Pre proceedings

[Saz6543]

I am being kept on a pre proceedings plan and child protection for longer than needed due to social workers not completing the assessments in the time frame! What can be done about this?

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Saz6543,

Thank you for your enquiry and welcome to the Parent’s Forum.

You have explained that your child or children have been placed in a pre-proceedings process and a child protection plan.
You feel that there are delays in the completion of assessments and in your opinion this has resulted in your family being kept in pre-proceedings and on a child protection plan for longer than is necessary.

Parents in the pre-proceedings process are entitled to legal aid for representation by a solicitor at the initial meeting and all pre-proceedings review meetings. I would advise you to ask your solicitor to contact children’s services to find out the reasons for the delay in the assessment and ask for an update on when it will be ready for you to read.

You could also email the social worker and social work team manager to enquire about the delay and update on when the assessment will be completed. It is important to keep a record of each time you have made the enquiry and the responses received so that you know where you are in the process and what to expect next. You may find this guide to working with a social worker useful. You can read it here .

When the assessment is made available, you should go through it carefully and meet with your solicitor to discuss all the points raised and whether you feel that suitable support has been offered so that your child or children can remain safely at home.
Further detailed information about all aspects of pre-proceedings is here .

In answer to your question on child protection procedures. Once a child is placed on a child protection plan children’s services must hold the first review conference within three months of the initial conference. Further reviews should be at least every six months.
Your child’s social worker or the social work team manager should be able to advise you on the date of the next review conference and outline what will be discussed.

During the review conference, practitioners will consider how you and have progressed towards the planned outcomes. The planned outcomes should have been part of the full child protection plan, so it is important that you have a copy of the child protection plan to refer to and prepare for the next review conference.
At the review conference you should be given an opportunity to say what has changed in the family’s situation. You should have the chance to explain why the child is no longer at risk of significant harm (if that is your view).

Further information on Child Protection Review Conferences is here .

I am also sending you a link to information on the complaints process You may wish to look at this if your enquiries about the timescales are not answered fully. You can read this here
Complaints

I hope this has helped you think about your next steps.
Further ways to seek advice from Family Rights Group can be found in this link.

Best wishes,
Suzie