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  • Advocacy
  • What?
    • Children in the care system under voluntary arrangements (section 20)
      • What is staying put?
      • What help can parents or carers get from children’s services if a child in care is getting ready to leave the care system?
      • What help can a young person get from children’s services when they leave a voluntary arrangement?
      • What if children’s services say a child looked after under a voluntary arrangement should not see their siblings?
      • How should sibling contact arrangements be reviewed when a child is in care under a voluntary arrangement?
      • How can parents best raise questions and concerns about contact with the independent reviewing officer? Do they have to wait for a looked after child review meeting to do this?
      • Are the any tips for parents and carers who need to talk to their child’s social worker about the plans for contact for a child in a voluntary arrangement?
      • How are contact arrangements reviewed for a child who is looked after under a voluntary arrangement?
      • What does research say helps make contact a positive experience for children looked after in the care system?
      • Who must agree to the plan for contact, for a child in care looked after under a voluntary arrangement?
      • What if a parent is unhappy with where their child is living whilst in care under a voluntary arrangement? What if their child is unhappy?
      • How should decisions about contact for a child looked after under a voluntary arrangement be made? Who should be involved in them?
      • What is foster and adoption? What does it mean if a voluntary arrangement with foster for adoption foster carers is being suggested?
      • How can a parent or carer of a child looked after under a voluntary arrangement complain about their child’s independent reviewing officer (IRO) or about a review?
      • What do children’s services have to do to understand the needs of child looked after under a voluntary arrangement?
      • Will a parent or carer know where their child is living? Can they remove their child from the voluntary arrangement? What if children’s services are worried about the child being removed?
      • Are there any duties or rules that apply when deciding where a child who is looked after under a voluntary arrangement should live?
      • Who can object to a voluntary arrangement? What happens if family members disagree with each other about a voluntary arrangement?
      • What happens to a parent or carer’s parental responsibility when a child is looked after under a voluntary arrangement?
      • In what situations can a child a become looked after under a voluntary arrangement? Where might they live? Are there some examples?
      • Where is the law about voluntary arrangements found?
      • What exactly is a voluntary arrangement? How is it different from being in care under a court order?
      • What does it mean if a child is looked after in the care system?
      • Does the Family Court have to see and agree the care plan for a child in care under a voluntary arrangement?
      • What if a parent has not been invited to their child’s looked after review? Or has not been given a copy of the review’s decisions?
      • Can a parent or carer have an advocate or supporter at a review for a child looked after under a voluntary arrangement?
      • What is the role of the independent reviewing officer (IRO)?
      • How should the care plan for a child looked after under a voluntary arrangement be reviewed?
      • Who should agree the care plan for a child who is looked after under a voluntary arrangement?
      • What are care plans, placement plans and permanence plans?
    • Complaints
      • Can parents, carers or families complain to their local councillor, MP, the government, or the courts?
      • Complaining to the Local Government Ombudsman
      • Stage three: Review panel
      • Stage one: Informal problem-solving
      • Stage two: Formal investigation
      • How can a complaint be made. Should it be in writing?
      • Will making a complaint count against a parent or carer?
      • When can a complaint be made?
    • Children in care under a court order
      • What if the parent of a child in care has not been invited to their child’s looked after review. Or given a copy of the review’s decisions
      • Can a parent or carer have an advocate or supporter at a review for a child in care under a court order?
      • What is the role of the independent reviewing officer (IRO)?
      • How can parents best raise questions and concerns about contact with the independent reviewing officer? Do they have to wait for a looked after child review meeting to do this?
      • Are the any tips for parents and carers who need to talk to their child’s social worker about the plans for contact?
      • What does research say helps make contact a positive experience for children in care?
      • Should children’s services make arrangements for a child in care under a court order to stay in touch with their wider family and friends’ network?
      • How are contact arrangements reviewed for a child who is in care under a court order?
      • Can parents get help with expenses when having contact when their child is in care under a court order?
      • Who must agree to the plan for contact, for a child in care under a court order?
      • How should decisions about contact for a child in care be made? Who should be involved in them?
      • What if a parent or carer is unhappy with where their child is living whilst in care under a court order? What if their child is unhappy?
      • Do parents and carers with parental responsibility have the right to know where their child is living when they are in care under a court order?
      • Does the Family Court have to see and agree the care plan for a child in care under a court order?
      • Who should agree the care plan for a child who is looked after under a court order?
      • What are care plans, placement plans and permanence plans?
      • Are there any duties or rules that apply when deciding where a child who is in care under a court order should live?
      • What do children’s services have to do to understand the needs of child in care under a court order?
      • How should the care plan for a child in care under a court order be reviewed?
    • Family group conferences: advice for families
      • Family group conference film: a guide for families
      • How are family group conferences used in child protection and during a pre-proceedings process?
      • When can a family group conference take place? Are there situations when family group conferences are commonly used?
    • Care (and related) proceedings
      • Who makes decisions in the Family Court?
      • Interim arrangements and plans for children during care proceedings
      • Urgent protection of children
      • What options for a child’s long-term care might be looked at during care proceedings?
      • The stages of care proceedings
      • Can final decisions and order(s) made by the court at the end of care proceedings be appealed?
      • How can a care order be brought to an end?
      • What does the Family Court have to look at when making decisions about a child?
      • What helps parents to participate in care proceedings and prepare for a final hearing?
      • How long do care proceedings take?
      • Who will be involved in the care proceedings?
      • How can a parent get a solicitor to help them during care proceedings?
      • Contact arrangements for children during care proceedings
      • What should children’s services do before starting care proceedings?
    • Adoption
      • Can a parent challenge a placement order once it is made?
      • What happens to a child’s birth certificate if they are adopted?
      • What does the Family Court look at when deciding whether to make an adoption order?
      • An adoption order: what happens during court proceedings?
      • Who can apply for an adoption order?
      • Is a child still looked after in the care system once they are placed for adoption? And who has parental responsibility for them?
      • When a placement order is made: can birth family contact continue?
      • How does an adoption agency decide who to place a child with?
      • When exactly will a placement order be made?
      • What is the effect of a placement order?
      • Placing a child for adoption: what must children’s services do?
      • When looking at whether adoption is the best plan for a child, what must children’s services do?
      • When might children’s services consider adoption?
    • Child protection
      • Can families choose to have an interpreter?
      • Can social workers look at a parent or carer’s social media accounts?
      • Will the same social worker always deal with the child’s case?
      • Will children’s services respect family culture when making child protection enquiries and doing an assessment?
      • Should children’s services involve parents or carers during child protection enquiries and assessments? How?
      • Legal planning meeting and letter/meeting before proceedings
      • Core group meeting
      • Child protection review conference
      • Initial child protection conference
      • Enquiries and assessment
      • Child protection plans
      • Strategy discussion (meeting)
      • Child protection conference film: a guide for families
    • Pre-proceedings
      • How should family and friends be involved in the pre-proceedings process?
      • What happens at a pre-proceedings meeting?
      • What is the best way to prepare for a pre-proceedings meeting?
      • What is a pre-proceedings meeting and who will attend?
      • How can a parent find a solicitor and what exactly is their role in the pre-proceedings process?
      • What should parents do first if they receive a letter before proceedings?
      • What should a letter before proceedings include?
    • Kinship care: children living with relatives or friends
    • Early help
      • What can families do if they are worried how an early help assessment has been carried out?
      • Should wider family and friends be involved in an early help assessment?
      • How should families including children be involved in early help assessments?
      • Can families choose whether to have an early help assessment?
      • Who will do an early help assessment? What information will they include?
      • When might early help be useful?
    • Child in need
      • What should happen after a young carers assessment?
      • How should a young carer’s assessment be approached?
      • What is a young carer’s assessment? When must one be done?
      • What should a young carers assessment look at and decide?
      • Can parents and carers decide what support their child gets?
      • Do families have to accept the help or services offered?
      • Can children’s services provide accommodation or help a family with housing costs?
      • If a parent or carer feels they can no longer care for their child request a foster placement for them?
      • Do parents have a choice whether to have a child in need assessment?
      • Can help be given before a child in need assessment is finished?
      • Will any extra help be for the child in need or for the parent?
      • Who will provide the extra help and services to a child in need?
      • What should be in a child in need plan?
      • What happens if a child is not assessed to be a child in need?
      • What should happen after a child in need assessment?
      • Where is the law about children in need?
      • Should a child in need assessment and plan involve family and friends?
      • Will the assessment reflect a family’s culture and community?
      • Will children’s services work with a family when doing an assessment?
      • Are there ‘rules’ children’s services have to follow when doing child in need assessments?
      • What should happen during a child in need assessment?
      • How long does a child in need assessment take?
      • A child in need assessment has been requested: what should children’s services do?
      • How can parents and carers get a child in need assessment?
      • When might a child be a child in need?
    • Children’s services
      • Social workers say my grandchildren are going into care, what can I do?
      • What happens in care proceedings?
      • I don’t see what happened between me and my partner as a ’domestic abuse’ situation, it was a one off. Why are children’s services concerned?
      • Why are social workers making child protection enquiries?
      • Can social workers remove a child from home?
      • How children’s services should make decisions, and work with families
  • Why?
    • Children with disabilities and children with special educational needs
      • Is there specific help that may be available to a disabled child and their family?
      • What if a child is not making progress, even with SEND support?
      • What is SEND support exactly?
      • If their child is struggling at school, how can a parent or carer get help?
      • Does a disabled child have a legal right to specific services?
      • Is there guidance about how help should be provided to disabled children and their families?
      • What if a child does not fit the Children Act 1989 definition of a disabled child but the child and family still need help?
      • Will children’s services agree a child with ADHD or autism is a disabled child and prove support?
      • What if children’s services won’t do a child in need assessment?
      • What should children’s services do first after a child in need assessment has been requested? And can help be given before the assessment has finished?
      • What support is available for a disabled child or a child with special educational needs, and their family?
      • What should children’s services provide as part of the council’s local offer for disabled children and children with special education needs?
      • How will families know what services are available locally?
    • Child mental ill-health
    • Adult learning difficulties and disabilities
    • Radicalisation
      • Are there signs a child or young person is being radicalised?
      • How does radicalisation happen?
    • Sexual abuse
      • What if children’s services think a child is unsafe at home due to concerns about sexual abuse?
      • What may happen if children’s services are concerned a child may be suffering sexual abuse?
      • What information may be helpful for parents or carers to understand about sexual abuse?
    • Adult physical disabilities or ill-health
      • Can a parent or carer with a physically disability or health problem get help from an advocate or supporter in meetings with children’s services?
      • Will a parent with a physical disability or health problems be treated fairly by children’s services and others?
      • If a parent or carer needs time to recover, receive treatment, or cannot cope, can they ask for their child to go into foster care?
      • What help and support may be available for a family where a parent or carer suffers with physical ill-health or is disabled?
    • Neglect
      • What if children’s services think a child is being neglected and is unsafe at home?
      • Will a child protection process begin if there are concerns a child is being neglected?
      • What help may be available to a family struggling to meet their child’s basic needs?
      • What may lead to a child’s basic needs not being met?
    • Domestic abuse
      • Domestic abuse: getting further help and advice
      • What is mediation and do I have to do this?
      • Can I get Legal Aid to apply to court?
      • Domestic abuse FAQs for mothers
      • Domestic abuse: Families’ Voices
      • Domestic abuse FAQs for fathers
    • Emotional abuse
      • What if children’s services think a child is unsafe at home because of emotional abuse?
      • What may happen if children’s services are concerned a child is suffering, or likely to suffer emotional abuse?
      • What effect can emotional abuse have on a child’s development?
      • When might emotional abuse occur? What might it involve?
    • Child exploitation
    • Physical abuse
      • What will happen if children’s services think a child is unsafe at home due to physical abuse?
    • Adult mental ill-health
      • Can a parent with a mental health condition get help from an advocate or supporter in meetings with children’s services?
      • What if children’s services think a child is unsafe at home because of the parent or carer’s mental ill-health?
      • Will a parent or carer suffering with mental ill-health be treated fairly by children’s services and other agencies?
      • Will a child protection process begin if there are concerns that a parent or carer is suffering with mental ill-health?
      • What information may help understand how a mental health condition affects a family?
      • What help may be available for a family where a parent or carer suffers mental ill-health?
    • Drug and alcohol misuse
      • How might children’s services or the Family Court look into someone’s alcohol or drug use?
      • What if children’s services think a child is unsafe at home due to the parent or carer’s alcohol or drug misuse?
      • Will children’s services be concerned if alcohol or drugs are used by a woman during their pregnancy?
      • What is meant by drug and alcohol misuse?
      • What is the impact of drug or alcohol misuse on children?
      • Will a child protection process begin if there are concerns a parent is misusing alcohol or drugs?
  • Who?
    • Kinship care
      • Kinship foster care
      • Private arrangement and private fostering
      • ‘Lives with’ child arrangements orders
      • Adoption – kinship care arrangement
      • What can a kinship carer do if they are being told they are caring for a child under a private arrangement but they think it may be kinship foster care?
      • Special guardianship orders
      • What can kinship carers do if they are feeling isolated?
      • How can someone find out what support their local children’s services department provides for kinship carers?
      • Can kinship carers get parental leave from work when taking on the care of a child?
      • Is legal aid available to apply for a child arrangements order or a special guardianship order? What is involved in applying for one of these orders?
      • Does someone who wants to become a kinship carer for a child need to apply for a Family Court order saying they can care for the child?
      • Kinship care and support with education
      • What is good practice when doing initial assessments?
      • Where can kinship carers, and potential kinship carers, get further information about initial assessments and get legal advice?
      • What happens if an initial assessment is negative? Can a negative initial assessment be challenged?
      • What is an initial assessment? When is one carried out? What does it involve? And what if care proceedings have started?
      • Should children’s services think about kinship care for a child who is already looked after in the care system?
      • When should children’s services think about kinship care? And how can family group conferences help?
      • What exactly is parental responsibility? What do kinship carers (and potential carers) need to know about it?
    • Fathers
      • Advice for fathers were there is a plan for adoption
      • Fathers and care proceedings
      • Fathers of children looked after in the care system
      • Fathers and the child protection process
      • Fathers spending time with their child when they do not live with them
      • Is there any way a stepfather can get parental responsibility for a child?
      • How can a father find out if he has parental responsibility for his child?
      • What is parental responsibility and when do fathers have, or get, it?
    • Parents to be
      • What may happen if children’s services think immediate steps need to be taken to protect a new-born baby?
      • What is a residential assessment? What is a mother and baby foster placement?
      • What is a pre-proceedings process? And when might children’s services begin one for an unborn baby?
      • If a parent to be has been in the care system themselves, does that mean children’s services must become involved with their child?
      • Does having had a child removed mean a new baby will also be removed from a parent?
      • What is good practice when doing a pre-birth assessment?
      • What is a pre-birth assessment and what may happen after one is completed?
      • What if children’s services receive information that makes then concerned about the safety of an unborn baby?
      • How can parents to be get extra help and support?
    • Mothers
      • Will a second female parent have parental responsibility?
      • Can a stepmother have parental responsibility for a child?
      • What is parental responsibility and do mothers have it?
    • Young parents
    • Parents
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    • FAQs regarding Ukrainian children and young people living in kinship arrangements in England
      • References
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      • Scenario 6 – are proceedings in relation to Ukrainian children living in England
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  • Kinship Care
    • Same Love, Same Leave: Helping kinship carers remain in work
    • Kinship Assessment Guide home page with detailed contents list
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    • Kinship Assessment Guide – Table of Contents
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