Most of the children who are brought before the Family Court in care proceedings are from economically disadvantaged communities. The parents have often had traumatic childhoods themselves, but had no help to deal with the long-term repercussions and the impact on their ability to parent.
When a local authority has evidence that a child is suffering or is at risk of suffering ‘significant harm’, the legal threshold is met for care proceedings to be issued. In most cases, before going to court, the social worker to issue proceedings. For example, a parent with a drug or alcohol problem may be told that she has to stop taking drugs or drinking, and that she has three months to turn things around. She may be signposted to her local drug or alcohol service, which may or may not have a waiting list. And if she fails to sort things out and improve her parenting, it’s very likely that care proceedings will be issued.
