Social Services Intervention

Early help is designed to support and assist the family and to avoid any formal intervention in family life, it is important to know the role of social services and be clear about what you can expect.

If early help consider that the help and support that they are giving is still leaving the child in need then they will raise the intervention to child in need level. This will involve professionals around the child (from social services, health and education) meeting with the parents regularly and developing a child in need plan. This will be reviewed in meetings and will be monitored to see if improvements around the child are made. This is still designed to support the child and is not meant to be punitive.

In the event that the child continues to suffer actual harm or is likely to suffer harm (which includes emotional, physical or sexual harm) then the child is likely to become the subject of child protection planning. This will again be reviewed via meetings and a child protection independent chair will monitor the situation for the child.

This process will be triggered in the event that social services feel that little or no progress has been made and court proceedings may be issued. It is essential that you have a solicitor present at any PLO meeting. Legal aid is available.

If you are struggling to manage your child for any reason it is possible to seek temporary help from social services by asking them to temporarily care for your child. Indeed there may be times when the social worker asks you to consider this option for your child if things are not going well in your home. This is often referred to as voluntarily accommodating your child under section 20 of the Children Act 1989. You will be asked to consent to your child moving temporarily to other relative care or to foster care. This provision is meant to be used as a temporary measure and is not intended to be used as a long term option. You should seek independent legal advice before consenting or seeking this option to ensure that you fully understand the potential outcomes. Legal aid is available if the PLO process is underway.

The police can utilise police powers (in certain prescribed circumstances) to place your child in a temporary place of safety if they consider it is necessary to protect your child the powers are temporary and cannot exceed 72hours. Such place of safety will usually be a relative’s home or a foster care home. Thereafter if social services consider that a longer period of alternative accommodation is required for your child (and you do not agree) they have to seek an emergency protection order from the family court. You need a solicitor at this stage to advise. Legal aid is automatically available to all parents and those with parental responsibility for the child for court proceedings such as emergency protection order applications.

A solicitor is essential if such applications are made in respect of your children. A specialist child care panel solicitor will guide and advise you in these matters. Legal aid is automatically available for all parents and those with parental responsibility.