Care
There are many aspects to our family legal services; our specialist child care department advises in all cases in which social services are involved, from care proceedings to care orders.
We advise and represent parents and other family members in applications brought by the social services department for care or supervision orders and can provide advice even before proceedings are brought.
Our Law Society Children Panel accredited lawyers also represent children and Children's Guardians in care cases when appointed by the court to do so.
Children's Guardians may also appoint our solicitors to provide representation in contact and residence disputes where the court has directed that the children should be separately represented from their parents.
We provide advice and representation to those seeking to adopt children, which all advisors understand can be an emotional and time consuming process.
The welfare of the child is always the most important consideration in proceedings relating to children and our specialist child care team will provide high quality advice and representation in the very complex and emotional issues involved in such proceedings.
When care proceedings occur it can be a traumatic time for the parents and children involved.
Our family department is here to help - we can advise you on the legal steps that need to be taken, so that the family can be bought back together.
The Local Authority will involve the Local Authority's Social Services Department if they believe the child/children are suffering in any way.
They will also look into whether the child would be likely to suffer any more serious harm while in your care. Our family team will deal with these cases in a sensitive and caring way as we know these proceedings can be very upsetting.
We are accredited members of the Law Society Children Panel - and this accreditation means we are able to act on behalf of children and adults in these proceedings. The accreditation also means we are able to offer the highest possible standard of legal advice.
In addition to the above we can help when a care order places a child under the care of a local council.
The
local council will share parental responsibility for the child with
the parents and will make most of the important decisions about the
child's upbringing, such as where they live and how they are
educated.
