Family Members - Negative Assessments in Care Proceedings

It is not necessarily common knowledge that family members of children in care proceedings may be entitled to legal aid. If there are ongoing Court proceedings and Children’s Services have undertaken an assessment of you that you are unhappy with, you are entitled to challenge that assessment and may be eligible for legal aid to allow you to be legally represented in the proceedings.

You may be able to be made a party to the proceedings and have your views heard. The Court may direct that a social worker independent from the authority, who undertook the assessment of you, is to complete another assessment of you or quite simply allow you to challenge what has been said in the assessment.

Partner Sarah Rowe has acted for many family members in similar circumstances, gaining some fantastic results which has allowed children to remain with their biological family, as opposed to potentially being adopted or remaining in long term foster care for example.

If you are a family member within the South Yorkshire area who has had a negative assessment (either viability/connected persons/special guardianship) and the proceedings are ongoing, please contact us to discuss the available options with Sarah and her team.