A Thurrock-based social worker has reached out to Nub News to share her thoughts and experience on issues involving the care of children. her words come at a time when Thurrock Council is experiencing huge costs in the management of its child care services and only last night (Wednesday, 16 September) at the September cabinet meeting , the portfolio holder for care outlined predications that costs will soar by several million going forwards. The council is looking at ways it can reduce the burden on its staff and resources.

WHEN Children's Services become involved, families can often find themselves facing difficult circumstances they never expected.

Relationship breakdown, separation, financial difficulties, loss of income and rising living costs can place significant pressure on households. Sometimes, these are the very pressures that can lead to Children's Services becoming involved with families, bringing complex, unfamiliar processes, important decisions and, for many parents, uncertainty about what might happen next.

So where can parents turn when they simply need someone to explain what is happening?

Thurrock resident Mirela Boghiu, an independent social worker with more than 25 years' experience in social work, says she has seen first-hand how difficult it can be for parents to find clear, independent guidance when a social worker has stepped into their lives.

Much of her career has been spent working directly with children and families. For more than 10 years, she worked within statutory Children's Services across various London boroughs and local authorities, including Thurrock Council, in frontline, senior and managerial roles.

Drawing on this experience, she points out that parents can often struggle to find independent professional advice and guidance when Children's Services become involved.

"When Children's Services get involved, parents often have lots of questions and may have fears about what could happen to their family, including worries about whether their child could be removed. They may not always know where to turn for an independent opinion and advice," she explains.

"There can be a lot to take in - unfamiliar terms, detailed assessments, meetings where parents can feel on the spot, and plans where there can be a lot of jargon - and sometimes parents simply need someone to help them understand what it all means."

Based on her years of practice, she says she has also noticed that, for some parents, a solicitor can appear to be the only option for getting independent help, even when the situation has not reached a stage where legal advice is necessarily required.

Moreover, such advice can be quite expensive and usually not affordable for the parents.

"Through my years of frontline experience in Children's Services across various London boroughs and councils outside London, and now as an independent social worker, I can offer parents professional guidance to help them understand their rights and make sense of the process. My aim is to help parents feel better informed and more prepared to manage

Children's Services involvement with less stress, while also guiding them to seek legal advice where needed," says Mirela.

As she explains, it was the need for independent guidance and support for parents that led her to establish LPRG (Listen, Participate, Reflect & Grow) Ltd, a company through which she now practises as an independent social worker, supporting parents with Children's Services involvement.

She is no longer employed by or working for any council or public body and dedicates her professional practice through LPRG to supporting parents to better understand and work through Children's Services processes.

Parents have since approached her for support in understanding what is happening when Children's Services become involved. This has included making sense of processes such as Child in Need and Child Protection plans, understanding assessments and information they have received, questions around consent, preparing for key meetings such as an Initial Child Protection Conference (ICPC), questions relating to child contact, and working through specific questions or concerns about Children's Services involvement with their children.

The support offered through LPRG Ltd, she says, is focused on providing parents with clear guidance, so they can better understand their situation, know what is happening, ask relevant questions and make informed decisions.

"I have worked directly with families, alongside schools and other professionals, and within Children's Services for many years. Now, as an independent practitioner, I can bring those different perspectives together while remaining independent of the local authority and any other agency involved with the family."

It is this experience, she says, that has also shown her how valuable it can be for parents to know that independent support is available. One parent told her that, had they known such a service existed earlier, they would have approached the situation differently.

Alongside her direct work with families, she also shares accessible information and guidance through the LPRG Facebook page, where parents can find videos and explanations on a range of topics relating to Children's Services. She is also developing her YouTube channel, Talk to Mirela, building a collection of videos covering different topics and issues that parents may encounter.

As she continues to develop this work as an independent social work practitioner, she hopes the information and guidance she shares will help parents and those close to them feel more informed and better prepared when Children's Services become involved.

Her message is simple: Asking for help to understand Children's Services does not mean that parents are against them. Sometimes, having clear information and independent guidance can help parents feel more prepared and informed, ask relevant questions when it matters most and work constructively with professionals, while keeping the needs and wellbeing of their children at the centre.