It would be up to your lawyer to make arguments to prevent you getting into that position i.e that you shouldn’t have to choose and you can make changes that would let you do both. If the situation justifies it, it is possible that you would be told “If you don’t get rid of your dog/cat/snake/vulture, the baby can’t stay at home” and then you would have to make that decision. The Court can only MAKE you give up your pet or take your pet off you if the RSPCA are the people making the application, and that would be in completely different Court proceedings to the ones about your children.Ĭan the social worker / Court make it very very hard for me to keep my pet? Now, they can only do that if there are significant concerns about the condition of your pet and that you are harming it or not looking after it properly. The most that they can do is to tell the RSPCA about your pet, and see if the RSPCA will take any action. But they have no power to make you give your pet up, or take your pet away from you. They can ask you to sign a written agreement saying that you will get rid of your pet. Do you really have that time or money to spare?Ĭan the social worker MAKE me get rid of my pet? Think about the mess that the pet might make, the money it might cost, the time it might take to train and walk and play with and clean up after the animal. You don’t want to do anything that is going to make life harder for you right now. If you’re involved with social workers and they are already expressing worries about your care of the child, you should really think long and hard about getting another pet, and if your mind is made up on having one, about the sort of pet you are going to get. Thinking of getting a pet, or another pet? It may sound (if you don’t own a pet) like a really trivial matter, but for many people it can be very upsetting and add to a sense of powerlessness.Īs usual with my articles where I try to speak directly to parents rather than the dull lawyer-to-lawyer stuff, none of what I say is a substitute for getting your own legal advice and talking to your own lawyer. I was recently contacted by someone who found themselves in this position, and it is an issue that crops up quite regularly in care proceedings. This is a guest post from suesspicious minds, a family lawyer who offers very good and practical advice to parents.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |