Understanding Section 47

Course Outline

This seminar will assist practitioners with child protection responsibilities to reflect on the process of probing and reflective questioning and analysis to form a view about risk and harm and the parent’s capacity to meet their child’s needs. At the end of the course, participants will have developed their ability to critically evaluate practice actions and decision making to enable practitioners to be confident and persuasive when recommending a course of action to parents, to colleagues and to courts to protect a child.

Who is the course aimed at?

Children’s social workers who are undertaking S47 enquiries, child protection conferences and when necessary making protective court applications.

How long is the course?

One day

What will you learn?

– The current legal framework for child protection enquiries

– Issues regarding collaborative practice with professionals in partner agencies and information sharing between professionals

– Techniques and skills for interviewing parents and carers

– Reflective and critical analysis of significant harm and informed decision making

– Review research finding and case reviews to inform participants about developments in guidance.