Are parenting assessments classed as visits

[Braveandbecoming]

Hi
I have recently recieved the final report from social services and it states that during proceedings visits have been done 2-3 time a week. I know this hasn't happened. I've asked for a list from the family support worker and social worker of the dates of visits and got my call list history from both along with screen shots of messages between us. However my question is are parenting assessment sessions classed as visits? yes the social worker came to the house and on occasion saw my twins but my understanding of visits is that they would come and spend time looking at how we behave as a family not a season of doing the questions, answers and RAG scoring. My twins are twelve not babies and have remained with me as a home placement agreement. Social services have not given the level of intense support that was recommended but have reported that they have. Can anyone shed any light on this as I feel like social services are doing everything in their power to remove the children without doing the work I desperately need.

[Winter25]

Hi Braveandbecoming,

Short answer is no, parenting assessment sessions are not automatically the same thing as “visits”, especially in the way social services usually mean when they describe frequency of visits in reports.

In Children’s Services language, there is a distinction between:

1. Statutory / support visits
These are visits where the social worker or family support worker comes to:

see the children
observe day-to-day family life
check on welfare and safety
offer support or monitor how plans are working

These are what most parents reasonably understand as “visits”, particularly when reports talk about visiting 2–3 times a week.

2. Parenting assessment sessions
These are structured assessment appointments. Even if they take place in the home and the children are present briefly, their primary purpose is:

completing assessment tools
asking questions
scoring (RAG, scales, checklists)
gathering information for a report

They are not the same as ongoing family observation or support, especially with older children like your twins.

If the social worker came primarily to complete assessment tasks rather than to observe family interaction or provide support, it is misleading to count those sessions as “visits” in the ordinary sense.

The fact that:

your twins are 12
they have remained with you under a home placement agreement
the recommended level of support was not actually delivered
all strengthens your point.

What you are already doing and asking for:

a dated list of visits
call logs
message records

is the right approach.

A reasonable next step (in writing) is to ask them to clarify how they are defining “visits” in the report, for example:

“Please can you confirm whether parenting assessment sessions have been counted as statutory or support visits, and if so, on what basis. My understanding is that these sessions were assessment-focused rather than observational or support-based.”

You’re not being difficult by raising this remember that. Reports must be accurate, transparent, and capable of being evidenced. If they are overstating the level of involvement or support provided, that is something you are entitled to challenge.

======
For full transparency, I am not an official adviser. I am a parent with lived experience of the family court system, offering strategic guidance. Always consult with a solicitor regarding ongoing court proceedings.

[Braveandbecoming]

Thank you so much you have cleared that up brilliantly

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Braveandbecoming

Welcome to the parents’ discussion board. Thank you for your post. My name is Suzie. I am Family Rights Group’s online adviser.

I am sorry to hear about your difficult family situation. I know it is hard. I understand that there are care proceedings for your 12-year-old twins; they have remained at home with you during the court case. You describe how children’s services have not provided you with the intense support that was recommended. That must be very frustrating; you are right to flag this.

You are concerned that there are misrepresentations in children’s services final report. The first and most crucial step that I would suggest you take is to discuss your concerns as soon as you can with your solicitor. They are best placed to advise on how to respond in the court arena. Please see how to work with your solicitor to help you.

You are unsure about how children’s services record ‘visits’ to your family home. You are worried that they have classed some situations where they came to your home as ‘visits’ when they were in fact there to conduct your parenting assessment. Your concern is that this gives a false impression that they supported you more actively than they did. I can see your point of view and that you want to make sure that any decisions the court makes for your children are based on accurate information.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide a definitive answer to your question, ‘are parenting assessment sessions classed as visits?’ I hope, though, that the advice and information below will help you find a way to address your worries about the situation.

However, it seems to me that the main issue for you and the argument that you may want to make, with your solicitor’s help, is that you have engaged, you are doing your very best but you have not received the level of identified professional support that you and your children need to help them to thrive at home with you. Focusing on how visits are recorded may distract in some ways from the bigger support (or lack of support) issues and how you can best argue that your children should stay at home with you.

In general, whenever a person comes to your home they are ‘visiting.’ Of course, when a social worker attends a family’s home that is not a social visit, it is a professional visit, with a specific purpose and takes place under a particular legal framework. However, in a general sense, every time a social worker comes to see you this is a ‘visit’ as that is the term used to describe ‘meeting’ and where it takes place. And if a social worker sees the children when they are in your family home they will record this too.

As you know there are different types of home visits some of which are required by law such as child protection visits or visits to looked after children; in both situations their frequency is set out in statutory guidance: Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023) and Care Planning, Placement and Case Review regulations (2010). You haven’t specified if there is an interim care order in place but say that your children have remained with you under a ‘home placement agreement’ which may be the process your local authority use to manage arrangements for children to remain at home during care proceedings. You should have a copy of your local authority policy and refer to the details in the ‘agreement’ about the frequency and purpose of home visits. If you think the social worker did not follow this policy and did not do all the required statutory visits, you can also raise this with the Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO).

You are right that parenting assessment sessions are structured sessions; they are designed to evaluate a parent’s ability to meet their child’s physical, emotional, and developmental needs. Social workers use a variety of methods when doing a parenting assessment, this can include gathering information from a home visit too. You should have been given written information about what to expect during a parenting assessment.

You have already taken steps to put together your own chronology of visits and contacts. That is a reasonable thing to do. Another parent also advised that you ask the social worker in writing to clarify how they are defining visits in their report and specifically how they are recording parenting assessment sessions. This is a good idea. They should clarify these points. You can then decide with your solicitor’s help (based on all the information contained in the social worker’s statement) how you wish to respond in your statement.

We have information here which explains how courts make decisions for children in care proceedings. We also have advice on here about how to prepare for final hearings.

I hope that this helps.

Please consider calling the freephone advice line if you would like to talk through your situation in more depth with an experienced adviser; the freephone number is 0808 8010366 and the lines are open from 9.30 a.m. to 3.00 p.m., Mon to Fri (except bank holidays). If you prefer, you can post back on this board, send an advice enquiry or use webchat.

With best wishes

Suzie

[Braveandbecoming]

How thank you for your reply. We have had two hearings in court one was face to face the other was remotely done. I'm back in court on the 17th of march. The LA final report came to me a week late. My barrister has been off sick and my family support worker has left her job role and social services aren't replacing her. They have told me I'm prioritising my job over the children but have refused to give me any indication of what I should do. I asked if I should give up my job and the social worker said that they would never ask me to do that which feels really contradictory. They have said I need support with my ADHD but have only suggested ADHD Northwest which sports parents of children with ADHD and adults up to the age of 25 ( from what I can remember) I've found a localish face to face support group which I have made contact with called and Lancashire. I've been in touch with a company that deals with employment and has ips workers to try and find out what I should do with my job which I'm currently off sick with stress (not surprising). I'm feeling really unsupported by the LA and have been set up to fail from the start. Two parenting assessments have been carried out with no therapeutic work in between, how am I supposed to improve when no work has been done to support me make the changes. I don't know what support I can get or what I'm entitled to as this has not been explored with me. My journey with social services has been one of instability and continuous change, I had for different social workers in five months which isn't mentioned anywhere on the paperwork. I've tried my best to do what has been asked but it still doesn't seem to be good enough

[Braveandbecoming]

The support group is under ADHD Lancashire (phone likes to autocorrect me)

[Winter25]

Hi Braveandbecoming,

I can really hear how exhausted and frustrated you are.

There are a few important points in what you’ve written.

First , two parenting assessments with no therapeutic work in between.
You are absolutely right to question that. An assessment measures current functioning. It does not, by itself, create change. If professionals are saying you “need to improve” but no structured support was put in place between assessments to help you make those changes, that is a valid issue to raise through your solicitor.

Courts understand the difference between:

assessing a parent and supporting a parent to improve.

If no therapeutic or practical work was offered between assessments, that weakens any argument that you “failed to progress”.

Secondly the job contradiction.
Telling you that you are “prioritising your job over the children” but also saying they would never ask you to give up your job is, understandably, confusing. In reality, local authorities rarely tell parents to leave employment because financial stability is protective and housing stability is protective.

What they may be implying (poorly) is concerns about availability, flexibility, or stress levels, but they need to be specific. Vague criticism is not helpful, and your solicitor can ask them to clarify exactly what behavioural change they expect.

You did the right thing by contacting:

ADHD Lancashire
employment support
IPS workers

That shows initiative so well done in doing that.

Third, instability of professionals.
Four social workers in five months is significant. That absolutely impacts consistency of planning and support. While it may not automatically win a case, it is relevant context. You can include this in your statement as factual chronology, without attacking anyone.

Now strategically for 17 March:

Your key argument is not:
“They didn’t visit enough.”

It is:
“I engaged with every assessment. I asked for support. No therapeutic or structured work was put in place between assessments to help me improve. I cannot demonstrate sustained change if no change programme was provided.”

That is a stronger, court-focused point in my opinion.

Also, if they say you need ADHD support, it is reasonable to ask (in writing):

What specific support do you expect me to engage in?
Is there a referral pathway you can make?
What measurable outcomes are you looking for?

Put the responsibility back onto clarity, not onto you guessing.

And Finally, being off sick with stress right now is not a moral failure. It’s a sign of the pressure you’re under. The important thing is how you frame it: you are seeking help, not collapsing.

You are not “set up to fail” because you are documenting, questioning, and preparing. That is the opposite of passive.

Between now and the 17th I would suggest the following

1Work closely with your solicitor or barrister

2Focus on the lack of therapeutic intervention between assessments

3Document all attempts you’ve made to seek support

4Keep your tone factual, not emotional, in written communication

You are entitled to clarity about what is expected of you.
============

For transparency: I am not an official adviser, just a parent with lived experience offering peer support. Always follow your solicitor’s advice in active court proceedings.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

How thank you for your reply. We have had two hearings in court one was face to face the other was remotely done. I'm back in court on the 17th of march. The LA final report came to me a week late. My barrister has been off sick and my family support worker has left her job role and social services aren't replacing her. They have told me I'm prioritising my job over the children but have refused to give me any indication of what I should do. I asked if I should give up my job and the social worker said that they would never ask me to do that which feels really contradictory. They have said I need support with my ADHD but have only suggested ADHD Northwest which sports parents of children with ADHD and adults up to the age of 25 ( from what I can remember) I've found a localish face to face support group which I have made contact with called and Lancashire. I've been in touch with a company that deals with employment and has ips workers to try and find out what I should do with my job which I'm currently off sick with stress (not surprising). I'm feeling really unsupported by the LA and have been set up to fail from the start. Two parenting assessments have been carried out with no therapeutic work in between, how am I supposed to improve when no work has been done to support me make the changes. I don't know what support I can get or what I'm entitled to as this has not been explored with me. My journey with social services has been one of instability and continuous change, I had for different social workers in five months which isn't mentioned anywhere on the paperwork. I've tried my best to do what has been asked but it still doesn't seem to be good enough

Dear Braveandbecoming,

This is Suzie here. Thank you for your updating posts and I hope the following information is some help to you.

You say that you have been told that you are prioritising your job over your children, but that you have also been told by the social worker that they are not asking you to give up your job. This sounds confusing and you are unsure what to do with this. I don’t know what your financial situation is, but for most people, working is necessary to provide financial stability and housing for their children, so giving up your job would negatively affect this. It might be helpful to ask the social worker to explain specifically what they mean when they say that you are prioritising your job over your children. What exactly are they concerned about and what changes do they feel need to be made to demonstrate that your children are your priority rather than your job? For example sometimes the concerns around a job are to do with the working hours. If a parent is working night shifts and leaving their children alone overnight then this may be a concern. Or if a parent is working between 2pm and 10pm everyday and their children are home alone every afternoon/evening after school then this may cause concern about the children not being supervised. These are just examples of why children’s services may feel concerned about the impact of a parent’s job on their ability to safeguard their children.

It may be helpful to explain that in the UK employees now have the legal right to request flexible working from their first day of employment. Employers must consider the request fairly and if they reject the request they must be able to show why this request would impact negatively on the organisation. If a request is rejected unfairly, the employee may be able to make a complaint to an employment tribunal. You might find it helpful to read more information about this on the CarersUK website HERE.

It is positive to hear that you have found a company that offers support and advice regarding employment – I hope that this is helpful to you and that you are able to work this issue out.

You have been told that you need to access support for your ADHD but you are not eligible for the organisation that children’s services suggested. Instead you have done your own research and found an alternative. This is proactive and demonstrates that you are willing to find and engage in support that has been suggested. I hope that you find the organisation helpful.

I am sorry to hear that you weren’t provided with any therapeutic support between your two parenting assessments, and that there have been so many social workers assigned to your children’s case in such a short period of time. This cannot have been helpful. I would suggest that you speak with your barrister about this and ask them to raise this in court as these are valid points which the court should be aware of.

I hope that this is of some help. Please post again if you would like further advice.

Best wishes,
Suzie