How to claim compensation against social services?

In the United Kingdom, Social Services for children work with a number of different agencies in order to provide support for children who are placed up for adoption within families, children who may need looking after for any reason, those who might be suffering abuse, neglect or be in need of protection, as well as families where children are assessed as being in need. When a referral is made to Social Services, they are obligated to investigate the situation to ensure that the children involved are safe and not in harm’s way. Harm is described as the ill-treatment or the impairment of development or health including, for instance, impairment suffered from hearing or seeing another person being ill-treated. Ill-treatment includes sexual abuse as well as other forms of ill-treatment, which are not always physical. Health means both mental and physical health. And, development means behavioural, social, emotional, intellectual and physical development.

There have been a number of Social Services failures over the years, including a number of famous cases. Perhaps one of the most famous cases was the death of Baby P. Baby P, real name Peter Connelly, endured an agonising death at the age of 17 months old in the property he shared with his mother and her boyfriend. The baby experienced 50 different injuries, including a broken back, which was allegedly missed by his doctor. This resulted in five people being sacked at Haringey Council Children’s Services, including the head of the department. A number of damning enquiries revealed that 60 opportunities were missed to save baby P. Other famous cases that resulted in children dying due to Social Services being inadequate in their investigations include the death of two year old Demi Leigh Mahon in Manchester, three year old Trea-Bleu Layne from reading, nine year old David Stocker from Romford who died of a salt overdose fed by his mother, and eight year old Victoria Climbie who was starved to death after prolonged abuse at the hands of her guardians in London.

While there are lots of amazing social work that is being carried out across the country, there is no denying that there has also been a number of significant failings. However, the problem is that a lot of people think that Social Services are above the law and there is nothing they can do if they’ve been the victim of negligent conduct. This could not be further from the truth. If you have been the victim of negligent social services, then you have an extremely high chance of being eligible for child abuse compensation and it is important that you get the payout you deserve. Read on to discover everything you need to know about these claims against social services, and if you have any queries you’ll find our helpline number and other contact details at the end of this guide.

Select a section

• A complete guide to claiming against social services
• Who are social services?
• What social services can do
• What social services can’t do
• Social services statistics
• Social services and child abuse – How they can get it wrong
• Making claims against social services – reasons you might have
• I was abused in a care home – can I claim against social services?
• I was abused in foster care – would social services pay compensation?
• Social services claims – Shirley Oaks
• Historical abuse claims against social services – how do they work?
• What can be claimed for in claims against social services
• No win no fee claims against social services
• Why choose Legal Expert for claims against social services?
• Get in touch for social services claims advice or to start yours

A complete guide to claiming against social services

Being the victim of any type of abuse is exceptionally traumatic, and the matter is made a million times worse when you are then failed by the Social Services. Can I take legal action against social services? Yes, if this has happened to you or someone that you love, you will be able to make a claim for compensation. You can make a claim irrespective of whether the abuse or negligence that you have suffered has happened recently or a long time ago when you were a child. You can also claim if you have been wrongly accused by Social Services. You may want to know about suing social services for harassment, for example. In this guide, you will find out all of the information you need about making such a claim, including parents’ rights against social services, how to launch a claim for social services compensation payouts,reasons for social services to remove a child, the process that is involved when launching claims against social services, and much more. You will also find out contact details at the end of the guide if you have any more questions or you are ready to make a claim.

Who are social services?

In the UK, social services have a statutory obligation to promote the welfare and safeguard the wellbeing of children that are vulnerable. Social services can also provide a broad selection of services to children and their parents. A lot of families feel worried and anxious when social services get involved because of experiences they may have heard from other people because they are frightened that they will lose their children. There are a number of reasons social services would take a child, but this is certainly not always the outcome, as more often Social Services are there to help you.

There are number of different reasons for social services to get involvedwith children / parent / guardian relationships. This includes the following:

● Help families determine any issues that are impacting the children and to guide them to the correct support and services that are available in the community

● If there is concerns that a child has suffered an injury that was not an accident

● When a child has been taken into care after the police have intervened on an emergency basis or there has been a court order

● The parent has requested that the child is placed in residential care or foster care on a temporary basis as an emergency to assist them with challenging behaviour or to give them a planned break or a number of short breaks due to stress

● When there are concerns relating to alcohol and drugs

● If there has been child protection issued for the child, for example, including cases where adults have been engaged in violence and this could result in the child being harmed

● A GP or teacher has made a referral or request

● A family has requested that the Social Services provide family support services at times of stress

If your child is deemed in need of help or at risk, your local government Social Services department have a duty to explore the situation to determine what action should be taken to ensure the child is safe and well. You should work alongside the Social Services as best as you can. While you may feel anxious and worried if you are contacted by Social Services, the best thing to do is not panic. Unless there are reasons otherwise, the Social Services will always write to you and let you know that an initial assessment is being conducted. This will take place within a specific number of days and in most cases, this will result in them giving you support and any other services that you require.

What social services can do

We often get asked what can social services do and not do. Social Services can provide support for families. There are different departments to support varying needs. For example, there are social care services for addiction, mental illness, abuse and much more. Social Services are also well within their right to carry out a child protection investigation if they feel that this is necessary. This is known as a Section 47 enquiry. This means that they will conduct a complete investigation to make sure that the child is receiving the correct level of care and that he or she is not being abused or neglected. In order to carry out this investigation, they will conduct a number of interviews with you, and they are allowed to contact other professionals, including your child’s GP and school.

What social services can’t do

Can Social Services take my child away? A lot of people worry that social services are going to take away their children. While they are allowed to do this, they can only do so if they have reason to believe the child is at harm. If your child has been taken away, you can receive legal advice on how to win your child back from Social Services.

Social services statistics

Needless to say, the statistics regarding child abuse do not make good reading. This information has been sourced from both the NSPCC and the UK Government:

• Over half of the children in England that are taken into care have suffered neglect or abuse
• There are more than 72,000 children in care in England
• In 2017, more than 51,000 children in England were deemed as needing protection from abuse
• In 2017, more than 390,000 children received support from Social Services

Social services and child abuse – How they can get it wrong

There are many different ways Social Services can get it wrong, and this is why there are various claims against Social Services made in the UK. Nevertheless, it will typically fall into one of two categories. The first is taking action when it was not warranted, i.e. accusing someone of child abuse and taking a child away when this was not the case. The second is failing to take action when it was required, i.e. failing to pick up on and act on evident signs of abuse. Both situations can have an extremely detrimental impact on the people involved. Cases of missed abuse can often result in death or serious injuries. Cases of being wrongly accused can cause severe emotional trauma and could mean a parent losing access to their child for many years. No matter what has happened, Legal Expert know how to fight Social Services and win. We have a great team of solicitors who take on Social Services, so please call us today for more information.

Making claims against social services – reasons you might have

Some of the most common reasons for making a claim against a social worker are followed:

• Abuse by foster carers
• Removal of children without legal permission
• Negligence of social services
• Abuse while in care
• Abuse claims against a social worker

If you have experienced any of these situations or you want to make a claim against social services for any other reason, please get in touch.

I was abused in a care home – can I claim against social services?

The simple answer to this question is yes. There have been a number of cases of child abuse in care homes, and we will discuss one of the high-profile cases later in this guide. If you or someone you love has been the victim of abuse in a care home, this can be exceptionally traumatic to come to terms with. Our expert solicitors who take on Social Services have worked on many cases like this before and we can make sure you get the compensation you deserve.

I was abused in foster care – would social services pay compensation?

Yes, if you have been abused at the hands of your foster parents, you will be entitled to compensation. You will also be entitled to a payout if Social Services failed to recognise the signs of abuse. Foster parents are in the ultimate position of trust, and when they abuse this, it is vital that they are brought to justice. We have helped many children who have been abused to launch claims against their foster parents, so they can try to move on with their lives. Call us today for more information on child abuse social services claims and how to fight social services and win.

Social services claims – Shirley Oaks

Unfortunately, there have been a lot of high-profile child abuse claims in the news, as well as famous cases whereby the Social Services have failed. Shirley Oaks is undoubtedly one of the most well-known, and ex-residents were granted compensation due to the suffering they encountered. Shirley Oaks was a network of children’s homes in south London. A report was conducted covering a period from the 1950s until 1983 when the homes were closed. It concluded that there were at least 60 active abusers, with the incident described as ‘industrial scale’ abuse. There were numerous deaths that were linked to Shirley Oaks, and claims have been made that a culture was generated whereby children sexually abused one and other. It is one of the most horrific and shocking abuse cases in the UK. Since then, Lambeth Council was paid out tens of millions of pounds to former residents, irrespective of whether or not they were abused. Those who suffered abuse would receive a much bigger payout.

Historical abuse claims against social services – how do they work?

Unlike standard compensation claims, you do not only have three years to make a negligence claim against Social Services. You can make a claim for abuse that happened many years ago, so please do not fear that you have left it too late to claim.

What can be claimed for in claims against social services?

When making a claim, you will be able to receive Social Services compensation payouts for the following:

• The physical pain and suffering experienced
• The emotional pain and suffering experienced
• Loss of income
• Medical expenses
• Counselling expenses
• Care claim
• Any other costs associated with your suffering

No win no fee claims against social services

When you make a claim with Legal Expert, you have our complete assurance that it will be on a No Win, No Fee basis. If you are unfamiliar with No Win, No Fee against Social Services claims, they have been designed to make sure that the personal injury victim does not need to pay any legal fees if his or her claim is not a success. If the claim is a success and compensation is granted, the legal fees will come from the payout. This will be a percentage of the compensation that both the solicitor and the claimant have agreed on beforehand. This is a highly beneficial service because it means that anyone can claim; it does not matter how much money you have in the bank. It also means that by making a claim you are not going to risk being out of pocket. There are so many people throughout the country that have missed out on compensation they were entitled to because they assumed they could not afford legal services or that they may be left with a big bill and no payout at the end of it. This is something you never have to worry about with us. You also have the peace of mind of knowing that your solicitor is completely accountable for the service they provide, as they are impacted by the outcome. This ensures there is never any time wasting. If your case is not strong enough, we will tell you.

Why choose Legal Expert for claims against social services?

When making claims against social services, it is vital that you choose a legal firm with care. You need a company that you can trust. This is exactly what you will benefit when you choose Legal Expert. Our reputation in the industry speaks for itself. We have helped thousands of personal injury victims to get the compensation they deserve, launching a huge range of cases, including those against social services. When you contact us, we will provide you with a free consultation and then supply you with a specialist solicitor with up to 30 years of experience. This will be a solicitor that has worked on cases similar to yours before. We will be there for you every step of the way, ensuring you get the maximum amount of compensation that you are entitled to. We will always ensure you get the space you need during this traumatic and upsetting time. We will never pester you or make the claim process troublesome. We put our clients first because we genuinely care about your recovery. This is why we do what we do: so that people like you can get the justice you deserve. You will feel comfortable and at ease with our friendly team.

Get in touch for social services claims advice or to start yours

If you want to make a claim against the social services for an incident that happened to yourself or if you are thinking about claiming on the behalf of someone else, please do not hesitate to get in touch. When you contact us at Legal Expert, we will provide you with free advice, with no obligation to continue with our service, so you have nothing to lose by speaking to one of our helpful advisors. The number you need is 0800 073 8804. This is our claim helpline, which is open seven days per week, from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. If you would prefer, you can enter your contact information into the call back box and we will get in touch with you as soon as we can. Alternatively, you can use the live support feature on our website to speak to an advisor via instant messaging, or you can send an email to info@legalexpert.co.uk. Our email address is monitored on weekdays only, and we aim to respond to all enquiries within three years. Please rest assured to all phone calls and claims are handled with complete confidentiality. We are happy to answer any questions you may have, including explaining the suing social services process, providing advice on how to get social services off your back, and providing information the removal of child claims against Social Services.

Useful links

Police investigations for child abuse

This link contains information on what the police do when they are investigating allegations of child abuse, including details on statements and medical examinations.

The NSPCC

The NSPCC helps children that are suffering from any type of abuse. Head to their website for more information.

Reporting abuse

Use this link if you need to report child abuse in the UK. This includes details on what you should report, and when you should report it.

Government Statistics

This link takes you to the UK Government website where you will find statistics regarding the number of children in the UK that are under local authority care.