Under a Supervision Order, the Local Authority has a duty to befriend, advise and assist your child. This means social workers should make regular contact with your family and offer support and advice on resources. Supervision Order Reviews should also be held by the Local authority at least every three months.
Your ’supervised’ child may be required to report to a specific place on certain days, take part in specified activities or live in a place decided by the Local Authority.
Under a Supervision Order a ‘responsible person’, such as a parent with Parental Responsibility or anyone living with the child may have obligations imposed upon them with their consent. This person will be expected to give details of where the child is living and to allow reasonable contact between the child and the ‘supervisor’.
If you’ve been told your child will be placed under a Supervision Order, our Care Proceedings Team can help you with the next steps and discuss whether you could be entitled to Legal Aid.
If the Local Authority thinks a Supervision Order is needed, they’ll apply for this through the Court. A decision will then be made based on the child’s current situation. The court will consider:
These are called the ‘threshold criteria’. The Court will need to be satisfied that the child is at risk of any of the above before granting permission to the Local Authority for a Supervision Order to be put in place.
The Local Authority are legally required to give you notice before the first Court Hearing. They’ll send you a copy of the papers to be presented in Court and you have the right to attend and voice your opinion on whether a Supervision Order is needed.
A Care Proceedings Solicitor can represent you in proceedings and support you in putting forward your argument.
A Supervision Order may last up to a year, but it can be extended to a total of three years if the Local Authority applies back to Court and the Court believes that it should continue.
To end the Supervision Order early, an application must be made by:
The Court will need to see that there is enough evidence to demonstrate that the Supervision Order is no longer needed. A Care Proceedings Solicitor can help you to put together evidence to show the progress which has been made since the Supervision Order was granted.
A Section 20 Agreement is a voluntary agreement. This is when social workers invite a parent, or person with Parental Responsibility, to agree to a child being taken out of their care and into another placement like foster care for a short period of time.
When you’re asked to attend a Public Law Outline (PLO) meeting, also known as a pre-proceedings meeting, it can be stressful and upsetting. If you are invited to a PLO meeting it means that your Local Authority or social worker believes that the health, safety and wellbeing of your child is at serious risk. This meeting is your chance to try and work with the Local Authority and make changes to demonstrate that your child can be safe in your care.
A Section 20 is a voluntary agreement where social workers invite a person with Parental Responsibility to agree to have their child temporarily placed in alternative accommodation such as foster care. If a social worker has asked you to consider Section 20, you might be feeling worried about what happens next. It’s important you consider your options carefully before making any decisions.
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