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An interim care order is a temporary court order made while care proceedings continue. It gives the local authority parental responsibility alongside you and may affect decisions about your child’s placement, contact and day-to-day care. It does not automatically decide the final outcome of the case. The court uses the order to manage risk while evidence is gathered, assessments are completed and longer-term arrangements are considered.

Receiving care proceedings papers can feel frightening and confusing, especially when you do not know what will happen next. The care proceedings process begins when a local authority asks the Family Court to make decisions about your child’s safety and care. It usually involves an initial application, case management, assessments and evidence, an Issues Resolution Hearing and, where needed, a final hearing.

Care proceedings should usually be completed within 26 weeks from the date the local authority’s application is issued. In this guide, find out why some finish sooner, while others take longer if the court decides that an extension is necessary.

Parents and other people with parental responsibility who are respondents in issued care or supervision proceedings generally qualify for non-means and non-merits tested Legal Aid. This means their income, savings and property are not assessed, and funding does not depend on whether they appear likely to win the case.

If the court is considering a care order or supervision order, the difference can feel difficult to understand. The main distinction is parental responsibility. A care order gives the local authority parental responsibility alongside the parents, while a supervision order does not.

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