Introduction to Pre-Proceedings – Test Test your knowledge Questions for Introduction to Pre-Proceedings In order for us to provide you confirmation of your scores, please provide the following details: Name Organisation 1. Pre proceedings means The stage of gathering evidence before going to court Working with a family to define to them how serious things are, and what needs to be done to prevent the Local Authority issuing Care Proceedings Getting all assessments done before issuing proceedings2. Pre proceedings can be implemented with a family and the case may never end up in Care Proceedings.TrueFalse3. Key elements when working with a family in pre-proceedings are: Not to let pre-proceedings drift and be clear on timescales and assessments To gather more evidence in order to initiate Care Proceedings To determine if threshold is met4. Pre-proceedings should only be used if: You are highly likely to issue care proceedings if things do not improve Children have been on a child protection plan for over 6 months Nothing seems to be creating change in the children’s situation 5. The Family Justice System has placed a time limit on the duration of care proceedings (Public Law Outline). This time limit is: 30 weeks 28 weeks 40 weeks 26 weeks6. Two reasons for achieving better timeliness in care proceedings are: To prevent a delay in tackling abuse and/or neglect To get more cases through the Court system To reduce the cost of Care Proceedings The younger children are placed with permanent carers the better their outcomes 7. Which 2 key elements do the local authority need to consider as a result of the Public Law Outline: The parents need to consent to pre proceedings Evidence need to be focussed, succinct and analytical All expert reports have to be completed before proceedings Local authorities need to wait before all documentation is completed before issuing proceedings Local authority documents and assessments need to be completed earlier8. You have been working with a mother of 4 children, under the age of 10 years. The children have been subjects of child protection plans, at risk of neglect and emotional harm, for over 6 months. Little progress is being made and the mother is not co-operating well, and is showing little insight into the Local authority’s concerns. You are also aware the mother has resumed her relationship with her violent ex-partner. Do you: Issue care proceedings immediately to secure the safety and welfare of all of the children Ask your manager to convene a Legal Planning meeting to discuss threshold and possible pre proceedings work Continue with the Child Protection plan and immediately undertake a written agreement with mother9. Which of the following are potential causes of delays in proceedings (select all that are true) Parents are given too many chances to change Too many expert reports are commissioned Social workers spend too much time building relationships with families There is a lot of pro-active case management Thresholds for access to children's social care are often too high Social workers over over-optimistic that children will stay with their family There is too much planning10. Thinking about your own practice, consider the following and tick all those that you currently do, and reflect upon any changes/training you need to improve your practice. I take a critical and analytical approach to assessments My assessments are always child centred I have a good knowledge of child development and children's developmental needs I make timely decisions where there is evidence of abuse and neglect I have the skills and confidence to work in partnership with families I regularly monitor parent's progress against required actions and take swift action for non compliance I have the confidence to challenge families where necessary I have the skills to provide the court with focused, succinct and analytical reports I am confident in presenting my findings to the court Back to tabs
