You are not the first family to feel this way. You are not alone.
A calm, clear starting point for parents, grandparents and kinship carers caught up in the child protection system in England and Wales — and a quiet, persistent voice for a more open one.
If you have found your way to this site, there is a good chance you are frightened, exhausted, and struggling to understand what is happening to your family.
Perhaps social workers have become involved in your life. Perhaps you are facing a meeting, an assessment, or a hearing in the family court. Perhaps your children have already been removed, and you are desperate to know how this happened and what you can do.
Whatever has brought you here — please know this: you are not the first family to feel this way, and you are not alone.
This site was created for parents, grandparents, kinship carers, and whole families caught up in the child protection system in England and Wales. We are here to help you understand the process, find your footing, and remember that you still have a voice.
Four things, done carefully.
We will never pretend to replace a solicitor or a qualified advocate. What we can do is help you walk into those rooms feeling a little more informed, a little more prepared, and a great deal less alone.
Understand the system
Plain-English explanations of what a child protection conference is, what each court order means, and what to expect at each stage.
Find proper support
A curated directory of solicitors, advocates and emotional support — the people who can stand beside you when it matters most.
Decode the language
Section 47, ICO, EPO, LADO. The system speaks in initials. We translate them — clearly, without condescension.
A campaign for openness
Why a system that spends £15.5 billion a year, behind closed doors, must be more transparent — and what we are doing about it.
We do not stand against child protection. We stand for a system that is open enough to be trusted — one in which families understand what is happening to them, can challenge decisions that are wrong, and are treated with dignity throughout.Read about our campaign
Understanding the system is the first step to facing it.
You deserve to be heard. You deserve to understand. And you deserve support that is on your side.