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If you’re the parent or family member of a child who is being looked after by a Local Authority, you may find that the current arrangements for you to have contact with that child are a not sufficient, or there may be no arrangements at all. A proceedings meeting is a meeting between you and the Local Authority when they believe that they are almost at the point of having to commence formal court proceedings in respect of your child or children.

How we can help?

Often with the support and advice of an experienced Child Care Lawyer, court proceedings can be avoided, and agreements can be reached as to a way forward. You will be asked in the pre-proceedings meeting to sign a written agreement which should set out clearly the steps that you need to take, which if you fail to carry out the Local Authority will commence court proceedings. You should not sign this document unless you have had legal advice as to the implications for you if you do not comply.

What are pre-proceedings?

Pre proceedings (PLO) are initiated when the Social Services think the risk to your children’ health safety and wellbeing is so high, that an urgent action needs to be taken by you, as a parent, otherwise the Local authority may apply to go to the court. It is your last opportunity to work with Social Services to address their concerns and make changes to avoid the need for lengthy and draining court proceedings. The goal is to narrow the issues and minimise risks. 

Pre-Proceedings Letter

Getting a letter through the door informing you of Social Services initiating pre-proceedings may be terrifying and upsetting, but try not to panic and seek legal advice as soon as possible. You do not need to worry about paying any legal costs, as biological parents and those with parental responsibility are entitled to free legal advice. 

PLO letter will outline Local Authority’s concerns, what support you have already been offered and why this has not worked and it may also outline what is expected from you. 

The letter will also state date, time and venue of the meeting, which you will need to attend with your solicitor. 

Pre-Proceedings Meeting

It is very important that you attend the PLO meeting. Your solicitor will be there with you, to support you and to represent your interests. 

Other people present will be your Social Worker, Team Manager and the Local Authority Solicitor.

During the meeting, the Social Worker will discuss all the concerns they may have with you. They will also go through the expectations they have from you and the support they will offer. 

Before the meeting, we will go through a contract of expectations (can also be referred to as written agreement) with you, prepared by your Social Worker. We will make sure that you understand what is expected from you. We will make sure it is fair and achievable. We will also help you identify if you need any further support to help you succeed and mitigate the risks and concerns. 

What happens after the pre-proceeding meeting?

You will hopefully leave the meeting with a clear understanding why the Local Authority is concerned about your child and with a clear understanding of what you need to do.

You may be asked to think about any family members or friends who would be prepared to put themselves forward to care for your children, in case you are not able to. Of course as a parent, this is not something you’d want to be thinking about, but this means that the local authority can assess any friends or family members, as a ‘back up’ plan in case the children are not able to come back home. 

During the process you may be asked to engage in some assessments, courses or drug and alcohol testing. Social Services may want to assess your psychological functioning, and make sure that you understand everything and that you can participate fully and fairly in the process.  It is crucial that you understand what the process is about and what is expected from you. 

You will have a period of change during which you will have to demonstrate the agreed changes to reduce concerns and risk. Local Authority will support you in this and we will be with you every step of the way. 

After a couple of weeks (usually 8weeks), there will be another meeting. Often referred to as Review PLO, to see how things are progressing.  

During this meeting, which we will of course attend with you, we will discuss what has been going on since the last meeting. We will discuss what has gone well and what still requires some work. You will be closely monitored by the Social Worker throughout this time. There may be more Review PLO meetings, of the Social Worker believes it is necessary.

It’s absolutely crucial that you attend all meetings and work with your Social Worker in an open and honest manner. The Social Worker is not your enemy and you need to try your best to get on with your them. It is hoped that during the process you will engage with the Social Worker and demonstrate your dedication to providing good enough care to your children. 

If you have engaged in the process and the Social Services are satisfied that you have made the necessary improvements they will take a step back and either close your file, or carry on with their involvement at a lower level, under the Child Protection or Child in Need Plan.If the Local Authority feels like you have not made satisfactory improvements, they will then make an application to court and commence care proceedings. You can find more information about care proceedings in a separate article. 

It is crucial to get some legal advice as soon as possible. Our family team will help you understand the process and essentially walk you through every step of the way.  We will offer you advice, guidance and reassurance. We will help you understand what is expected from you and answer any questions you might have about what any of this means for you and your children and how to avoid escalation to Court.