The statutory names differ — a section 47 enquiry in England, a section 150 investigation in South Africa, a child protection investigation under the Children Act in Kenya or Uganda, a mandatory report under state law in Australia — but the report that follows has the same purpose everywhere: to put before a decision-making forum the evidence of harm or risk, the analysis of what it means, and a recommendation about what should happen. It is also, almost always, read by the parents. Write it knowing that.

Structure

  1. Reason for the enquiry or conference — the referral or event that triggered it; the specific concern; the date.
  2. The child — identity (reference code in any draft outside the secure system), age, school, health, developmental needs. Each child separately if there are several.
  3. The family and household — who lives there, who has contact, relevant history. The chronology of significant events, succinct and sourced.
  4. The enquiry — what was done: who was seen, when, where, alone or with whom; records obtained; agencies consulted.
  5. Findings — what the enquiry established, factually, with the source of each finding. Observation, disclosure and third-party report kept apart.
  6. The child’s voice — what the child said, how it was ascertained, in their words. What they want. The weight you give it and why.
  7. The parents’ views — their response to the concerns, in their words. Their engagement with the enquiry.
  8. Analysis — the nature and likelihood of harm; severity, duration and frequency; the parents’ capacity to protect; strengths and protective factors, weighed. Whether the threshold of significant harm is met and why.
  9. Recommendation — plan, category, or no further action — connected to the analysis, with what would need to change.

Analysis extract

CHILD PROTECTION CONFERENCE REPORT — ANALYSIS EXTRACTDRAFT
REFERENCE: CP-2026-207 CHILD: T., aged 6 CONFERENCE: Initial child protection conference, 9 September 2026 NATURE OF CONCERN: Physical harm and inadequate supervision. On 2 September the worker found T. alone in the home for at least 35 minutes and observed a bruise to the upper arm which T. spontaneously linked to her mother being “cross” (safeguarding record, 2 September). The paediatric assessment on 3 September found the bruise consistent with a grip injury and not with the fall T. later described. PATTERN: The chronology records two prior occasions in 2026 when T. was reported to be unsupervised (police notification 19 February; neighbour to school 4 June). No previous injury. The mother has described being overwhelmed on three recorded occasions since June. CAPACITY TO PROTECT: The mother has engaged with every visit since 2 September, accepted the paediatric assessment, and has not sought to prevent T. speaking to professionals. She has not accepted that the bruise was caused by her. She has begun the parenting programme (first session 7 September). Her mother has offered to be present after school daily; this has happened on four of five days. STRENGTHS AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS: Warm interaction observed between mother and T. on every visit. School reports T. as settled and attending. Extended family involvement is real and immediate. Mother is engaging. THRESHOLD: The worker’s view is that T. has suffered significant harm (the injury) and is at continuing risk of it while the cause is unacknowledged and the supervision pattern is recent. The engagement and family support are genuine protective factors that make a plan at home workable, if the risks are addressed directly. RECOMMENDATION: Child protection plan under the category of physical abuse. Core group to test: supervision arrangement sustained; mother’s engagement with the programme; mother’s account of the injury over time. Review at three months.

Try CaseworkAI free

CaseworkAI drafts the safeguarding observation records, home visit summaries and risk assessments that a child protection report is built from — observation and assessment kept separate from the first draft.

Generate your first document →

Free for individual social workers, forever  ·  ICO registered  ·  GDPR compliant

What chairs criticise

Free child protection report template

CHILD PROTECTION REPORT TEMPLATE (adapt to your jurisdiction’s required format)

1. REASON FOR ENQUIRY / CONFERENCE
2. THE CHILD(REN)
3. FAMILY, HOUSEHOLD AND CHRONOLOGY
4. THE ENQUIRY (who was seen, when, records, agencies)
5. FINDINGS (sourced; observation / disclosure / report kept apart)
6. THE CHILD’S VOICE
7. PARENTS’ VIEWS
8. ANALYSIS (nature and likelihood of harm; capacity to protect; strengths; threshold)
9. RECOMMENDATION (connected to analysis; what would change it)

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

Should the parents see the report before the conference?

In most jurisdictions, yes, and in good time. Sharing it allows them to respond and records their response; withholding it undermines the conference.

How do I record what a child said?

Verbatim, with any question you asked recorded the same way. Note the setting and who was present. Never lead, and record that you did not.

Can AI write a child protection report?

No. It is your evidence and your analysis. AI tools can help draft the underlying records the report draws on, with every fact verified by you.