Can I Move To A Different County With My Children To Get Away From Social Services

When your child is taken into care

7min read

Woman comforting a mother

Coping with the backwash of having your children removed by social services, or even beingness accommodated by the local dominance under a voluntary (Section 20) agreement, is a very painful experience for parents and close relatives. This can exist a very traumatic experience for the children and their families.

Understanding the process

Before deciding to remove your child into care considering of concerns virtually abuse or neglect (sometimes referred to as 'safeguarding'), unless there is an emergency situation, yous volition probably take been involved in kid protection meetings. At the point that social services seriously considers applying to the court for a Care Order (compulsory removal into care) they should have notified you and held a 'pre-proceedings meeting' or sent y'all a 'letter of intent' to go to court. At this stage you may desire to make it affect with a solicitor to assist yous with legal advice throughout the process. Fifty-fifty if social services think your child should be in intendance, unless they accept grounds to remember that it is dangerous for him or her to remain with you lot, they should apply for an Interim Care Order and non remove your child unless the Court makes an order. The social worker may enquire if you volition agree to your kid being voluntarily looked after until the position is clearer, but y'all should e'er seek independent communication, preferably from a solicitor, if y'all have any doubts about whether this is a good thought. Family Rights Group may be able to give you some communication.

Immediate concerns for child prophylactic

If there have been immediate concerns for your child'due south safe, social services may have involved the police and there might not have been time for them to apply for a court guild to remove your children. In this situation your child tin can stay in police protection for 72 hours at the most. If an Emergency Protection Order (EPO) has been made past the Court your child then becomes a looked afterwards child and this gild lasts for 8 days, with an extension of vii further days possible. If yous don't already have a solicitor it'due south important to try and get one immediately or seek legal advice.

Where your child may get

Children'southward Services should first meet if your child tin exist cared for past someone in your family and if this isn't an choice then unrelated foster care or a children's dwelling house will be considered. If they are placed with a relative, that person has to exist assessed as a foster carer by Children'south Services, although there is a process for temporary blessing so that the child can move in before a full assessment has taken place. If no relative or friend can care for your child they will stay with an canonical foster carer or in a children'south home. If your child is very young, the social worker may decide that your shild can alive with a foster family who will then go on to apply to prefer him or her (sometimes called a fost-adpt family or a 'concurrent planning' family. If you lot do not desire your child to be adopted y'all should consult a solicitor immediately.

What may happen next

Following an EPO, if there are yet concerns for your kid'south condom, an Interim Care Club or a total Care Order, made by the Courtroom, or the agreement of someone with parental responsibleness for your child to go along living in the adaptation plant for them, is needed (referred to as Section xx adaptation or 'voluntary care'. But if you really do not want your child to exist living away from you, yous should say you lot don't concord and make sure you lot become advice from a solicitor. You can appeal against a Intendance Order but you need to know that these are not often successful. There are limited reasons allowed for an entreatment and yous demand to move fast if you want to explore this, and then it would exist advisable to speak to a solicitor as soon every bit you lot can.

The safety and security of your child volition be paramount just the social worker should try to do all they can to cause every bit petty disruption to their life equally possible and should listen to your and your child'southward views and have them seriously. Factors such as being able to live with their siblings, or go along to go to the aforementioned school should always be taken into consideration. If you accept concerns about where your child is living, speak to your social worker and explain why and talk over any possible alternative there may be. If y'all are notwithstanding unhappy you lot could ask to speak to the Independent Reviewing Officer who will exist appointed every bit soon as the child starts to be looked after. He or she should be in touch with y'all in any case before long after your child starts to be looked later on and at least every half-dozen months, but if you lot are unhappy most something in-between reviews and you don't retrieve the social worker is taking your concerns seriously, you can ask to encounter the IRO between reviews

You lot should be given a copy of your child's care plan (sometimes referred to every bit a 'permanence program') and the placement programme that has more than details about the bodily placement, and you should be consulted near what is in it, and especially about contact arrangements for yourself, other relatives, and brothers and sisters who are not living in the same place. The permanence program may propose that your kid should exit intendance to be adopted or exist placed permanently with a 'special guardians'- normally but not always a relative. These arrangements have to exist canonical by a court and you lot have a correct to legal aid, so it is really important that you appoint and stay in touch with your own solicitor. The court volition appoint a guardian ad litem to give an contained view nigh what should happen, and this person, equally well as the kid's social worker, should brand sure that the court is as well aware of your views. The court must ever put the child's involvement first, but yous have a right for your views to be listened to and taken into consideration.

Further support

The Family Rights Grouping is a clemency providing advice, information and advocacy to parents and families whose children are involved with Children'due south Services due to welfare needs or concerns. They have comprehensive advice sheets on their website and too a telephone advice line.

Whatever might take led upwardly to your children beingness removed from your care, it'due south understandable that your emotions might be in full turmoil, with lots of answered questions running through your head. Having support around you – shut family or friends who you lot can lean on tin be comforting. Our confidential helpline 0808 800 2222, offering a listening ear and emotional support, is hither for you too so please don't hesitate to contact us.

This page was updated on February 2018

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Source: https://www.familylives.org.uk/advice/your-family/social-services-and-your-family/coping-with-the-aftermath-of-having-your-children-removed-by-social-services

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