Understanding the PLO process can feel daunting for families, but we’re here to guide you through it with clear, supportive advice.
To help make things clearer, we’ve set out the key questions parents often have about PLO meetings, including why they happen, what to expect, and the possible outcomes of the process.
If you receive a ‘letter before proceedings’ or otherwise known as a ‘PLO’ letter, then Social Services are concerned about the care that your child/children are receiving and are inviting you to attend a meeting. You may have also been informed by your Social Worker of the PLO meeting.
Prior to receiving an invite to a PLO meeting, you may have had social services investigations followed by a Child Protection Conference. If the Local Authority determine no progress has been made or circumstances deteriorate further following the Child Protection Conference and determine that a child is at significant risk of harm, they may escalate the matter and invite you to a PLO meeting.
The PLO meeting is very serious and is sometimes considered as the final opportunity to prove to the Local Authority that you can engage and co-operate to ensure that the children in the family are being cared for appropriately prior to issuing Court Proceedings. The Local Authority has a duty, should they have sufficient concerns about any child and the care that child is receiving, to investigate and protect that child.