Representing children in child care proceedings
Our London Child Care lawyers specialise in giving clear legal advice to children and young people and are always sympathetic to their need to fully understand their situation.
How can our child care solicitors help?
A young person may seek legal advice in the following situations:
Contact / Residence disputes between your parents
If parents separate it is likely to be one of the most stressful times in the life of a young person, especially if the parents cannot agree the arrangements for them. In most family court proceedings, the child’s voice is heard through a Cafcass Family Court Reporter who will speak to the child and report the child’s wishes to the court. He or she will make a recommendation about what is in the child’s best interests in terms of where the child should live or whether the child should have contact with a parent. The child’s wishes and feelings are just one of the things the Judge has to consider when making a decision about what court order to make.
A young person who fully understands the decision that the court has to make may not agree with the recommendation and may wish to have legal advice about challenging it. Our child care lawyers are happy to give legal advice to young people who are able to understand the case about their rights and options in relation to court proceedings. A young person is likely to be eligible for legal aid to receive advice about the court proceedings between their parents. We will always do our best to help a young person seek a solution to the issues without having to become involved in court proceedings if at all possible.
Care / Supervision proceedings brought by social services
Where social services are involved and have taken a case to court asking for a care order, a young person can be removed from the care of their parents (or other carers). In this situation the court will always appoint an independent solicitor like one of our accredited Children Panel members to represent the young person’s interests in court. A Children’s Guardian will be appointed who makes a recommendation to the court stating whether they think the young person should be placed away from their parents’ care.
Sometimes children do not agree with the recommendation of the Children’s Guardian. Our child care lawyers are happy to advise young people about their rights before social services start court proceedings or during court proceedings.
Our services include:
For any enquiries, please call +44 20 7228 0017 or contact our child care law team via the form below.
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