The force should make sure its strategies, policies, guidance and toolkits are relevant to the risks affecting children, and it should clarify the responsibilities of officers and staff to safeguard children and promote their welfare
Northamptonshire Police: National child protection inspection
Published 22 August 2025National Child Protection Inspection8 recommendations
Coverage
Recommendations
The force needs to make sure that its officers and staff consistently record the voice of the child (including the child’s behaviour and demeanour) and effectively share this with its safeguarding partners
The force should improve how it assesses risks and responds when children are reported as missing from home or at risk of significant harm
The force needs to make sure officers and staff responding to domestic abuse recognise children as victims and protect them from further harm
The force should remove unnecessary delays in sharing information with safeguarding partners
The force should improve its arrangements for responding to sudden and unexpected child deaths at night
The force should make sure all officers and staff responsible for making decisions and investigating child abuse, and their supervisors, have appropriate knowledge and skills
The force needs to make sure its officers and staff can recognise when children are being criminally exploited, act to protect them and carry out effective investigations