and can run alongside a professional plan or instead of one.
It's a good way to bring in grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends who can help. Local authorities are expected to offer it wherever it's in the child's best interests.[15]
Many already offer one before going to court, and that's becoming a duty. Under the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, a local authority that's seriously considering court will have to offer a family group meeting in its Letter Before ProceedingsLetter Before Proceedings. A formal letter telling a parent or other person with parental responsibility that the local authority is considering applying for a care or supervision order., unless that wouldn't be in your child's best interests.[14] Don't wait for that point. Ask early.
Could we have a family group conference? There are people in our family who want to help, and I'd like us to agree a plan together.
If you disagree with the outcome
You can disagree and still work with the plan. Say what you disagree with in writing, ask for your response to be added to the file, and keep doing your actions.
If you want to challenge the outcome of a child protection conference, ask the chair how. Local authorities have their own process for this, which may be different from the usual complaints procedure. Feedback and complaints has more.
Plans are set and reviewed in meetings. The next chapter covers how to prepare for them.