t both the changes in systemic practice, procedure, or either the structure or maturity of multi-agency safeguarding arrangements as well as increased levels of safeguarding concern amongst professionals and society as a whole. Table 4: Initial contacts by source as a proportion of all contacts Source: SP9 respondents. The England number is extrapolated from 103 local authority responses based on proportion of England population. Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5 Phase 6 Phase 7 Phase 8 Phase 9 2007– 08 2009– 10 2011– 12 2013– 14 2015– 16 2017– 18 2019– 20 2021– 22 2023– 24 Education 9% 9% 10% 11% 13% 14% 15% 16% 16% Police 34% 38% 37% 34% 36% 36% 33% 33% 32% Health 11% 10% 11% 13% 13% 14% 16% 16% 17% Parent/carer, family member, child or young person 14% 11% 10% 10% 9% 9% 9% 9% 9% All other 31% 32% 31% 32% 28% 27% 27% 26% 26% The proportion of initial contacts resulting in a referral to children’s social care has decreased since 2013–14 (Figure 13 below). As a result, the number of contacts passed to statutory services over this period has remained broadly stable (with the lowest recorded being c.611,000 in 2019–20 and the highest at c.696,000 in 2023–24). Over the same period, the proportion of contacts passed to early help has fluctuated, but overall, the number has risen by 93% (from about 224,000 in 2015–16 to about 431,000 in 2023–24). This probably reflects an increased focus on, and funding for, early help as well as changes to statutory guidance in this regard (e.g. Working together to safeguard children, HM Government, 2018, 2023). 43 Contacts resulting in no further action have increased in number (from about 474,000 in 2015–16 to 715,000 in 2023–34) and were 23% of all initial contacts in SP9. Figure 12: Summary of initial contacts by source as a propo