Care Proceedings: What happens at the final hearing?

Your solicitor or barrister may have an informal meeting on the day of the hearing with the solicitors or barristers working for the council and the guardian. Your solicitor or barrister will talk to you about what the council and the guardian are going to say about what is best for your child. It is important that you understand what they are suggesting and the full consequences before you agree to anything. It is your solicitor or barrister’s job to explain this to you.

In some cases, the council may decide to withdraw its application before it goes to a final hearing. In others, it may still be possible for everyone to agree on what should happen and a full hearing will not be necessary. The court will still have to approve any agreement.

In many cases, there will be a full hearing. The court will read all the papers, statements and reports and the care plan before the hearing starts. Your solicitor will represent you at the hearing unless they arrange for a barrister to represent you. The court will hear evidence from any of the witnesses called by the council or anyone else involved in the case. You may also have to speak in the witness box. The court listens to everyone’s evidence to decide what order, if any, to make.

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