Recurring concern
Inadequate child safeguarding assessment
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Request correctionFirst reported 2 Dec 2019•Latest report 7 Feb 2025
What this concern includes
Includes failures of an explicitly child-focused safeguarding assessment or reassessment, including inadequate risk information gathering, failure to reassess after new concerns, and omission of relevant parent or co-parent risks.
Not included
- Excludes generic failures to conduct home visits where they are not part of a child-safeguarding assessment.
- Excludes adult safeguarding, clinical risk assessment and general care review concerns that are not explicitly concerned with safeguarding children.
- Excludes failures of downstream action after an otherwise adequate safeguarding assessment, unless the failure is part of the assessment process itself.
- Reports
- 6
- Individual concerns
- 12
- Date range
- 2019–2025
- Stated actions
- 10
Distinct published reports
A report can raise multiple concerns
First to latest report issue date
Described in published responses
Reports over time
Reports over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
Concerns and responses across reports
Only concerns grouped under this recurring concern are included. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.
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Concerns raised1
Inadequate assessment of risk to children presenting with safeguarding and mental health concerns
This report raised 5 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
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Action
Deliver system-wide learning events on provider learning, family perspectives and inter-agency working following children’s and young people’s suicides.
Stated by NHS Kent and Medway ICB -
Action
Develop a system-wide improvement plan addressing agency information sharing, risk assessments and decision-making.
Stated by NHS Kent and Medway ICB -
Action
Develop a shared risk protocol with system partners.
Stated by NHS Kent and Medway ICB
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Concerns raised1
Failure to assess additional risks to vulnerable parents in safeguarding referrals concerning their children
This report raised 6 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.2
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Action
Add guidance to the MASH practice note and Standard Operating Procedure to identify vulnerable adults in safeguarding referrals concerning children.
Stated by Suffolk County Council -
Action
Implement prompts across children’s and adults’ multi-agency referral forms to identify and route related concerns about adults or children.
Stated by Suffolk County Council
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Concerns raised3
Insufficient or absent probation domestic abuse and child safeguarding checks
Failure to complete domestic abuse and child safeguarding checks before proposing curfew conditions
Failure to conduct child safeguarding checks where offenders will live with or access children
This report raised 7 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
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Action
Issue strengthened messaging requiring compliance with domestic abuse and safeguarding check expectations, including no curfew proposal without completed checks.
Stated by HM Prison and Probation Service and Ministry of Justice -
Action
Work with police and children’s services to strengthen safeguarding and domestic-abuse information sharing.
Stated by HM Prison and Probation Service and Ministry of Justice -
Action
Operate weekly regional reviews and monthly senior-leader reporting to assure checks support every recommended curfew.
Stated by HM Prison and Probation Service and Ministry of Justice
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
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Position
The Probation Service rejects the concern that it fails to grasp the seriousness of failures to conduct or report safeguarding checks.
Stated by HM Prison and Probation Service and Ministry of Justice
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Concerns raised4
Failure to conduct renewed home visits during child-safety reassessment
Failure to obtain updated information from the family during child-safety reassessment
Failure to liaise with the mental health team during child-safety reassessment
Reliance on old irrelevant investigations in child-safety reassessment
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
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Action
Require line managers closing cases to record outstanding tasks, consider another home visit, and explain why file closure is appropriate and safe.
Stated by Buckinghamshire Children’s Social Care
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.2
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Position
Existing policies and guidance are sufficiently robust, so they will not be revisited as a result of the report.
Stated by Buckinghamshire Children’s Social Care
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Position
The legal threshold for further statutory intervention was not evidenced in this case, prompting the file closure.
Stated by Buckinghamshire Children’s Social Care
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Concerns raised1
Failure to require Health Visitors to conduct full safeguarding assessments of fathers’ or co-parents’ potential risks to children
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
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Action
Update and publish resources for health visitor- and school nurse-led services, emphasising family relationship and event chronology assessments for children with additional needs.
Stated by Department of Health and Social Care
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Concerns raised2
Failure to provide a whole family focus and consider the impact of parenting capacity on children
Insufficient workforce understanding of factors requiring consideration and assessment when separated parents allege welfare concerns
This report raised 10 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Data last updated 7 September 2026