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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.
Parents and carers should always be treated fairly. There are different laws that come together to help make sure this happens.
The Human Rights Act 1998 applies to all public authorities. That includes children’s services and the Family Court. This means they must take account of a person’s rights under the European Convention on Human Rights. This includes:
See our Children’s services page for more information about fair process and other principles that should guide the way children’s services work.
If someone has a disability they are protected from discrimination by public bodies and other organisations providing services to the public. This protection is provided under the Equality Act 2010. This means children’s services and adult services cannot discriminate against a parent or carer because they have a disability.
Public bodies must make ‘reasonable adjustments’ when providing services to disabled people. This is to ensure they are not put at ‘substantial disadvantage’ (see section 20 of the Equality Act 2010). A substantial disadvantage is something more than just minor. This can include making adjustments in meetings to make sure a disabled person can fully take part. See Can a physically ill or disabled parent or carer get help from an advocate or supporter in meetings with children’s services?
All public bodies including adult services and children’s services have a duty to take positive action to protect and promote equality for disabled people. They should show that they have things in place to help prevent discrimination. They should promote equality in their policies and in the way they deliver services (see section 149 Equality Act 2010).
Where there are Family Court proceedings, the court should be told at a very early stage if a parent has a physical illness or disability. This is the responsibility of the parent or carer’s solicitor. It will be important for the parent or carer to work with their solicitor to think through what may need to take part fully. At a hearing early on, the court should work through what support must be in place and how it is to be funded.
Section 6 of the Equality Act 2010 says a mental health condition will be a disability under the Act if the effect of the condition on the person’s day to day activity is:
All public bodies including adult services and children’s services have a duty to take positive action to protect and promote equality for disabled people. They should show that they have things in place to help prevent discrimination. They should promote equality in their policies and in the way they deliver services (see section 149 Equality Act 2010).
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