Planning and Preparing S7 and S37 Reports (1 day)

Reports are examples of social work practice recording for a particular occasion when a formal statement is presented by a social worker in written form in order to assist in decision making in respect of a service user. Such reports will require a professional opinion, based on relevant information, which draws upon the social worker’s judgment to recommend the most appropriate course of action.

In family court proceedings which do not involve the Local Authority, if the Court becomes aware that either there are child protection issues or that Social Services are likely to have some knowledge of the family and thus have information which will assist the Court in its decision making, it will then direct the Local Authority to prepare a report for the Court under either Section 7 or Section 37 of the Children Act 1989.
A court considering any question in relation to a contact or residence application under the Children Act 1989 may ask a CAFCASS reporting officer or Local Authority Social Worker to report to court on matters relating to the welfare of that child under S7 of the Children Act 1989. The purpose of a S7 report is to provide the court with information and advice enabling the court to decide as to what (if any) orders should be made. Allegations of domestic abuse are an issue in contact applications and an understanding of the issues of contact with fathers is important in such proceedings.

The Court will request a S37 Report where it believes there are child protection issues. Effectively, the Court is asking the Local Authority whether it wishes to apply for a care/supervision order in respect of the child and, if not, why not. This question should be dealt with in the final “Recommendations” section of a S37 report.

The Welfare Checklist (S1.3Children Act 1989) is a key element of the format of both S7 and S37 reports. The checklist identifies that in any decisions on welfare of children and young people, their wishes and feelings should have central importance in respect of professional’s decisions and actions. Communicating with children and young people is therefore a key competency in preparation of such reports.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this course learners should understand:

• The guidance and legislation which underpins the preparation of S7 and S37 reports :
Reporting to the Court under the Children Act HMSO 1996
Assessment Framework for children in need and their families, Dept of Health 2000
Protocol for Judicial Case Management in Public Law Children Act Cases June 2003.
• Know the format required by Court for each type of report
• Be aware of the relevance in S37 reports of threshold criteria for care proceedings and decisions on whether to register the name of a child under child protection procedures
• Understand the facts and sources of information required to complete reports relating to contact, residence and child protection matters, including the importance of gathering the child’s wishes and feelings
• Be aware of the relationship between fact and opinion in framing conclusions and recommendations in each type of report
• Know the significance of domestic violence allegations and evidence based practice in respect of contact applications

Learning methods:

• Tutor presentations
• Case studies for S7 and S37 reports
• Handouts
• Small group work
• PowerPoint
• Group Discussion
• Self evaluation exercises