Needing answers to my questions

[Frazor]

Can anyone help me out here please if a child is on a care order but is living at home with there mother, will there still be LAC review meetings and PEP meetings being held? Also can anyone please tell me what is the difference beteween a care order by the local authority with shared parental responsibility with the child's parent and the child continues to live at home with the parent and a looked after child by the local authority with shared parental responsibility as the child's parent with the child living at home with the child's parent? Or are the 2 orders the same?

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Frasor,

If a child under care order is living at home, there will still be looked after child (LAC) review meetings and PEP meetings. The placement at home will also be kept under review by senior manager in children services.

In respect of your second question, I will explain what “Looked after child” means. It covers two different legal statuses of a child.
Firstly, a child who is under a court order such as a care order. The court order gives children services parental responsibility which they share with the parent, but the local authority can in most cases overrule the parent when making decisions.
Secondly, a child who is in care but with no court order known as a “voluntary arrangement”. Children services do not have parental responsibility.

You refer to 2 situations in your post and I think they say the same thing.

If you are worried about the child living at home, you could speak to the social worker, and the independent reviewing officer (IRO). Here are tips about speaking to the IRO


I hope this helps but if you have any questions, please post again.
Best wishes,
Suzie