Worried about unborn baby

[Winter25]

Hi Shanshan,

Thank you for your detailed update. What you have described is a very positive start, and it shows that you are already shifting the narrative in your favour.

Based on everything you have reported, you are currently in a strong position, and the Local Authority is approaching your case as one of support, not immediate risk or removal. It is important that you continue to build on this foundation with evidence and clarity.

Key Strengths in Your Favour

You have demonstrated openness and honesty
You notified them of the pregnancy yourself. This is considered a protective factor and shows you are not hiding anything. It also proves insight and willingness to work with professionals.

You have clear, documented change
You and your partner have engaged in therapy, completed programmes, and your partner has stopped cannabis use. These are tangible, measurable changes that meet the concerns identified in previous proceedings.

Your home environment is stable and prepared
The social worker has confirmed that your home is clean, organised, and that preparations have already begun for the baby. This indicates emotional readiness and planning.

The Local Authority confirmed there is currently no move to PLO
This is crucial! They have admitted there has been no decision to go to Pre-Proceedings because no assessment has taken place yet. That means you are not starting from a presumption of removal.

What This Means Legally so you are aware of all the facts

Under the Children Act 1989 and established case law (including Re B [2008] and Re H [1996]), a Local Authority cannot seek removal based purely on past history. They must establish current, evidenced risk at the time of birth. Based on what you have described, they do not currently have such evidence.

Their stated aim is to assess what support you may need, not to build a case for removal.

So your recommended next Steps and my suggestion would be

Prepare a written “Statement of Positive Change” to present at the start of the pre-birth assessment. This should clearly set out:

What the historic concerns were

What actions you and your partner have taken to address them

The strategies you now use to manage stress, communication, and parenting

Your commitment to ongoing transparency

Collect all evidence now!
Certificates, letters, therapy completion, drug test confirmation for your partner, any written positive feedback from professionals. This will form your evidence bundle which you can hand over during assessment.

Keep a written record
After every visit or phone call, write a short note with the date and what was discussed. If anything is said verbally that concerns you, follow it up with an email saying: “Just to confirm my understanding…” This ensures accuracy and accountability.

Continue actively showing preparedness
Attending all appointments, continuing your course, engaging in parenting classes and maintaining stability at home are all key factors that will be recorded in your favour.

Remember you have done the work. More importantly, it is already being recognised. The fact that the social worker reassured you that this is about support, and that no decision has been made about PLO, is evidence that they are not approaching this with a predetermined negative outcome.
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[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Shanshan

Thank you for posting back and for sharing your positive update. I am Suzie, Family Rights Group's online adviser.

I am pleased to hear that your booking appointment with your midwife went well as did your initial social work visit. You and you partner shared with the social worker details of the work that each of you has done and are continuing to do to address the previous concerns for your son. It is good to hear that the social worker acknowledged that your home was clean and well-organised.

The social worker explained the purpose of the pre-birth assessment and that no decision has yet been made to go into a pre-proceedings process.

It sounds as if both you and your partner were clear that your aim is to be the best parents you can to your baby and to keep the baby safe and well-cared for.

Your pre-birth assessment will start in a few weeks once a social worker is allocated. It should begin promptly. If you haven’t heard anything in a couple of weeks you can ask for an update.

The main thing for you and your partner to do now is to keep up all the progress you are both making. Of course, you should attend all your appointments and take good care of yourself.

You might find it helpful to look at our guide to working with a social worker to help you get off to a good start when you know who your new social worker is and to help you address any difficulties early on if they arise. The key points are to make sure there is good communication between you, that the social worker keeps you updated as they complete their assessment and that you can ask questions as needed.

You might want to think ahead about how to involve your family and friends’ network to support you to care for the baby. You can ask for a family group conference (FGC) to bring your network together to harness support and help you come up with a safe family plan. If you would like to know more about FGCS please see this information for families.

I will add links to additional advice information or services that might be of interest to you and your partner, during your pregnancy or when the baby is born:

• For Baby’s Sake Trust
• Birth Companions Birth Charter for women with involvement from children’s social care
• Family Line charity
• Home Start Dad Matters Project .

Please do keep posting on this forum for advice or support or contact the advice service via one of the options linked to here.

Best wishes

Suzie