Care Proceedings & Social Services Solicitors
Social services involvement with your children is serious. You have the right to legal representation — and legal aid to pay for it.
Whether the Local Authority has made a referral, started an assessment, held a child protection conference, or issued care proceedings — at every stage you have legal rights and options. Early legal advice shapes the entire trajectory of any social services involvement. Most parents qualify for legal aid regardless of income. Tell us where you are in the process and a specialist solicitor will advise you immediately.
The Process — Stage by Stage
How social services involvement escalates — and where legal advice matters most.
Social services involvement rarely arrives without warning. At every stage — from an initial assessment to an Emergency Protection Order — you have rights, and the earlier you get legal advice, the more options you have.
Initial assessment & child protection conferences
When social services receive a referral, they have a duty to assess. If concerns are identified, a strategy discussion and section 47 enquiry may follow. A child protection conference can result in a child being placed on the Child Protection Register under one of the categories of abuse or neglect. You are entitled to attend and make representations. A solicitor can prepare you for the conference and advise on any plan produced.
Pre-proceedings — the PLO
Before issuing care proceedings, the Local Authority must follow the Public Law Outline (PLO) pre-proceedings process where there is no immediate emergency. You will receive a letter before proceedings inviting you to a meeting. This is a critical intervention point — what you agree to and what you say during PLO can directly affect whether care proceedings are avoided. Legal aid is available from this stage.
Care proceedings in the Family Court
The Local Authority applies for a care or supervision order when it believes a child is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm. Proceedings must be completed within 26 weeks. The court appoints a children's guardian (a CAFCASS officer) to represent the child's interests independently. You have the right to full legal representation throughout — funded by legal aid. A specialist solicitor will challenge the LA's case at every stage.
Emergency Protection Orders
An Emergency Protection Order (EPO) can be granted without notice in genuine emergencies and allows immediate removal of a child. It lasts a maximum of 8 days and can be challenged. If your child has been removed under an EPO, legal advice is urgently needed — the window to challenge the order or secure a return of the child is narrow. Most EPO challenges are successful where the removal was disproportionate.
Challenging care plans and placements
If the Local Authority proposes adoption, placement with foster carers, or a specific contact arrangement, these are not final until the court approves them. A solicitor can challenge the care plan if it is not in the child's best interests, argue for placement within the family (a connected persons assessment), and ensure contact arrangements are reasonable and enforceable.
Kinship & special guardianship orders
Where a child cannot safely remain with their parents, placement with grandparents, aunts, uncles, or family friends is often preferable to foster care. A special guardianship order gives a carer parental responsibility and the ability to make day-to-day decisions without the birth parents' consent. Kinship carers are entitled to their own legal representation — also funded by legal aid — and to a connected persons assessment.