In social work practice, practitioners acknowledge that parents involved in the looked after child process do not have any professional support and are not signposted at any stage of the process, with the exception of legal advice when matters are in court.

This ends to lead to poor relationships between professionals and parents, which inevitably, influence final outcomes and are not improved in cases were contact is severed.

The sector is in need of a service that can offer suitable support to parents, to help them understand what is happening, and how they can best work with services, regardless of the situation, as this is more likely to lead to better outcomes and a better understanding of outcomes, where it may still end in removal. However, if there are working relationships, even in the worst case, there is more chance of an amicable outcome that benefits all concerned. Many parents have poor outcomes post-removal, and some of this can be attributed to a lack of support. Key to this is that it then becomes less likely that families are  children will go back home. 

Aaction4Parents offers a support line, so parents can share their feelings without feeling judged, access counselling to manage their emotions and mental health during periods of stress, offer signposting to additional support such as legal support and advocacy services. Camille, one of the Aaction Directors, has the passion to support parents in this position as she understands the helplessness that can occur when your knowledge is limited and everything is happening around you. The main aim to help parents understand the framework used to inform the decisions made by local authorities and how this might apply to their situation. this can provide a basis for open discussions between parents and professionals, working in positive partnership. This is a good model to support organisations using the Think Family and the Family Safeguarding Models of practice.

The service also includes the offer of live webinar sessions, where parents can ask questions of panellists on various topics that can arise for parents and children. Face to face events are organised periodically.