Isabelle Swirles When the family Court deals with care proceedings, the main question is whether a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, ‘significant harm’. This term comes from the Children Act 1989, which sets out the legal
Care Proceedings are issued by the local authority when they have concerns about the welfare of a child. The court process is intended to conclude after 26 weeks, and the Family Court must then decide what arrangements
When social services become involved with families it can be frightening and overwhelming. Many parents worry that ‘social services want to take my children away’ but the reality is the law requires local authorities to assist and
When you have a child ‘parental responsibility’ refers to all the rights, duties, powers responsibilities and authority which by law a parent of a child has in relation to the child and their property. The term focuses
If you have any involvement with social services that relates to your alcohol misuse it is likely you will be asked to undertake alcohol testing. There are lots of different methods that social services may use to
Re B-S was a Care Proceedings case that took place in 2013 and has shaped how Local Authorities are expected to evidence analysis when showing their final care plans. Whilst there has always been a duty on
As of November 2024, the Government has announced they intend to reform the social care system. New rules and regulations have been put forward with an aim to widen opportunities for families to remain together. To summarise
Often drug and alcohol tests are ordered during the care proceedings process. Parents are required to provide a section of their hair which is tested to consider if they have been misusing substances. It has recently been
I am being asked to provide friends / family members to put forward for an Initial Viability Assessment, what does this mean If you are contacted by Social Services and told they are initiating Pre-Proceedings or Care
Where do I stand with parental responsibility? When entering the care proceedings process father’s that are not registered on their child’s birth certificate or have not acquired parental responsibility via other means for example a parental responsibility
The role of an independent advocate is to support and assist a person to communicate their views, wishes and feelings. This may be encouraging them to voice their opinions or assisting their involvement in the court process.
The guideline to whether children should give evidence in care proceedings is set out in the case of Re W (2010) which is now the leading authority on this issue. The considerations that are outlined in Re
A sibling assessment will evaluate the bond and relationship between siblings. A sibling can be defined as a person whom you share at least one biological parent with. An assessment will consider the sibling dynamic, and the
PAMS stands for ‘parenting assessment manual software’. It was an assessment used with parents or carers that have learning difficulties or additional needs. Its aim is to assess the parent’s capacity and to support them in understanding
