Pre-Proceedings

If social services are involved with your family and you receive a Pre-Proceedings Letter inviting you to attend a Pre-Proceedings Meeting at social services, please contact us immediately to arrange for one of our experienced child care solicitors to attend the meeting with you.  At a Pre-Proceedings Meeting you are entitled to free legal advice and representation from your own solicitor.  The meeting would be attended by your child’s social worker, the team manager and the local authority solicitor.  Together they will set out the concerns in respect of your child and their welfare.  The meeting is an opportunity for you to fully understand the social workers’ expectations which if you go on to meet would avoid an application being made to the court for an order to remove your child from your care.

It is therefore important that you have the best legal advice at the meeting to ensure the expectations are fair and reasonable, and that you fully understand what you need to do in order to avoid care proceedings being commenced.  Our solicitors will remain available to you for advice throughout the Pre-Proceedings period and we will attend any review meetings held by social services.