Social services is a team of professionals in Leeds City Council who work to keep children and families safe, happy and healthy. The team works with different services like housing and health, co-ordinated by a social worker.
People sometimes worry that if social services get involved in their family, their child will be taken away and put into ‘care’. It is natural to worry, but social services mostly work with the family together, usually in the home. They will only take a child away from a family if there is very clear evidence they are at risk of significant harm and there must be a court order to do this.
You can ask for help from social services yourself, or a professional such as a teacher or GP can ask on your behalf (this is called making a referral). After this, an assessment will be made to find out what your child and your family needs.
Here are some examples of help you may be able to get from children’s social services:
- Supporting the family during a difficult time or with a particular problem
- Supporting parents with physical or learning disability to care for their child
- Supporting children who care for their parents
- Working with families affected by drug or alcohol addiction
- Helping children and adults in the family to find safety if they are at risk of significant harm
The team will try to help as early as possible after the problem starts, to prevent it becoming worse.
Find out more about Children’s Services on the Leeds City Council website:
