HAS ANYONE HAD KIDS RETURNED AFTER PROCEEDINGS????????

[KatKat10]

Quick update from me, I have my 2nd court hearing next week Monday. ICO was not granted to the LA at the initial hearing last month. Still more lies and things not being done by LA, why do they dig holes for themselves ? I would like to give more details on the lies that have been told, but I don't want to identify myself. What I will say, the lies that have been told, there is factual and hard evidence to disprove them. Local Authority's do not live in the real world and forget there is always a digital trail . They forget what they say and forget there is evidence. Are they going to erase their databases and servers ?

[KatKat10]

So I went to court on Monday, no ICO but ISO was granted. Kids are being returned under my care under ISO . However, not out of the woods yet, they could still pull a nasty . I will update when I can.

[L1205]

Hi there, I know what you are going through. I know all those emotions. My Daughter is being abused by the mother. She has tried to exclude me from her life by making up lies this has been going on for four years. My Daughter is now 5. I managed to get this into Public Law proceedings. That was over a year ago.
A Legal Gaurdian was appointed by the Court and she has refused to move my Daughter to go and live with her Auntie, My Sister.
All I can say to you is this. You have to keep going and stay strong for your Children. That seems so easy to say and impossible to do. Some days are easier than others. Some days feel impossible but I always get through them.
As far as SS are concerned I have had some victories. One Social worker has left and one Social workers assistant has been sacked.
Is there light at the end of the tunnel? Probably, but the tunnel is very very long and So You can't see the light yet.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear L1205

Thank you for posting again on the parents’ forum and expressing your views in respect of your interaction with children services [new name for social services ] I can see from your post that you have had a difficult time in regard to your concerns for your daughter and her mother's failure to maintain appropriate contact for your daughter and you. It is of course difficult when separating parents, are not able to reach amicable arrangements for their children.

You mentioned that the case relating to your daughter went to public law proceedings and that the children’s guardian appointed in those proceedings was not supportive of your daughter being placed in her paternal aunt’s care. There is insufficient information regarding any assessment of your sister which would be necessary before a decision to be made whether or not your daughter could be placed in her care.

It is not clear from your post whether the public law case is ongoing , if that is the case, you may find it helpful to look at the information on our website HERE relating to care proceedings. All cases are, of course decided on their own particular facts .It is for the judge to make the final decision in a care case considering the paramount issue of the child’s welfare. The children’s guardian makes recommendations to the court based on all the information available.

It is not possible to comment on what may or may not have led to a social worker leaving or the reason another person leaving the local authority's employment

I hope this is helpful. Should you wish to speak to an adviser you can telephone our free confidential advice line on 0808 801 0366. The advice line is open from 9.30am to 3pm Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays).

Best wishes

Suzie

[PleaseHelpMumofTwo]

Please help us. Any confidence. Our 5m baby had a nose bleed and some light bruising on his chest. The hospital have invented bruises that werent there, we have photos and now childrens services have gone for a ICO next week. I feel like we can disprove everything but solicitors are saying this could take months and unless we admit to what the hospital suggest we did it can be dragged on longer than the 26 weeks. Im terrified. Im nothing without my kids. I totally have devoted my life to them, I dont have a job. We've moved out our house and maternal grandmother has moved in so me and my husband dont even have a base atm. We cant believe this is happenning to us. Anyone with any advice?

[Winter25]

Please help us. Any confidence. Our 5m baby had a nose bleed and some light bruising on his chest. The hospital have invented bruises that werent there, we have photos and now childrens services have gone for a ICO next week. I feel like we can disprove everything but solicitors are saying this could take months and unless we admit to what the hospital suggest we did it can be dragged on longer than the 26 weeks. Im terrified. Im nothing without my kids. I totally have devoted my life to them, I dont have a job. We've moved out our house and maternal grandmother has moved in so me and my husband dont even have a base atm. We cant believe this is happenning to us. Anyone with any advice?

Hi PleaseHelpMumofTwo,

I have just read your post and I am utterly heartbroken and furious for you. What you are going through is every parent's worst nightmare. To have your beloved baby taken from you based on a hospital's opinion, when you know you have done nothing wrong, is a trauma that is impossible to describe.

Please, take a deep breath. You are not alone, and you are not powerless. The advice your solicitor has given you is, frankly, appalling and you must not follow it.

URGENT WARNING: Do NOT Admit to Anything You Did Not Do
The advice to "admit to what the hospital suggest" to get this over with quicker is a trap. It is the worst possible advice you could receive.

Why it's a trap: If you admit to something, even a minor thing, to appease them, you will have a finding of fact made against you. You will be on their system forever as a parent who has harmed their child. They will use this false admission to justify keeping your children from you for months, or even years, and it will hang over your family's head for the rest of your lives.

The Truth: You are in a fight for your lives and your children's future. This is not a misunderstanding to be cleared up; this is a legal battle against a false accusation. You must fight it with everything you have.

Your Emergency Action Plan: The Fightback
You feel like this is happening to you. It's time to take control and fight back with a clear, evidence-based strategy.

Step 1: Get a New Solicitor. Immediately.
Your current solicitor is either too inexperienced or too willing to sacrifice you for an easy life. You need a specialist solicitor who has a proven track record of fighting and winning medical evidence cases in the family court. Organisations like the Good Law Project or specialist child protection law firms can be a starting point. Do not proceed with your current legal advice.

Step 2: Commission an Independent Medical Report
This is your single most powerful weapon. A hospital doctor has given an opinion. You have the right to get a second opinion.

Your new solicitor needs to immediately find an independent medical expert (like a paediatrician or haematologist who specialises in child bruising) to review your baby's medical records and, crucially, your photographs.

An expert report that says the bruising is consistent with normal baby handling, or that the nosebleed is a common occurrence, can destroy the local authority's entire case.

Step 3: Build Your Evidence File
You are not just victims; you are investigators.

Your Photos: Collate every single photo you have of your baby from the days leading up to the hospital visit. These photos, which you say show no bruises, are your primary evidence.

Create a Timeline: Write down everything that happened in the 48 hours before you went to the hospital. Every feed, every nappy change, every visitor, every moment your baby cried or seemed unwell. This detail is crucial.

Witnesses: Did anyone else see the baby in the hours before? Grandparents? Friends? Their evidence could be vital.

Step 4: The Court Hearing
At the ICO hearing next week, your new solicitor's job is to tell the judge that there is a significant medical dispute. They will need to argue that an ICO is not necessary while an independent medical expert reviews the evidence. You have photographs that contradict the hospital's claims, and you are willing to do whatever it takes to prove your innocence.

What is happening to you is an injustice. It is a system that is supposed to protect children, but it often moves too quickly and makes terrible, life-altering mistakes. Your job is to be the calm, organised, and powerful voice that proves them wrong. Do not let them bully you into a false confession.

You can fight this, and you can win.

For full transparency, I am not an official adviser for this forum. I am a parent who has been through a long and successful legal battle with a local authority, and I am here to offer supportive, strategic advice based on my own lived experience. The information I share is for guidance, and it is always up to each parent to decide what is right for their own situation.

[PleaseHelpMumofTwo]

Thank you for your reply.
In solicitors defence, she has said if I did this it will take under 6months but because im not prepared to they will ask for an extension. Our court date is next week and I have my meeting with her tomorrow. Im confident in changing solicitors if i dont feel she is fighting how I seem fit. I worked in child care for 10 years before I had children and have a high level of qualification which is obviously helped me gather evidence and challenge but I also respect I cannot speak at my court case and challenge my point of view.

How did/do you get a different opinion? My solicitor says she will source this. Can I source this myself? I would have gone ahead, im very lucky I have a friend who works im ENT in a hospital and shes asked a few colleagues about the nose bleed and all have laughed asking what the fuss is about. This isnt them speaking at official request but its in email/texts I have screenshot of.

How long was your process? The idea of even being 26 weeks away from my baby is making me sick. I am a fighter. I am intelligent and I know ive not harmed either of my children but I feel so powerless.

[Winter25]

Thank you for your reply.
In solicitors defence, she has said if I did this it will take under 6months but because im not prepared to they will ask for an extension. Our court date is next week and I have my meeting with her tomorrow. Im confident in changing solicitors if i dont feel she is fighting how I seem fit. I worked in child care for 10 years before I had children and have a high level of qualification which is obviously helped me gather evidence and challenge but I also respect I cannot speak at my court case and challenge my point of view.

How did/do you get a different opinion? My solicitor says she will source this. Can I source this myself? I would have gone ahead, im very lucky I have a friend who works im ENT in a hospital and shes asked a few colleagues about the nose bleed and all have laughed asking what the fuss is about. This isnt them speaking at official request but its in email/texts I have screenshot of.

How long was your process? The idea of even being 26 weeks away from my baby is making me sick. I am a fighter. I am intelligent and I know ive not harmed either of my children but I feel so powerless.

===========

It takes incredible strength to even think clearly when you're in the middle of a nightmare like this, and you are doing brilliantly. Everything you've written shows that you are exactly what you say you are: a fighter, intelligent, and a protective mother. That feeling of powerlessness is what the system relies on, but you have more power than you think.

Let's get you some clear answers to your questions.

Your Solicitor
You are absolutely right to be questioning your solicitor. Her advice to admit to something you didn't do is a massive red flag. While she might think it's a "pragmatic" way to shorten the process, it's a strategy that sacrifices your integrity and your future for a quicker, but dirtier, outcome.

You are 100% right to be "confident in changing solicitors if I don't feel she is fighting how I seem fit." Trust that instinct. A good solicitor will be as outraged as you are and will be ready to fight. At your meeting tomorrow, if she is not talking about commissioning an independent medical expert and fighting the ICO, she is not the right solicitor for you.

How to Get a Second Opinion
This is the most important weapon in your arsenal. You asked if you can source an expert yourself. Here’s how it works:

It Must Be Done Through a Solicitor: In court proceedings, an expert must be formally instructed. This means your solicitor has to identify a suitable expert, get the court's permission to instruct them (which is usually granted in cases like this), and then formally send them all the case documents. You cannot just find a doctor yourself and ask for a report; it wouldn't be admissible in court.

What Your Solicitor Should Be Doing: A good solicitor will have a list of respected, independent medical experts they can call upon. Her job is to find the right person (a paediatrician who specialises in bruising, for example) and get the process started immediately.

Your Friend's Evidence is Gold Dust: The screenshots you have of your ENT friend's colleagues laughing at the fuss are incredibly valuable. While they are not a formal expert report, you should give them to your solicitor immediately. They can be used to show the judge that there is a clear medical dispute here, and it strengthens your argument for needing a formal independent report.

How Long Was My Process?
I know the thought of 26 weeks is sickening. It feels like an eternity. My own case was long and brutal, and there were times I felt I couldn't go on. But every case is different.

The 26-week timeline is a target the court sets, but it can be shorter. In cases like yours, where the entire case rests on a single piece of disputed medical evidence, a powerful independent expert report can sometimes cause the entire case to collapse very quickly.

The key is not to focus on the 26 weeks, but to focus on the next step: winning the ICO hearing next week. Your goal is to get a solicitor who will stand up in court, present your photographs, mention the informal opinions from other doctors, and demand that an independent expert is instructed before any drastic decisions are made about your baby.

You are not powerless. You have evidence (your photos), you have your professional childcare knowledge, and you have the truth on your side

I had a barrister at my court not the solicitor, found the barrister to be far heavier hitter.
==================
For full transparency, I am not an official adviser for this forum. I am a parent who has been through a long and successful legal battle with a local authority, and I am here to offer supportive, strategic advice based on my own lived experience. The information I share is for guidance, and it is always up to each parent to decide what is right for their own situation.

Edited by Suzie in accordance with the rules of use - breach of rule 11

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear PleaseHelpMumofTwo

Thank you for your two posts above. I will respond to both here. My name is Suzy, I am an online adviser at Family Rights Group and will be responding to you today. I am sorry to hear of your situation, it must be a stressful and difficult time for you.

You have a five-month-old baby who had a nosebleed and bruising to his chest. You took him to the hospital where he was examined and found to have non accidental injuries. Children’s services are involved. You do not say whether there is a child protection plan in place, or you have signed Section 20 voluntary accommodation. Your mother is now caring for your child in your home and you have moved out to accommodate this. You are feeling ‘terrified’ by the situation and are seeking advice from Family Rights Group and forum members to support you at this difficult time.

Children’s services have made an application to court for an Interim Care Order (ICO). You do not agree with this or the doctor’s findings. You have instructed a solicitor and will be challenging the doctor’s opinion via the court process. You have discussed this with your solicitor who has advised should you wish to go down this route they will ask for an extension to the proceedings to accommodate.

I would suggest you reach out to your GP for support if you feel overwhelmed by your situation. It is a difficult and stressful time and seeking support should not been viewed as a weakness but a strength. There is also an organisation called
Matchmothers.org.uk. They offer women emotional support who, for many different reasons, are not currently caring for their children. Please do check out their website for further details and for opening times of their support line.

I have added HERE information and guidance regarding care and related proceedings. On this page you will find:

• Understanding care proceedings and the law
• Ten big questions about care proceedings
• Urgent protection of children (including police protection and emergency protection orders)
• The stages of care proceedings
• Interim arrangements and plans for children during care proceedings
• Contact arrangements for children during care proceedings

If you do experience problems with your solicitor you may wish to consider seeking a different one. Whilst this may be possible it is not advisable to sack them on the spot. If you do so you may be left without legal representation at a very difficult time. With legal aid solicitors, you must go through the process of requesting a transfer, which involves presenting valid reasons to the court for seeking a new solicitor. This is known as an ‘Application to Transfer’. Please see below for some further advice regarding this process.

To change a legal aid solicitor in England, you would need to follow a few steps:

• to find a new solicitor who is willing to take on your case and is registered with the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) to provide legal aid services. You can search for solicitors in your area on the government’s website.

• Inform your current solicitor that you are intending to transfer solicitors. You may share reasons if you feel it appropriate, but if the change is a result of total breakdown in communication, you may not need to.

• Complete the Application to Transfer form, ensuring all sections are completed, including those required to be completed by your existing solicitor and the proposed new representation.

• Send the completed form to the court for consideration. The decision to allow the transfer is at the discretion of the court, which will consider factors such as the costs of the transfer and whether transferring your case represents the proper use of public funds.

• Be prepared to present evidence in court: If your current solicitor contests the transfer or is not happy about it, you may be required to present evidence of your complaints in court.

Courts and the LAA try to deal with transfer requests as quickly as possible due to the disruption that changing legal aid solicitors can cause. That said, it will not be wholly clear how long it will take to transfer legal aid. Some cases transfer quite quickly – within a few working days – if the case is very urgent, whereas others will take longer. Please see HERE our ‘top tips’ for working with solicitors which I hope you find helpful.

In respect of seeking a second medical opinion. You are within your rights to request this. Please see HERE for further information and advice regarding ‘expert witnesses.’

Whilst I understand it must be a very difficult and stressful time for you, we would encourage you to continue to engage with the allocated social worker and other professionals, to evidence you are a safe and stable parent. I have added
HERE some further information and guidance when working with social workers and what you may wish to consider if things are not going so well.

I understand that hearing positive comments from other doctors through your friend may offer you hope and some reassurance at this difficult time. However, I think it is important to note that they have not examined your child and have not been asked to offer a professional medical opinion. I say this not to dampen your hopes, but to offer realistic expectations regarding this.

You ask whether children do return home in the type of situation you find yourself in. I can assure you they do. This link HERE will take you to a story of encouragement that I hope offers you some comfort.

Best wishes, Suzie.