Legal Aid for Child Law

Clear, compassionate legal advice for parents and carers involved with children’s services, with legal aid available through our Lincoln office.

Legal Aid for Childcare Matters Solicitors

When concerns about the wellbeing of your child arise, and children’s services become involved, it can be a worrying and overwhelming time. That’s why getting the right advice early on can make a real difference.

At Bridge McFarland, our Lincoln office is able to offer legal aid for certain types of child centred family law matters, for people who meet the eligibility criteria. Our experienced family law team can provide clear, practical support to parents and carers involved in these matters.

What is Legal Aid?

Legal aid is a government funded initiative designed to help people access legal advice and representation. It means that people who may otherwise be unable to afford legal advice can still get support and access to justice.

In family law cases, legal aid is only available in certain types of situations. These are usually where there are concerns about a child’s safety or wellbeing.

From our Lincoln office, we can provide legal aid for childcare matters, including cases involving children’s services and court proceedings.

When Can Legal Aid Apply?

You may be able to receive legal aid if you are involved in:

Care proceedings brought by the local authority
Supervision or emergency protection orders
Pre-proceedings meetings (often called PLO meetings)
Situations where your child may be at risk of being removed from your care

In many of these cases, legal aid is not based on your income, which means you can access legal representation regardless of your financial situation.

How We Can Help

We understand that issues involving children are sensitive and stressful. Our role is to guide you through the process with straightforward advice and support when you need it most.

We can help by:

Explaining what is happening and what it means for you
Advising you on your rights as a parent or carer
Representing you in meetings with children’s services
Preparing you for court and speaking on your behalf
Working to achieve the best possible outcome for your child

We focus on making sure you understand your options so you’re clear on the next steps at every stage.

Why Choose Bridge McFarland?

At Bridge McFarland we have a solid reputation for providing exceptional legal services across Lincolnshire, East Yorkshire and the surrounding areas. Our family law team combines experience with a friendly, empathetic approach.

We know that no two situations are the same. That is why we take the time to understand your circumstances and provide advice that is tailored to you and your needs.

By offering legal aid from our Lincoln office, we aim to make sure that people can access the legal support they need when they need it.

Speak to our Lincoln team

If you have been contacted by children’s services or have concerns about your child, it is important to get advice as soon as possible.

Contact our Lincoln office today to speak to a member of our family law team in confidence. We are here to help you understand your position and support you through the next steps. You can call us on 01522 518888 or email enquiries@bmcf.co.uk.

Find a Family Solicitor Near You

Read our Child Law FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions about Child Law

How easy this is to do and how to do it will depend on who has parental responsibility and whether all parties agree to the change. If all parties with parental responsibility have provided written agreement to the change this can be done easily via a Change of Name Deed. If one parent refuses, a Specific Issue Order will need to be obtained from the Court.

If your ex has parental responsibility, you cannot generally stop them from seeing your child without a Court Order in place. An exception to this would be if there are serious concerns about the child’s welfare or safety in which case, you should seek legal advice. If they don’t have parental responsibility, they do not have an automatic right to have contact with your child and would need to get a Court Order to do so if you don’t agree.

A Prohibited Steps Order is a court order which prevents a parent or guardian from taking specific actions regarding a child without the court’s permission. Examples include taking a child abroad and removing a child from school.

A Child Arrangements Order sets out where a child will live, who they will spend time with, and how contact will take place after parents separate or divorce. You might need a Child Arrangements Order if there is a disagreement between parents about where a child will live or when, where and how often contact can take place.

A Child Protection Plan is a plan put in place by the Local Authority to set out the action which is needed to reduce your child/children suffering harm. Under this plan a social worker is allocated to you and your family and regular meetings will take place (at least every 4 weeks) to review the plan and the progress which has been made.

This is a package of support which is put in place to provide extra support for your child/children and your family to address any areas of need and risk assessed by a Social Worker.

This is for families who might need a little extra support and is a group of people (including professionals, e.g; health visitors / social workers / teachers etc) who will work together to support you and your child/children to prevent any concerns increasing.