unborn baby on plo + CP

[Happybunny1]

I’ve been pregnant since January. Social services got involved because my first child lives with family under an SGO. It started as a Child in Need plan, then became a Child Protection Plan — they confirmed from the start my baby will be coming home with me from hospital.

Today I found out it’s escalated to PLO, and honestly I feel so confused and overwhelmed — especially while pregnant. My social worker keeps saying I’m doing amazing and there are so many positives, and that this is NOT about removal — it’s a formal step to make sure I keep maintaining all the changes I’ve made. But she hasn’t fully explained what exactly still needs improving — just said a letter with full details is on the way & to get a solicitor before plo meeting on 22nd July

Things they were concerned about in my past (2021–2024):

• Mental health struggles & suicide attempts

• Housing conditions inconsistent / messy

• Oversharing publicly on social media

• Domestic abuse & unsafe relationships

• No routines or stable bonds

• Didn’t engage with support or ask for help

• Financial struggles

ALL of this has changed completely now — these are the positives they acknowledge:

• Blocked baby’s dad straight away & followed all advice

• Fully engaged with perinatal, GP & therapy support

• Attend EVERY appointment & act quickly if anything feels wrong

• Home is kept clean & safe, routines are in place

• Social media fully private, no over‑sharing

• Strong family links & I ask for help openly now

• Finances stable, safe & single

• Fully prepared with absolutely everything baby needs

I’m just wondering — has anyone else been through exactly this? Where you’ve turned everything around, you’re doing so well, but it still moves to PLO because of past history? It’s scary and confusing, even though I’m told it’s not removal. Would love to hear your experiences or any advice to help me understand better — thank you so much

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Happybunny1

Thank you for your post and welcome to the discussion board. My name is Suzie, I am an online adviser and will be replying to you today.

Your first child lives with another person under a special guardianship arrangement (SGO) due to the concerns you have listed above. You are now pregnant with your second child and children’s services have become involved again.

You have made many positive changes since your first child was removed from your care (also listed above) and are engaging with services and maintaining a stable home environment in preparation for the birth of your second child. It is to your credit that you have.

Children’s services initially become involved under a child in need plan, this escalated to an unborn child protection plan and now you have been informed by the allocated social worker that the Public Law Outline will be put into motion(PLO). You are confused as you say the social worker told you from the start of their involvement that your child will be coming home with you.

You have raised your concerns with the social worker. They have said the reason PLO has been started is to ensure the positive changes you have made are maintained over a period of time. However, they have not fully explained what (if anything) still needs improving. They have said you should receive a letter which explains this and have advised you to seek a solicitor before the first PLO meeting which is scheduled for the 22nd July.
You are concerned that your child will be removed from your care based on your history rather than your current situation and are seeking advice and information regarding this.

Within the PLO process there is ‘pre proceedings’ procedures which must be followed. The first step children’s services should take is to send a letter before proceedings with a follow up meeting. The letter before proceedings should clearly state children’s services concerns and the meeting (yours is booked for 22nd July) should agree what steps need to be taken to safeguard your unborn child. The pre-proceedings process is a chance for parents and children’s services to work together. The aim is to get to a point where children’s services are satisfied that the parents can care for their child safely.

During the pre-proceedings process, you will be assessed (for example through a parenting assessment, if that hasn’t already happened). This should also be an opportunity for children’s services to put in place support for the family, where needed.

Your history relating to your first child will be taken into consideration alongside your current one. I have added a link HERE which will take you to further information and guidance regarding the pre proceedings process.

At this stage, it is very important you work with your solicitor and other professionals to evidence the progress you have made and importantly, maintained. If you have not done so already, you should appoint a solicitor. If may be helpful to contact the solicitor who represented you with your first child (if you had a positive relationship with them) as they are likely to have a good understanding of the historical concerns.

If you wish to seek a different solicitor, I have added https://solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk/ a link to The Law Society who provided a helpful search facility to find a solicitor in your local area. Please click on the link and it will take you direct to the page.

I hope the information provided is of help to you. Please post again if you have any further queries or you can call our free, confidential adviceline on 0808 801 0366 (Monday to Friday, 9:30am – 3pm). We also have a webchat which is currently open on Monday and Thursday afternoons.

Best wishes, Suzie