If you receive a PLO Letter (Letter Before Proceedings) in relation to your child or a child for whom you have parental responsibility you are eligible for Legal Aid to pay for the full the cost of a solicitor advising you before a meeting and also to attend the meeting with you.
This form of Legal Aid is available regardless of your financial means and you will not have to contribute anything towards the cost.
If the Local Authority are considering taking you to court due to concerns for your child, then they will usually send you a PLO Letter inviting you to a pre-proceedings meeting (PLO Meeting). PLO stands for "Public Law Outline" which sets out how proceedings for children are dealt with by the courts.
If you receive a PLO Letter it is important to get in touch with a solicitor as soon as you can. A PLO Meeting is your chance to avoid court proceedings, and we can help you by advising you before a PLO Meeting and accompanying you to the meeting. Our specialist Care solicitors will be able to explain the concerns the local authority has about the child and offer expert advice on how to resolve the situation most efficiently. Although PLO meetings are designed to be constructive, it may be upsetting for a parent to hear what the local authority has to say about their children. By offering independent legal advice, a solicitor will help to keep the discussion on track with a view to doing what is best for both the child(ren) and the parents. We aim to resolve problems at the earliest stage to avoid care proceedings in court. But if matters do escalate, we can continue to assist you throughout any court proceedings.
If you receive a PLO Letter in relation to your child or a child for whom you have parental responsibility you are eligible for Legal Aid to pay for the full cost of a solicitor to advise you before a meeting and also to attend the meeting with you
If the Local Authority are considering taking you to court due to concerns for your child the Social Worker should consider sending a letter to you to explain why Social Services are worried to discuss how you can avoid court proceedings. This is also known as a "pre-proceedings" meeting. This meeting considers what needs to be done to protect the child from harm, and how an agreement can be reached to ensure this. The aim is to try and fix any problems without needing to go to Court. If the local authority are satisfied at the meeting that you can work with them and enact positive changes for your children then you will stay in the PLO process until the final review meeting. The PLO process is complete when you have made the changes expected of you. The alternative outcome is that the local authority will issue court proceedings. This will happen if you have been either unwilling or unable to make the changes required for your child(ren)’s safety. A PLO meeting will usually last 1-2 hours. Some meetings may take longer if there are many parties involved, or if there are complex issues that need to be addressed. A PLO meeting will include the parents or a person with parental responsibility, social workers and a solicitor.
What is a PLO meeting?
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Several of our care solicitors are on the Law Society's Children Panel. Only solicitors who meet the Law Society’s exacting accreditation requirements are permitted to join the Children Panel and represent children in public law care proceedings.
Our experts in public law care proceedings can provide you with support and guidance throughout the care proceeding's process. We are specialists in cases involving non-accidental injury and child neglect.
Legal 500 - Recommend Lawyer 2024
Our Care team have been included in the prestigious Legal 500 for many years with Vince Beckworth and Jason Burnett named “Recommended Lawyers” for their continued commitment to providing high quality, customer- focused legal services to clients.
“Vince Beckworth leads the busy care proceedings team where he is highly regarded for his representation of parents, family members and interveners in children’s care proceedings”
“Vince Beckworth, is exceptional in his commitment to his clients and to ensuring that they have the best advice and support available.”
“Jason Burnett is approachable and very client-focused”
“Jason Burnett who is a very safe pair of hands”
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