Parenting Assessment

[Scooby1972]

Hi looking for a little advice and positivity
Currently we are 6 weeks into a parenting assessment. Both my children are under a permanent care order, taken off my then husband who had abused me mentally physically and emotionally over the space of 17 years. I ran away one night without my children scared hurt confused and possibly at the start of a breakdown. My children were taken away from him and at the time I was not in a position emotionally physically mentally to have them. It went to a emergency care order and then with incorrect wrong legal advice into a permanent care order. My daughter is now 15 and I am with my new partner undergoing a parenting assessment to get her home this is her wishes as well as ours. We are now 6 weeks into the assessment and I am looking for advice if possible. How many people actually pass the assessment, what happens if we don't, what happens if we do, how long after if we do can she come home. Is it phased is it immediate?.. if it's a negative assessment can we fight the decision is it pointless against social services as they always seem to win anyway. I apologise for the long drawn out message.
Whilst completing the assessment I have also taken 5 parenting courses online and also I am doing the domestic violence freedom program over 12 weeks. Hopefully these will show as a positive and not a negative. Thank you for anyone that has a minute to respond xx

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Scooby1972

Welcome to Family Rights Group’s parents’ forum. Thank you for your post. My name is Suzie. I am Family Rights Group’s online adviser. I am sorry to hear of the difficulties that you and your family have experienced.

It is good to hear that you are having a parenting assessment to see if your daughter can come home from foster care. She wants to return home too. You are being assessed with your partner who is not her father. You describe a range of activities that you are taking to enhance your parenting, your understanding of domestic abuse and how to keep yourself and your child safe. These are all worthwhile and hopefully will benefit you.

You have a number of valid questions about the process. Some of your questions I cannot answer, unfortunately. For example, I am not aware of statistics that show how many parents pass their parenting assessments. However, hopefully, I can help with the rest of you queries.

If you do not pass the assessment then children’s services will not intend to proceed with a plan for reunification. But in this case, you should read the assessment carefully, take on board any concerns for improvements or work needed, clarify any misunderstandings and ask for any errors to be amended. If there is a recommendation about what further work is needed, then you should consider doing the work. If you feel the assessment has not been fairly carried out or is wrong you can challenge this by making a complaint. Please see here for how to do so.

You can discuss the outcome of the parenting assessment also at your daughter’s Looked After Child review.

If children’s services are not in agreement with your daughter returning home and you are unhappy with this decision, you can also consider making a court application to apply to end the care order. You can find out more here about how to do so here.

If your assessment is positive and children’s services agree that it is in your daughter’s best interests to return home to you, then they should assess what support you would both need. They should work with you to draw up a transition plan for a phased return home.

Children’s services may have a reunification policy which sets out the process they follow when assessing a parent with a view to their child coming home. Not all local authorities have a formal document though. I would recommend that you ask the social worker to provide you with a copy of this policy if they have one .

I hope this is helpful.

Please post back or contact the advice service again via our freephone helpline 0808 8010366, Mon to Fri, 9.30 am to 3.00 pm, our advice enquiry form or webchat.

Best wishes

Suzie

[Mum33]

Hello my children ages 12 and 14 were taken in to temporary care in October 2024, pending the final hearing in May 2025. I have just completed the a parenting assessment and the recommendations are the children to not return to my care immediately but a transition plan be put in place which needs to be carefully considered. I would like to find out how long a transition plan usually takes. The foster carer has given notice and the placement is due to end on 07.02.2025. The children have will now be moved 3 times the children wishes are to return home and they are really struggling. What are my chances of possibly getting my children home before the final hearing in May.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Mum33,

Welcome to the parents’ forum and thank you for your post. I am sorry to hear about the difficult time that you and your family are going through at the moment and I hope that the following advice is helpful to you.

You say that the recommendation of the parenting assessment is for your children to return to your care in future, once a transition plan has been put into place. You want to know how long a transition plan usually takes.

I’m afraid that I cannot give you a clear answer about that except to say that it will depend on the current situation, the needs of the children and what the concerns were which led to them being placed in care initially. Whether or not they will be returned before the final hearing in May is also not something which I can answer. The person who would be best placed to answer these questions would be your solicitor who has all the details about your case. You could also speak with the social worker or their manager about this and ask them how long they are anticipating the transition might take.

The best thing that you can do is to continue working in partnership with the social worker, your solicitor and all the other professionals involved. It is important that you focus on making any changes that are necessary for your children to return safely to your care and get yourself in the best possible position to be able to have them come home.

It would also be a good idea to speak with the social worker and the independent reviewing officer and ask them to prioritise putting together a transition plan so that this can begin as soon as possible. You could also speak with your solicitor about this and ask if they can put this to the court so that the transition plan is prioritised and not delayed unnecessarily.

I am sorry to hear that your children are struggling and that they have moved foster homes so many times. Have they got any therapeutic support to help them during this time? If not then I would suggest that you speak with the social worker and independent reviewing officer about this and ask that some therapy is put in place for them.

Your children might also benefit from an advocate (if they don’t already have one). All children who are looked after (‘in care’) are entitled to an advocate – you can ask the social worker to do a referral for this if the children agree to it.

I hope that this is of some help. Please post back or contact the advice service again via our freephone helpline 0808 8010366, Mon to Fri, 9.30 am to 3.00 pm, our advice enquiry form or webchat.

Best wishes

Suzie