Children and social services
Support when children’s services/social services are involved
If Social Services become involved in your family, it is vital that you access experienced and specialist advice as soon as possible.
Eaton Smith’s experienced team of child care solicitors will guide you through this process and assist you in what will be an incredibly stressful time for your family.
We can assist you at every stage in this process from initial assessment right through to court proceedings if this becomes necessary. We will explain in simple and straight forward language what is happening and what to expect when Social Services are involved.
Our team is dedicated and passionate about ensuring that the child’s welfare remains the focus of these proceedings and that the best possible outcome is achieved for you and your family. We will ensure that you are supported throughout.
We are able to assist parents, grandparents or any other person who is involved in this process.
We also have a member of the team who is a High Court Advocate which allows her to represent you in any level of court and who has Children Panel membership. This means that they have been assessed and accredited to represent both parents and children in these cases.
Our team can advise you on:
- Care Orders and Emergency Protection Orders
- Police Protection Orders
- Supervision Orders
- Child protection investigations inclusive of Public Law Outline Meetings
- Special guardianship orders
- Parental responsibility
- Grandparents’ rights
- Secure accommodation orders
- Representation in the event that social services are seeking findings against you
Costs
In most care proceedings, parents are entitled to free Legal Aid. Other family members can access Legal Aid as well but this is subject to a means and merits assessment.
We can offer you a free initial half hour appointment to assess your needs and eligibility for funding.
Contact us on 01484 821300 or make an enquiry online at contact us.
Downloads
We consider that downloading our guide is an indication that you may be interested in our services. We may therefore contact you via email at some point following your download, to see if we can assist with any queries you may have. By providing your contact details, you are acknowledging and accepting that we will contact you to discuss how we might be of assistance.
Family Law - Parenting Brochure
Parental responsibility plays a crucial role in many of the decisions that shape a child's life, from schooling and medical treatment to travel and religious upbringing. Yet many parents are unsure what parental responsibility means, who holds it and what happens when those involved cannot agree. In this guide, our experienced Family Law team explains the key principles of parental responsibility, answers frequently asked questions and provides practical guidance to help families navigate child-related decisions with confidence.
Team for You – Children and social services
testimonials
I can't thank Eaton Smith enough for all your help and advice during a very stressful time. I found the service provided first class. I would recommend you to anyone.
We just wanted to say a huge thank you for all your help and guidance through a truly traumatic time. Many thanks.
Very helpful Receptionist, very nice helpful solicitors, nice clean fresh waiting area and good service and also the speed of service is excellent. I would definitely recommend Eaton Smith having used your firm for many years and always received a good service.
Having received advice from 2 previous solicitors without satisfactory outcomes, I was recommended to talk to Eaton Smith. From the outset my Solicitor was very thoughtful and helpful. He managed to make a complicated legal challenge / situation comprehensible. Although a stressful and emotional case at times, I was consistently provided with reassurances as the team responded to the many twists and turns of the case as they emerged.
Eaton Smith are a well established law firm in Huddersfield. They deliver a good service, friendly, helpful and straight to the point. They get they job done and don't drag their feet. Does exactly what it says on the tin.
The team at Eaton Smith are a genuine pleasure to work with. They are responsive and have a great depth of understanding of their client`s needs. They are a very well established and highly respected team amongst the legal community. They serve their client`s interests well with honesty and integrity.
I have worked closely with Katherine Stephenson (Partner) on a number of complicated cases. She is very bright, very approachable, and absolutely dedicated. Crucially she is straight-talking yet compassionate with clients. I have seen directly how her clients have been assisted immeasurably by her sage advice and able representation. One of them is likely to have her son returned to her care shortly following a complex trial with Vietnamese interpretation and involving issues of sexual harm and domestic abuse. Katherine is developing a similarly impressive team around her. Both Abby Drew and Sylwia Zajac have assisted me during hearings and they show great promise.