By phone or email
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). Or you can ask us a question via email using our advice enquiry form.
Are you a parent, kinship carer relative or friend of a child who is involved with, or who needs the help of, children’s services in England? 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). 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 has template letters, advice sheets and resources about legal and social care processes. On Monday and Wednesday afternoons, you can use our webchat service to chat online to an adviser.
It is a good idea for parents and carers to ask the social worker doing the assessment for a copy of the local threshold document and the assessment protocol being used.
Children’s services can be organised in different ways in different local areas. It is important to ask whether the same social worker will always deal with the child’s case or if there will be any change. It is possible that after first contact with children’s services a child’s case is transferred to another social work team.
Families may find a change of social worker upsetting, especially if they have spent time explaining everything to a previous social worker. Parents and carers should be able to feel confident that the new social worker has an understanding of the child and family’s situation.
Your donation will help more families access expert legal advice and support from Family Rights Group.
Donate Now