S7 report - advice

[karrieann]

My ex husband yesterday went to court for residency and the court ordered a section 7 from social services.
They were involved as I had been accused of child neglect (leaving children unattended) but police did not bring any charges. The children have been resident with my husband for 3 months now and by the time it goes back to court will have been resident with him 5 months. However prior to this I was the primary carer (stay at home mum) and he had walked out of the family home 10 weeks before after an incident of domestic violence - I still reside in the family home which is immaculate, dont work so can care for children, have lots of supportive friends though no family - have I got any chance of getting residency? And if so what can I do to help things? The core assessment was very damning but I really hope to start afresh with this new section 7 report?
Children are 6,4 and 2. I have been having contact every day for the past 3 months but ex has now cut it down after court hearing. They are very happy children and good attachment etc. I am prepared to cooperate with him and even agree shared residency but he point blank refuses to talk to me.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Hi Karrieann

Welcome back to the boards.

Although Children’s Services are involved in your current court proceedings (i.e. they are writing a report for the court), the proceedings themselves are private family law. Unfortunately that means I can’t offer much advice as this area of law falls outside of FRG’s remit.

We do have an advice sheet about residence orders. Although this is aimed at family members applying for a residence order, it will, hopefully, give you a clear sense of the process.

I know you had a solicitor back in December. Are you still working with him/ her? Your solicitor is really key as they are your advocate in this process- it is the solicitor’s job to ensure you are clear about the court process, your options and what is likely to be in your best interests and to build the best possible case on your behalf.

I would advise that you keep clear notes of any issues/ questions that arise so that you can raise these with your solicitor at appointments. Question the solicitor if there is anything you are not clear about and make sure s/he is managing your case in the way you would like.

With regards the section 7 report, I would simply advise that you continue to co-operate fully with the social worker. Focus on the positives that you offer your children and the good relationships that you have with them.

It may also be useful to think carefully about the concerns that were raised in the original core report and what you have been able to do and/or plan to do to address these. You can then demonstrate to the social worker that you understand the concerns and that you are managing these effectively so that they do not pose an ongoing risk to the children.

I hope this helps a bit. Maybe there are other parents on the boards with experience of private law proceedings who might be able to offer more advice/ support?

Best Wishes

Suzie
FRG Adviser

[karrieann]

thank you very much for your reply I will read the info on residence orders too and anyone who has any experience of a section 7 report would be great thank you.