Children’s social care files

Children's social care files are maintained by children’s services to document the care and support provided to children and their families. This includes services provided to children in need, those on child protection plans, looked-after children, children subject to a care order, those in foster care, children’s homes, or supported accommodation. These files typically include information about the child’s family background, health, education, and any interventions or services provided by social care agencies. They also document key decisions made by children’s services, including court orders, care plans, pathway plans, and statutory reviews of the child’s case. 

The files are confidential and can be accessed by the child or adult they belong to (or someone acting on their behalf).  Access may be subject to restrictions to protect the child’s or adult’s welfare, or to safeguard the privacy rights of third parties. However, there is discretion to disclose information that is already accessible and/or relevant to a person’s understanding of their circumstances. 

Information is retained for a set period after the case is closed. There is no specific statutory retention period for records relating to children in need, child protection cases, assessments, referrals, or serious case reviews. However, case records for looked-after children must be retained for a minimum of 75 years from the child’s date of birth or 15 years after the child’s death. Prior to 1991, local authorities were expected to retain records relating to children in care until their twenty-first birthday, which has led to gaps for older care leavers seeking access to their files. 

Experiences of accessing children’s social care files  

• Writing about children - Rebekah's perspective on reading her records 
• MIRRA: Memory, Identity and Rights in Records for Care Leavers 
• Reflections on accessing care records and supporting good recording 
• The Care Leavers’ Association 

Further resources  

• Archives and Records Association: The records of adopted and care-experienced people  
• Recording in Children’s Social Work (BASW England) 
• The Care Leavers’ Association 
• Become Charity 
• Access to records campaign group  
• The MIRRA Project (Memory – Identity – Rights in Records – Access)   
• The MIRRA Project: Resources   
• Good practice in record-keeping in children’s social care  
• Relationships, Reviews and Recording: Developing Practice for Children in Care 
• Expressions of Self: Race, Religion and Representation of minoritised children and young people in the British Care System 
• Expressions of self: supporting minoritised children’s identity: Frontline Briefing 
• The Black Care Experience Conference Report 2023 
• Inclusive Care: Experiences of LGBTQ+ children and young people in care