Mon - Fri 8:30am - 7pm | Sat - Sun 9am - 5pm
Call us: Mon - Fri 8:30am - 7pm, Sat - Sun 9am - 5pm
We offer an award winning service
Children’s law services
Why might you need solicitors that deal with social services?
If social services have contacted you or a family member regarding child care proceedings, you must get legal advice urgently. Even if you do not attend scheduled meetings or court hearings, social services can make important decisions about your family’s future.
At Stowe Family Law, our social service solicitors regularly support families in this situation. We can contact social services on your behalf, attend any scheduled meetings and advise you regarding correspondence, reports or agreements you are asked to sign.
Our specialist children lawyers understand this cmplex legal situation and can advise you on your options and their impact, and will be on hand to support you in a caring and empathetic manner.
What can happen in care proceedings?
If social services decide to start care proceedings in the court, there will be several hearings, including case management and issues resolution, to see if an agreement can be reached.
If not, there will usually be a final hearing where long-term decisions are made about your child’s future, who they will live with and what court order is best.
What are the potential outcomes?
There are several final orders that the court can make:
- Care Order: Your child stays in care until they are 18 unless the order is ended before then.
- Supervision Order: Your child will live with you but Children’s Services will supervise the family.
- Child Arrangements Order: Your child will live with another person, such as a family member or friend, for as long as the order exists. The order can also set out contact arrangements for your child.
- Placement Order: Children’s Services have permission to place your child for adoption even if you do not agree.
- Special Guardianship Order: Your child will live with another person, such as a family member, but they will also have parental responsibility for your child, giving them all the rights, powers, duties and responsibilities that a parent has.
Navigating social services and care proceedings requires both sensitivity and legal precision. We provide dedicated support to ensure that children’s welfare is prioritised and that families are fairly represented throughout the process.
Meet our child care proceedings experts
Why choose Stowe Family Law for your child care proceedings solicitors?
- We’re the only national law firm 100% dedicated to family matters and our specialised team of social services solicitors have years of expertise to draw upon.
- We will always approach your case in an empathetic manner, paying close attention to the details so that we can deliver support tailored to your particular circumstances.
- Our child care proceeding solicitors will keep you in the loop as the process progresses, feeding back on the state of the case clearly and concisely.
- We’re fully authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and listed in The Legal 500.
- Stowe Family Law have been shortlisted for several national awards, including being named Family Law Firm of the Year in 2023 by the Hampshire Law Society and at the Yorkshire Legal Awards.
- We are proud of our ‘Excellent’ rating on Trustpilot, where you can read hundreds of reviews from our past clients.
- You can find a wealth of helpful guides on our website that shed light on all kinds of family and child law queries.
Child Care Proceedings FAQs
Child Care Proceedings FAQs
-
How do I arrange a consultation with social services solicitors?
If you would like to arrange an initial consultation with one of our specialist child law solicitors, get in touch by calling us on 0330 191 4938 or emailing us at [email protected].
You could also visit your local office and speak to one of our team directly.
-
Can social services take away my child without evidence?
Unless the police have been forced to intervene and use their emergency powers to protect a child, removal of children from your care by social services must be approved by a court or in agreement with the child’s family.
This means that evidence must have been provided to back up any claims that a child is at risk and that a court has decided that the child or children are to be removed from your care.
-
Is there a time limit for care proceedings cases?
As prescribed by the children and families act 2014, care proceedings should conclude within a 26-week period. The uncertainty surrounding child care proceeding cases can be harmful and distressing to children and their families alike.
Each case will be unique and there are varying degrees of severity to be taken into consideration. In certain exception circumstances, care proceedings can be extended but it is not a common occurrence. Our care proceedings solicitors will support you through the process to try to resolve the situation in the given time frame.
Request Free Callback
Submit your details, and we’ll arrange a free, no-obligation callback at a time to suit you. Please note that we cannot offer Legal aid.
Get
more
advice
more
advice
Close
Newsletter Sign Up
Sign up for advice on divorce and relationships from our lawyers, divorce coaches and relationship experts.
Privacy Policy