Child Care Department

Regrettably, some parents and family members may find themselves in dispute with Social Services about the way in which they are looking after their children.

In some cases, Social Services may even want to take their children into Local Authority care, a distressing situation for any parent or carer.

At Elliot Mather we have a team of specialists, and 6 of our solicitors in the child care team are members of the Law Society’s Children Panel Accreditation Scheme, which recognises their expertise in this area of law.  Membership of the Children Panel allows them to represent both children as well as parents and other family members in Care Proceedings, and other complex Children Act proceedings.

We are in a position to fully advise you at all stages of any dispute with Social Services, from child protection conferences through to the court proceedings.  We can represent you at a PLO (pre-proceedings) meeting called in respect of your children, to try and negotiate with the Local Authority and avoid care proceedings. We often deal with cases that involve contact with children in care and adoption.

We can represent you in any Court Proceedings brought by the Local Authority seeking an order for your children to be taken into care or to become subject to a Supervision Order (and in such cases legal aid is automatically available, without financial contribution, to parents of children who are the subject of Care Proceedings). All members of our team have extensive experience in dealing with complex cases dealing with issues such as:-

Neglect

Drug and alcohol misuse

Mental health issues

Domestic violence/abuse

Emotional harm

Sexual abuse

Physical abuse/alleged non-accidental injuries (broken/fractured bones and bruising)

Shaken baby syndrome/subdural and retinal hemorrhages

Developmental delay

Learning difficulty/disability

Dealing with the Official Solicitor

Child sexual exploitation, and

Cases with international elements.