Claire's Law / Partner Risk Assessment

[JNH6YJ]

I’m a single mum to a young child. Earlier this year, while dating someone, I made a Clare’s Law application as a precaution. The disclosure showed historical violence from over 7–13 years ago on nights out (one fight which received a caution, one affray conviction and a fight with NFA), and more recent allegations (theft & cohercise control) following a 13 year relationship breakdown going through a divorce, both NFA.

Because I have a child, the police made a safeguarding referral to children’s services at the time. The case was closed quickly as I ended the relationship and my child had never met him.

Some months later, we reconnected. The relationship has been stable, respectful and non-controlling. I only see him when my child is with her father and I’ve kept my child completely separate.

He is a father himself to two children, no safeguarding concerns and has his children overnight, unsupervised.

I’m trying to understand:

1. Based on the above, would children services have to do a risk assessment? If so, is it a family and child assessment or a child protection assessment?
2. What do these assessments look like and is the father or the child involved? He is on the birth certificate and has my child overnight.
3. Would the child's father be notified of all police involvement that resulted in NFA?

I’m not looking to hide anything or make unsafe choices, I’m asking proactively so I can make informed, responsible decisions rather than react later under pressure.

Thanks in advance.

[Winter25]

In real-world terms, once children’s services close a case, they don’t monitor people’s personal lives or relationships.

There is no requirement for you to update social services about who you are dating if there are no current safeguarding concerns and your child is not being exposed to any risk. You are allowed to have a private life.

Cases usually only reopen if something new brings it back to professional attention. That is most commonly:

• Someone makes a new referral (for example the other parent, a professional, or family member)
• Police become involved in a new incident
• The partner becomes directly involved in the child’s life and another agency becomes aware
• A new safeguarding concern is raised about the child

If none of those things are happening right now, historically closed concerns normally stay historic.

It is also relevant that you’ve said he has his own children, stays overnight with them and there are no safeguarding concerns there. That doesn’t automatically remove risk from a professional perspective, but it is something that would normally be viewed as a positive protective factor if involvement ever happened in the future.

The main thing professionals focus on is not whether you are dating someone, but whether that person has contact with your child and whether any potential risk is understood and managed safely.

From what you’ve described, you have already shown strong protective thinking by keeping the relationship separate from your child and by making informed decisions before progressing anything. That is exactly the type of decision-making professionals usually want to see.

The only time it would usually become something children’s services might expect to look at again is if there were plans for introductions or shared environments involving your child, or if there were any new police involvement or safeguarding concerns.

If you invite them into your life, they have a duty to investigate, which means opening files, speaking to your ex, and assessing your child. Why trigger that disruption if your child is safe and doesn't even know this man.

The local Authority are not involved with him or his own children, no reason for them right now to be involved with you and yours.
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For full transparency, I am not an official adviser. I am a parent with lived experience of the family court system, offering strategic guidance. Always consult with a solicitor regarding ongoing court proceedings.

[JNH6YJ]

Thank you for your advice, I really appreciate it.

If we continued the relationship, further down the line in a year or so I would want to make introductions once I knew it was a stable relationship and there was no police involvement etc.

Based on this, I want to be transparent with children services and inform them and get advice.

I totally understand it is going to open my life up to scrutiny though.


I'd just want to get a gauge based on the context of our situation if this would be a section 17 or section 47.

[Winter25]

Hi JNH6YJ,

It’s genuinely good that you are thinking this far ahead rather than reacting later. That usually puts parents in a much safer position if professionals ever do become involved.

Based on what you’ve described, if you chose to introduce him in the future and you contacted children’s services to be transparent and ask for advice, the most likely route would usually be a Section 17 Child in Need assessment rather than a Section 47.

A Section 47 is normally triggered when professionals believe a child may already be suffering harm or is at immediate risk of harm. From what you’ve described, you’ve been keeping the relationship separate, thinking about risk, and planning ahead, which is the opposite of how Section 47 cases usually arise.

If professionals were involved because you were planning introductions or wanted reassurance, that would normally sit under Section 17, which is more about assessing support needs and understanding the child’s situation, rather than investigating harm.

That said, no one can guarantee how a local authority will respond or any over zealous social worker , because they make decisions based on how risk is presented at the time, some will even try to use historic Information as grounds to control now, which they can not do but they try anyway. If there were new police involvement, safeguarding concerns raised by someone else, or signs the child was already being exposed to risk, that is when cases sometimes move toward Section 47 territory.

In terms of what those assessments usually look like, Section 17 assessments are typically a social worker gathering background information, speaking to you about the relationship, understanding boundaries, and sometimes meeting the child to understand their day-to-day life. They may want to understand the partner’s history and current circumstances, but that varies case by case.

If it ever moved into Section 47, that usually involves a more formal safeguarding enquiry, multi-agency information gathering, and closer scrutiny of risk and protective factors.

Regarding your child’s father being told, that depends on context. If children’s services open an assessment that directly relates to your child’s welfare, they would normally involve both parents with parental responsibility, unless there was a safety reason not to. That doesn’t mean every police allegation or historical issue automatically gets shared in full detail, but both parents are usually informed that an assessment is taking place.

In real terms, what tends to keep situations lower-level is exactly what you’re already describing, a stable relationship, no police involvement, clear boundaries, gradual introductions, and being able to show you understand historic risk and are managing it thoughtfully.

If you ever did decide to approach children’s services for advice, it can sometimes help to frame it as future planning rather than crisis, for example explaining that introductions would only happen gradually, with boundaries, and with the child’s wellbeing as the priority.
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For full transparency, I am not an official adviser. I am a parent with lived experience of the family court system, offering strategic guidance. Always consult with a solicitor regarding ongoing court proceedings.