How to contact us for advice
We provide advice to parents, grandparents, relatives, friends and kinship carers who are involved with children’s services in England or need their help. We can help you understand processes and options when social workers or courts are making decisions about your child’s welfare.
Our advice service is free, independent and confidential.
To speak to an adviser, please call our free and confidential advice line 0808 801 0366 (Monday to Friday 9.30am to 3pm, excluding Bank Holidays). For Textphone dial 18001 followed by the advice line number. Or you can ask us a question via email using our advice enquiry form.
Our online advice forums are an anonymous space where parents and kinship carers (also known as family and friends carers) can get legal and practical advice, build a support network and learn from other people’s experiences.
Our get help and advice section describes the processes that you and your family are likely to go through, so that you know what to expect. Our webchat service can help you find the information and advice on our website which will help you understand the law and your rights.
Adoption panels provide advice to adoption agencies. They provide guidance such as whether someone is suitable to adopt a particular child.
An adoption panel has two main jobs. The panel assesses whether people who want to adopt a child are suitable. They also ‘match’ a child with a suitable adoptive parent for that child. Adoption panels also provide advice about support plans for children. This helps to ensure that they have enough support when they go to live with their adoptive family.
An adoption agency does not have to follow the advice of the adoption panel. The agency decision maker within the adoption agency makes the final decision, but should take the guidance into account.
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