National child protection inspections
Child abuse and child protection issues
National child protection inspections
Internet-related child sexual exploitation inspections
Joint targeted child protection inspections
Multi-agency child protection arrangements between October 2011 and March 2013
HMICFRS is inspecting the child protection work of every police force in England and Wales. The findings of the inspections are intended to provide information for the police, the police and crime commissioner and the public on how well children are protected and their needs are met, and to secure improvements for the future.
This page sets out:
- background to the inspections;
- information about the inspections;
- links to the reports; and
- links to the revisit reports.
Please note: In July 2017 HMIC took on responsibility for fire & rescue service inspections and was renamed HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). Inspections carried out before July 2017 may continue to refer to HMIC.
Background
Between October 2011 and March 2013, we were involved, on a multi-agency basis, in a number of child protection inspections. Along with evidence of strengths and effective practice, these inspections highlighted areas for improvement, in particular: the quality of joint investigations; the identification of risk; dealing with domestic abuse; and the detention of children in custody.
Inspections
To address these issues, we decided to conduct a programme of single-agency inspections of all police forces in England and Wales. The aims of the inspection programme are to:
- assess how effectively police forces safeguard children at risk;
- make recommendations to police forces for improving child protection practice;
- highlight effective practice in child protection work; and
- drive improvements in forces’ child protection practice.
The focus of our inspections is on the outcomes for, and experiences of, children who come into contact with the police when there are concerns about their safety or well-being.
The NCPI methodology builds on our earlier multi-agency inspections. It comprises self-assessment and case audits carried out by each force, as well as case audits and interviews with police officers, police staff and representatives from partner agencies. The NCPI methodology and assessment criteria can be found below:
- NCPI Methodology for post-inspection follow-up activity
- NCPI Child protection inspection methodology
- NCPI assessment criteria
- Self-assessment template (Document)Findings
The findings of our inspections can be found in the reports listed below. Each report is made up of nine chapters in three main parts. The first part provides background to the inspection and the force under inspection. The second part focuses on our findings, and the third looks to the future and makes recommendations for improvement.
Additional reports will be added here as we publish them.
In July 2015, HMICFRS published ‘In harm’s way: The role of the police in keeping children safe’, which summarises findings from all the National Child Protection Inspection reports published between August 2014 and February 2015.
In February 2020 we published our second national child protection inspection thematic. It draws on NCPI findings between 2015 and 2019 and other reports focusing on child protection, such as the joint targeted area inspections.
Police force reports
- Staffordshire – published August 2023
- Suffolk – published December 2022
- Wiltshire – published August 2022
- Warwickshire – published August 2022
- Cheshire – published May 2022
- Staffordshire – published April 2022
- North Yorkshire – published March 2022
- Cambridgeshire – published December 2021
- Hampshire – published November 2021
- Derbyshire – published November 2021
- Dorset – published August 2021
- City of London Police – published July 2020
- Hertfordshire Constabulary – published March 2020
- Durham Police – published March 2020
- North Wales Police – published October 2019
- Kent Police – published September 2019
- Gwent Police – published June 2019
- Lincolnshire Police – published February 2019
- Sussex Police – published November 2018
- Merseyside Police – published August 2018
- Northamptonshire Police – published July 2018
- Northumbria Police – published June 2018
- Lancashire Constabulary – published March 2018
- Bedfordshire Police – published November 2017
- Cleveland Police – published September 2017
- Gloucestershire Constabulary – published June 2017
- Leicestershire Police – published June 2017
- Humberside Police – published April 2017
- Cumbria Constabulary – published January 2017
- Metropolitan Police Service – published December 2016
- Essex Police – published March 2016
- Surrey Police – published December 2015
- Devon and Cornwall Police – published September 2015
- South Wales Police – published July 2015
- West Mercia Police – published February 2015
- Dyfed-Powys Police – published February 2015
- Nottinghamshire Police – published February 2015
- West Yorkshire Police – published January 2015
- Greater Manchester Police – published December 2014
- West Midlands Police – published October 2014
- South Yorkshire Police – published September 2014
- Norfolk Constabulary – published August 2014
Post inspection activity
Follow up activity is an integral part of the National Child Protection Inspection programme as it allows us to assess the progress each force is making in its work to improve the services for the safety and protection of children.
Within six weeks of publication of the inspection report, the force is required to provide an action plan to HMICFRS specifying how it intends to respond to the recommendations. At that stage, action plans are reviewed by HMICFRS inspectors and the precise nature of HMICFRS follow-up considered.
The NCPI post inspection review methodology can be found below:
NCPI Methodology for post-inspection follow-up activity
Reports
- Wiltshire – National child protection inspection post-inspection review
- Cheshire – National child protection inspection post-inspection review
- Warwickshire – National child protection inspection post-inspection review
- North Yorkshire – National child protection inspection post-inspection review – published May 2023
- Cambridgeshire – National child protection inspection post-inspection review – published December 2022
- Derbyshire– National child protection re-inspection – published October 2022
- Hampshire – National child protection inspection post-inspection review – published September 2022
- Dorset – National child protection inspection post-inspection review – published September 2022
- City of London – National child protection inspection post-inspection review – published May 2022
- Durham – National child protection inspection post-inspection review – published January 2022
- Hertfordshire – National child protection inspection post-inspection review – published December 2021
- Metropolitan Police Service – National child protection inspection assessment of progress – published September 2021
- Kent – National child protection inspection post-inspection review – published August 2021
- North Wales – National child protection inspection post-inspection review – published August 2021
- Northamptonshire – National child protection inspection assessment of progress – published March 2021
- Cleveland – Integrated vulnerability inspection post-inspection review – published February 2021
- Lincolnshire Police – National child protection inspection assessment of progress – published January 2021
- Gwent – National Child Protection post-inspection review – published July 2020
- Lincolnshire – National Child Protection post-inspection review – published March 2020
- Sussex– National Child Protection post-inspection review – published September 2019
- Merseyside – National Child Protection post-inspection review – published August 2019
- Northamptonshire – National Child Protection post-inspection review – published July 2019
- Bedfordshire – National Child Protection post-inspection review – published April 2019
- Lancashire – National Child Protection post-inspection review – published April 2019
- Northumbria – National Child Protection post-inspection review – published April 2019
- Metropolitan Police Service – National child protection post-inspection review – published March 2019
- Cleveland – National Child Protection post-inspection review – published November 2018
- Gloucestershire – National Child Protection post-inspection review – published May 2018
- Leicestershire – National Child Protection post-inspection review – published May 2018
- Humberside – National Child Protection post-inspection review – published April 2018
- Metropolitan Police Service – National Child Protection Inspection post-inspection quarter 4 update – published February 2018
- Metropolitan Police Service – National Child Protection Inspection post-inspection quarter 3 update – published November 2017
- Cumbria – National Child Protection Inspection post-inspection review – published September 2017
- Metropolitan Police Service – National Child Protection Inspection post-inspection quarter 2 update – published August 2017
- Metropolitan Police Service – National Child Protection Inspection post-inspection quarter 1 update – published June 2017
- Essex – National Child Protection Inspection Re-inspection – published February 2017
- Surrey – National Child Protection Inspection Re-inspection – published February 2017
- Devon and Cornwall – National Child Protection Inspection post-inspection review – published July 2016
- South Wales – National Child Protection Inspection post-inspection review – published June 2016
- West Yorkshire – National Child Protection Inspection post-inspection review – published March 2016
- Nottinghamshire – National Child Protection Inspection post-inspection review – published February 2016
- West Mercia – National Child Protection Inspection post-inspection review – published January 2016
- Dyfed-Powys – National Child Protection Inspection post-inspection review – published January 2016
- Greater Manchester – National Child Protection Inspection post-inspection review – published December 2015
- West Midlands – National Child Protection Inspection Re-inspection – published December 2015
- Norfolk – National Child Protection Inspection post-inspection revisit – published October 2015
- South Yorkshire – National Child Protection Inspection post-inspection review – published July 2015
The findings of our follow-up activity will be added here as soon as we publish them.
Please get in touch if you have a question or would like to comment on any area of our child protection work, email Contact HMICFRS (e-mail address).