Child Care

It can be a very frightening experience for parents when the Social Services become involved with children.

Court proceedings are the last stage in a three stage process.

At the first stage, the Social Workers try and establish what the problem is, if any.  Sometimes it is nothing at all and sometimes it can be resolved by discussion.

Often matters proceed to the second stage, where the Local Authority Legal Department become involved and the parents receive a formal letter indicating that Court Proceedings are being considered.  Meetings are held to try and clarify the key issues and work out how they could be resolved.

If these discussions fail, the third stage will usually follow starting in the local Magistrates Court and sometimes moving to a County Court to be heard by a specialist judge.  They can result in a child being removed from the home either temporarily or permanently and sometimes in a child being placed for adoption without the consent of the parents.

The aim of all three stages is to keep a family together if at all possible and our experienced team can help and advise you from the outset to ensure that your interests are fully protected. 

Our Child Care Team is headed up by our senior solicitor Paul Tritschler who is a member of the Law Societies Child Care Panel and is based at the Salisbury Office however, any of our team will come to see parents at any of our Offices.