Family Rights Group | Kinship carers’ Forum

My partners children have been on a CPP and recently come off of it in the last month due to domestic violence with their mother and her partner. Another incident has now happened where he has been arrested again, what happens with the children as social services are due to have a professional meeting in the next few days to discuss the next steps, it has been mentioned before they will go straight to court proceedings due to the severity of the DV and a safety plan being in place for him with the children and the child they have together.

has anyone else gone through this and knows how they usually handle it?

Dear hellonewhelp

Thank you for your post. Unfortunately, you have posted on the incorrect forum as your post should be on the parents’ discussion forum. My name is Suzie, online adviser at Family Rights Group and, as your post remains on this forum I will respond to it here.

In your post you refer to your partner’s children who reside with their mother. There is domestic violence in mother and her partner’s relationship and the children were on a child protection plan which was stepped down about a month ago. It seems there was a safety plan in place but a further incident of domestic violence which has led to children’s services (the new name for social services) are having a professionals meeting to discuss further steps. Children’s services indicated that if there were further incidents they would go straight to court. Here is information about child protection

As you mention that the child protection plan was stepped down, it may be that the children remained on child in need plan together with a safety plan. As another incident of domestic violence has happened, the likelihood is that a legal planning meeting will take place, and the parents would be given notice of the application to be made to the court if they decide to go to court. The parents with parental responsibility would be entitled separately to legal aid for legal representation at court.

You can read more about .care proceedings

If the decision is not to go court, then the children may be placed on child protection plan again and then a public law outline (PLO) meeting to give the mother a chance to follow anything asked of her to prevent court proceedings. It seems, however, from what you state is your post that the level of domestic violence in high. Children’s services could because of the risk to the children ask the police to exercise their powers of protection to remove the children from the home. In that situation, your partner as their father could be asked to have the children come to him. If he was unable to do so, other family members could be considered and if none, the children would be placed in foster care. The removal under police powers lasts for 72 hours. A decision whether the children return to their mother or remain in foster care with the parents’ agreement or children’s services apply to the court for an order to allow them to keep the children in foster care. Here is information about the agreement for children to remain in foster care without a court order. It is called section 20 voluntary arrangement

Although I have responded to your post here, as I have explained above it is the wrong forum and if you post on the parents’ forum you are likely to get more response to your post from persons who have had similar experiences. Please register again on the parents’ forum.

Should you wish to speak with one our experienced advisers, you can telephone our advice line on 0808 801 0366. The advice line is open from 9.30am to 3.00pm Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays).

Best wishes

Suzie