Guides / Social services
Chapter 14 · 4 min read
Finding your place in the system
In short
- 1Ask what decision is being made now and what evidence will be used.
- 2A Letter Before ProceedingsLetter Before Proceedings. A formal letter telling a parent or other person with parental responsibility that the local authority is considering applying for a care or supervision order. or court papers mean legal advice straight away.
- 3Check deadlines, and ask which national or local rule applies.
A lot of dads feel lost because nobody has shown them the map. Meetings have different names, and early assessments can shape later decisions. This is the general route in England, from the first contact to court.
Who does what
- Social worker or lead practitionerLead practitioner. The named professional who coordinates support and keeps the family’s plan under review.: runs the assessment and the plan day to day.
- Their manager: signs off decisions.
- Conference chair: should be independent of your case. Sometimes another social worker, sometimes an independent chair, but not the person working with your family.
- Complaints team: can point you to the right complaints route.
- Your solicitor: anything legal. Nobody at social care can advise you on that.
- An advocate or supporter: can help you understand what's happening and get your views across, but isn't a substitute for legal advice.
If you're ever unsure who you're talking to, ask: what's your role, what can you decide, and what happens next?
The route
It isn't always a fixed sequence. A case may close, move to support, step up to child protection enquiries or go straight to court.
The levels of the system
Referral and help
Voluntary support for children and families with identified needs.
ReferralFamily HelpChild in Need
Child protection
Where significant harm is suspected.
Strategy discussionSection 47 enquiriesConferenceChild Protection Plan
Court
The local authority is considering, or has applied for, a care or supervision order.
Pre-proceedingsCourt proceedings
A case can step up or step down, or close, at any point.
| Stage | What it is | Your focus |
|---|---|---|
| Referral (front door or MASHMulti-agency safeguarding hub (MASH). A team where children’s services, police, health and other agencies share information about safeguarding concerns and decide what action may be needed. Local names vary.) | The team that takes referrals reviews the information and should decide the next step within one working day. | Understand the concern, the decision and the next step. |
| Family HelpFamily Help. The coordinated approach described in Working Together 2026, bringing targeted early help and section 17 support into a more seamless offer through a family help plan and named lead practitioner. Local arrangements…, section 17Child in Need (CIN) / section 17. A child who is unlikely to achieve or maintain a reasonable standard of health or development without services; whose health or development is likely to be significantly or further impaired without services; or who…, Child in Need | Voluntary, coordinated help for children and families with identified needs. | Confirm the legal basis, lead practitioner, plan, actions, support and review date. |
| Strategy discussionStrategy discussion. Multi-agency discussion (usually without parents) to plan section 47 enquiries and immediate safety. | Agencies share information and plan section 47Section 47. Local authority duty to make enquiries where there is reasonable cause to suspect significant harm. enquiries where significant harm is suspected. | Ask what's been decided, what happens next and whether any immediate arrangements apply. |
| Section 47 enquiries | Social care, often with police and health, looks at whether your child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. | Cooperate, give a clear account and follow any immediate safety arrangements. |
| Initial child protection conferenceInitial Child Protection Conference (ICPC). Multi-agency meeting that decides whether a Child Protection Plan is needed. | If serious concerns remain, the conference decides whether a Child Protection PlanChild Protection Plan. A formal multi-agency plan to reduce the risk of significant harm. is needed. | Correct important mistakes and help make any plan specific and measurable. |
| Core groupCore Group. The smaller group (including parents and key professionals) that turns the conference outline into detailed action and reviews progress. and Child Protection Plan | Parents and key professionals turn the plan into detailed actions and review progress. | Check every action has an owner, a date, support and a clear outcome. |
| Public Law OutlinePLO / Public Law Outline / pre-proceedings. Formal process when the local authority is considering an application for a care or supervision order. (pre-proceedings) | The local authority is considering applying for a care or supervision orderSupervision order. A court order requiring a named supervisor, usually the local authority, to advise, assist and support the child.. | Contact a solicitor straight away and go with legal representation. |
| Court proceedings | The court decides whether the legal threshold is met and whether an order is needed. | Follow legal advice and put forward safe, realistic options for your child. |
At the serious stages
An initial child protection conference is a multi-agency meeting, not a court hearing. If a Child Protection Plan is made, the core group turns it into actions and checks progress. Ask for the plan, minutes, named actions, support and review dates.
A Letter Before ProceedingsLetter Before Proceedings. A formal letter telling a parent or other person with parental responsibility that the local authority is considering applying for a care or supervision order. is a formal warning that the local authority is considering a care or supervision application. Contact a solicitor straight away, take the whole letter and go to the pre-proceedings meeting with your solicitor. Parents and others with parental responsibilityParental responsibility. The legal rights, duties and authority a parent has in relation to a child. It does not on its own guarantee a set amount of time with the child. are normally entitled to free legal advice at this stage, whatever their income.[7]
Ask about a family group meeting, so your wider family can help make a plan. Once the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 is fully in force, the letter will have to offer one unless that wouldn't be in your child's best interests.[14]
If an application is made, the family court, not social care, decides whether the legal threshold is met and whether an order is needed. A complaint can't overturn a court order. Follow the court timetable and your solicitor's advice, and never miss a hearing or a filing deadline.
How long things take
These timescales come from Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026. The court timetable is set by the Children Act 1989, as amended by the Children and Families Act 2014, and the Public Law Outline.[8] If a deadline looks like it will be missed, ask which local rule applies and how the delay is being handled.
| Step | Timescale |
|---|---|
| Referral decision | Within one working day of the referral |
| Assessment | A decision on next steps within 45 working days of the referral at most. Some must be quicker, and support can start before it ends. |
| Family Help and Child in Need reviews | No single national interval. The plan should say how often, and the next review date. |
| Seeing your child | Timing should reflect the concerns and the plan. Where possible, your child should be offered the chance to speak alone or with a trusted adult. |
| Initial child protection conference | Normally within 15 working days of the strategy discussion |
| First core group | Within 10 working days of the initial conference[9] |
| Review conferences | The first within three months, then at least every six months |
| Pre-proceedings | No time limit in law. Best practice guidance says it should usually take no more than 16 weeks, and shouldn't drift.[7] |
| Care or supervision proceedings | Normally finished within 26 weeks. The court can extend this only when it's needed to resolve the case fairly. |