The force should make sure its officers and staff accurately record children’s demographic information to better assess risks to children
West Midlands Police: National child protection inspection
Published 21 November 2025National Child Protection Inspection8 recommendations
Coverage
Recommendations
The force should make sure it assesses children’s ongoing risk when incidents involving them are dealt with by scheduled appointment
The force needs to make sure that its officers and staff speak with the children they meet, record their voices of the child, and effectively share the information with its safeguarding partners
The force needs to make sure it shares good quality referrals with safeguarding partners for all children in need of help and support, and record them on force IT systems
The force needs to make sure it correctly flags children who are at risk of, or harmed by, exploitation, and those perpetrators who pose a risk to children
The force should make sure all officers, staff and supervisors investigating child sexual exploitation have the right knowledge and skills
The force should make sure all officers and staff responsible for making decisions and investigating child abuse work jointly with statutory safeguarding partners to improve outcomes for children
The force needs to continue its efforts to have enough specialist child protection personnel trained