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.
Two children come to England with their parents under the Ukraine Family Scheme. They are joining their aunt and uncle who live in the UK. One of the children suffers a non-accidental injury, thought to be attributable to one of the parents. Care proceedings are initiated.
The court may need to consider the issue of jurisdiction at the outset of the care proceedings under the 1996 Hague Convention Article 5 and 6, and certify the basis upon which it is empowered to make substantive decisions as to the child’s welfare.
It may be appropriate to notify the Ukrainian Embassy that care proceedings have been issued concerning two of its nationals, subject to this not placing the children or their extended family at risk. Background information on the children’s situation in Ukraine, and in particular whether there have been any child protection interventions / investigations there, may be sought through the Central Authority under the 1996 Hague Convention Article 34, subject to the capacity / functioning of the Ukrainian Central Authority.
The guidance for local authorities on making a request to the Central Authority can be found here.
An assessment may be conducted of the children’s maternal grandparents in Italy may be conducted to ascertain whether they are appropriate alternative carers for the children. Local assessment of the maternal grandparents may be commissioned via CFAB or the Central Authority as Italy is also a Contracting State to the 1996 Hague Convention. If a placement with the children’s maternal grandparents is explored, the issue of the children’s immigration status should be considered as early as possible, in particular whether they would be able to live permanently in Italy, and the impact relocating to Italy would have on their existing visa, and ability to visit the UK to have contact with their parents (for example).
Guidance for local authorities on working with foreign social services can be found in the International Kinship Care Guide.
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