Looking for views on a idea children s services / court
Discussion
Hi all,
I’m looking for some honest feedback on an idea I’m in the early stages of developing, particularly from anyone who’s had dealings with children’s services or family court.
My background, I’m a qualified social worker (since 2012) and have worked across safeguarding, court work, children in care and management roles. I’ve spent a lot of time completing assessments and reports that ultimately inform court decisions.
I’m now exploring setting up independently, offering services along the lines of:
Reviewing assessments/reports and identifying gaps or concerns
Supporting people to structure responses or complaints
Helping pull together clear, evidence-based documents for court
Reunification-focused work and demonstrating change
My initial thinking is to approach solicitors and barristers’ chambers as a primary route, as they’re often the ones instructing or supporting parents.
One thing I’ve been reflecting on is how confusing and overwhelming the process can be for parents. From the inside, systems and expectations can feel quite structured, but from the outside it’s often a very different experience—tight timescales, a lot of written information, and not always a clear understanding of what is actually being asked of you.
There are some resources available, but in my experience they’re not always well understood or fully used, and people can end up reacting to things rather than being able to present their situation clearly and confidently.
I’ve actually helped a couple of people on here previously on an informal basis, which is partly what got me thinking more seriously about whether this kind of support is needed more widely.
Before I go too far with this, I wanted to sense-check a few things:
Are there other routes or professionals I should be thinking about approaching?
From your experience, where do people struggle most when dealing with children’s services or court processes?
If you’ve been through it yourself, what kind of support would actually have made a difference?
Do services like this feel useful, or is trust a big barrier?
I’m not advertising anything at this stage—just trying to understand whether this fills a genuine gap and how best it might sit alongside the existing system.
Appreciate any thoughts or experiences people are willing to share.
I’m looking for some honest feedback on an idea I’m in the early stages of developing, particularly from anyone who’s had dealings with children’s services or family court.
My background, I’m a qualified social worker (since 2012) and have worked across safeguarding, court work, children in care and management roles. I’ve spent a lot of time completing assessments and reports that ultimately inform court decisions.
I’m now exploring setting up independently, offering services along the lines of:
Reviewing assessments/reports and identifying gaps or concerns
Supporting people to structure responses or complaints
Helping pull together clear, evidence-based documents for court
Reunification-focused work and demonstrating change
My initial thinking is to approach solicitors and barristers’ chambers as a primary route, as they’re often the ones instructing or supporting parents.
One thing I’ve been reflecting on is how confusing and overwhelming the process can be for parents. From the inside, systems and expectations can feel quite structured, but from the outside it’s often a very different experience—tight timescales, a lot of written information, and not always a clear understanding of what is actually being asked of you.
There are some resources available, but in my experience they’re not always well understood or fully used, and people can end up reacting to things rather than being able to present their situation clearly and confidently.
I’ve actually helped a couple of people on here previously on an informal basis, which is partly what got me thinking more seriously about whether this kind of support is needed more widely.
Before I go too far with this, I wanted to sense-check a few things:
Are there other routes or professionals I should be thinking about approaching?
From your experience, where do people struggle most when dealing with children’s services or court processes?
If you’ve been through it yourself, what kind of support would actually have made a difference?
Do services like this feel useful, or is trust a big barrier?
I’m not advertising anything at this stage—just trying to understand whether this fills a genuine gap and how best it might sit alongside the existing system.
Appreciate any thoughts or experiences people are willing to share.
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