Citation

Masson J, Dickens J. Child Abuse Rev. 2015; 24(2): 107-119.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/car.2344

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Legal action to separate newborn babies from their parents is regarded as 'draconian' by the courts and subject to intense scrutiny. This paper outlines current legal and social work issues relating to such intervention and discusses the potential benefits of the 'pre-proceedings process' to address them. This process enables parents to have legal representation in a discussion with children's services when care proceedings are contemplated. The paper reports the findings of recent socio-legal research by the authors into the use of the process in England and Wales. In six local authorities, 30 per cent of 120 cases where the pre-proceedings process was used related to unborn babies; a pre-proceedings letter was sent in 75 per cent of unborn baby cases where care proceedings were considered, compared with 57 per cent of cases overall. The process could help to secure parental cooperation for pre-birth assessments and short-term protective arrangements at birth, thus avoiding emergency intervention. Families were diverted from care proceedings in 30 per cent of the cases where this was a possibility. Furthermore, the process was valued by social workers and lawyers as being fairer to parents. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

'This process enables parents to have legal representation in a discussion with children's services'

Key Practitioner Messages:




* Local children's safeguarding boards should be more aware of the pre-proceedings process.

* Local authorities should use the pre-proceedings process in accordance with guidance.

* Protecting babies requires thorough assessment, good planning and timely decisions.

* Early use of the pre-proceedings process in pre-birth cases assists assessment and planning.

* More efforts are required to involve fathers in the pre-proceedings process.

* The pre-proceedings process can divert cases from care proceedings.

'Local children's safeguarding boards should be more aware of the pre-proceedings process'

Language: en