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5.07 Responsibility for Enquiry

5.7.1 The responsibility for the enquiry rests with the Children’s Social Care Team for the area in which the child lives. If the child is known to the local Disabled Children’s Team, then they can make the enquiry but the management responsibility rests with the Service Manager of the Children’s Social Care Team unless change in management responsibility is agreed at the Strategy Discussion.

5.7.2 Section 47 enquiries are conducted only by qualified Social Workers from the Children’s Services Teams, including Disabled Children’s Teams, the Emergency Duty Team, and/or Police Officers from the Child Abuse Investigation Teams.

5.7.3 If the child is looked after by another local authority or is on their child protection register, then the responsibility rests with that authority who should be notified immediately of any concern.

5.7.4 Immediate action to secure the safety of the child in these circumstances may be taken by North Yorkshire Children’s Social Care. The child’s own Social Care Department has responsibility to ensure further enquiries are made and further action, if required, is taken. North Yorkshire Police will be involved if the incident is alleged to have occurred in this county.

5.7.5 The local Service Manager responsible for the area that the child is placed in, will ensure that North Yorkshire Social Care is represented at any Strategy Discussion, in order to assess the risk to any other child who is the responsibility of this county and to advise on our procedures.

5.7.6 If the child’s own local authority refuses to take responsibility, North Yorkshire Children’s Social Care will take responsibility for the enquiry.

5.7.7 If there are concerns regarding a child who is looked after by North Yorkshire, or who is on our Child Protection Register, North Yorkshire Children’s Social Care will take responsibility for any intervention. The other local authority may be requested to undertake any necessary emergency action, and may take responsibility for the enquiries by agreement with North Yorkshire.