Step through the Children Act 1989 threshold questions — Police Protection (s.46), s.47 enquiry, s.17 referral, or early help. Each step explains the statutory standard. Outputs a printable decision record.
Authority: Children Act 1989 ss.17, 46, 47 · Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 · HM Government Information Sharing Guidance 2024
⚖️ Aligned with the College of Policing APP: The use of Police Protection (s.46) and the s.47 / s.17 thresholds should follow the College of Policing's Police response to concern for a child APP, applied through the National Decision Model — consider the powers and policy that apply — with the Code of Ethics at its centre.
Question 1 of 4
Consider whether the child requires emergency protection at this moment — not a future risk, but present danger.
Indicators of immediate danger
"Reasonable cause to suspect" is a lower standard than proof — it covers information, intelligence, or observations that would lead a reasonable officer to have genuine concern.
What is "significant harm"? (Children Act 1989 s.31(9))
Harm means ill-treatment or the impairment of health or development, including impairment through witnessing the ill-treatment of another. "Significant" means more than minor or trivial — a matter of degree and context.
Common indicators
Note on "likely to suffer"
This covers future risk — not just what has happened, but what the pattern of evidence suggests may happen. A child returned to a household where they were previously harmed, or born to a parent who previously harmed a child, may meet this threshold.
This is a lower threshold than significant harm. It asks whether the child's welfare would be compromised without support from children's services.
Children Act 1989 s.17(10) — "Child in need" definition
A child is "in need" if:
Common s.17 scenarios for police
Early help means identifying emerging problems and providing support before they escalate to the significant harm or child in need threshold. It is not a reason to close a case — it is proactive safeguarding.
Early help indicators (Working Together 2026)
The child appears to be in immediate danger. You have the power to remove them to safe accommodation or prevent their removal from a safe place.
Statutory basis
Children Act 1989, s.46 — Any constable who has reasonable cause to believe that a child would otherwise be likely to suffer significant harm may remove the child to suitable accommodation and keep them there, or take reasonable steps to prevent the child's removal from hospital or another place.
Immediate actions — in order
Critical limitation
Police Protection cannot exceed 72 hours. If longer protection is needed, the LA must apply for an Emergency Protection Order (EPO) under s.44 Children Act 1989. You cannot extend police protection.
Key contacts
There is reasonable cause to suspect significant harm. The Local Authority has a statutory duty to make enquiries. Police involvement is likely under joint protocol.
Statutory basis
Children Act 1989, s.47(1) — Where a Local Authority has reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm, they shall make enquiries to enable them to decide whether they should take any action to safeguard or promote the child's welfare.
Immediate actions
Note on parallel criminal investigation
A s.47 enquiry and a criminal investigation can run simultaneously. Neither prevents the other. The strategy discussion is where agencies agree how to coordinate both strands.
What happens next
The s.47 enquiry leads to one of: Child Protection Conference (within 15 working days of s.47 decision), no further action (with recorded rationale), or referral back to early help. The LA leads; police are a statutory partner.
The child appears to meet the "child in need" threshold. Refer to children's services for a child in need assessment. This does not require immediate police action.
Statutory basis
Children Act 1989, s.17(1) — It shall be the general duty of every local authority to safeguard and promote the welfare of children within their area who are in need, and to promote the upbringing of such children by their families, by providing a range and level of services appropriate to those children's needs.
Actions
What the LA will do
The LA will undertake a Child and Family Assessment (CFA). This looks at the child's developmental needs, parenting capacity, and family/environmental factors. Outcome may be: services provided under a Child in Need Plan, referral to s.47 if concerns increase, or Early Help if threshold not met.
No statutory referral threshold is met, but there are lower-level concerns. Early help is warranted — this prevents escalation and is a legitimate and important outcome.
What this means
Early help means providing support as soon as a problem emerges, at any point in a child's life. It can involve the school, health visitor, youth worker, PCSO, housing, or a voluntary sector provider. The lead professional is whoever is best placed — this may or may not be you.
Actions
No threshold has been met. No further statutory action is required at this time — but your decision must be recorded with your reasoning.
What this means
On the information available, there is no statutory basis for a referral or police protection. NFA is a legitimate and appropriate outcome. The critical obligation is to record your decision and revisit it if new information emerges.
Actions
If in doubt
You can always consult your force's safeguarding lead or the MASH duty worker without making a formal referral. "Checking in" costs nothing and may reveal additional information that changes the picture.
You are unsure whether the significant harm threshold is met. This is common — threshold is a judgement, not a formula. The right action is to consult and refer for professional assessment.
Key principle
Working Together 2026 is explicit: "Professionals should not delay in taking action to safeguard a child because they are unsure whether the threshold is met." If in doubt, make the referral and let professionals with the full picture assess it. The risk of under-reporting is greater than the risk of over-reporting.
Actions
Complete and print this record for your force's safeguarding file.