Interim care order

[BLUEBELL20]

I'm in court next week for this and will agree to it.

However I'm unsure what to say about my partner and a joint assessment as he has a history of abuse in his younger years

My solicitor thinks i should ask to be assessed separately. His solicitor says we can be assessed together then separately if the joint 1 fails. Mine says they'll go for adoption if the joint fails.

I'm scared of losing my children and confused.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Bluebell20,

Welcome to the Parents Forum. My name is Suzie, FRG’s online adviser.

I can see that you are in court this week and the local authority are applying for an interim care order in respect of your children. You say you are in agreement with the interim care order but are unsure about how to be assessed-either as a single carer or jointly with dad.

Your solicitor has advised that you should be assessed separately from dad. That if you were assessed jointly you will fail that and there will be no second chance of an assessment.

I strongly advise you to follow the advice of your solicitor. Your solicitor’s job is to advise what is in your best interests.

Also care proceeding are expected to be completed within 26 weeks. There may not be enough time to complete two full assessments-as suggested by dad’s solicitor.
Dad’s solicitor is advising what is best for dad, not what is best for you.

As dad has a history of abuse, being assessed with him, may pull you down and prevent the assessment being successful.


The risk of things going wrong –and your child/ children being adopted seems high. Follow the advice of your solicitor.



Here is some information about interim care orders which links off to our advice sheet about care proceedings.

Here are FAQ’s about care.



Here is information about adoption.




I hope my advice helps. But to discuss in depth, please call our advice line on 0808 801 0366 or post again.

Best wishes,
Suzie

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Queen bee,

I can see that you have been drawn into someone else’s problem. That person was doing something they should not do and you have been blamed for telling the social worker-even though you did not tell the social worker.

That person has now made malicious allegations against you. I am sorry to hear that has happened. The social worker will want to speak to the unit and also to you and to dad to investigate the allegation.
It is best just to be honest. Also cooperate with the investigation. It is most likely that the social worker will see that the allegation is malicious. They are used to investigating malicious allegations. Also you have cooperated so well with the assessments up to now, so they will also know you and what you are like so can better judge the situation.



Do not worry just wait for the assessment to be completed. Let your solicitor know what is happening.
Best wishes,
Suzie