When a social worker contacts you

Ask for as much information as possible about why the social worker is investigating you.

• Ask the social worker to answer your questions, explain what may happen, and write out important information for you.
• Take notes about what the social worker tells you. You may be nervous during the meeting and not remember everything afterward. Notes help you to keep track of what you want to find out and have to do. Your notes are also an important record of your contact with the social worker. Save your notes to help remember what you and the social worker said.

Tell the social worker your views about the safety concerns raised for your child.

• Give the social worker the names of trusted people who know you and your child. They can help explain your views about what’s best for your child.
• Tell the social worker if your child is Indigenous.
• If you agree the report is true, share your plan to keep your child safe.
• If you believe the report is false, explain what you’re doing to make sure your child is safe.

Having a social worker contact you is stressful. If you disagree with the report, don’t argue with the social worker because they won’t change their report at this stage. You need to build trust with the social worker and move forward.

Ask questions about the report and say how you can make sure your child is safe. Remember, the social worker wants to make sure your child is safe. The best thing you can do is focus on how to make sure your child is safe.

If you believe the report is false, keep in mind the social worker has already looked at the report and decided to investigate. The social worker may disagree with you that the report is false.

Keep a copy of everything that can help you prove what you say to the social worker. This could be notes about meetings with them, drug test results, contact information for people who can confirm (back up) what you say, and letters of support.

Find out what services can help you and your child.

• If your child is Indigenous and you want an Indigenous community to be involved, tell the social worker.
• Ask for an interpreter if you have trouble understanding or speaking English. The social worker can get an interpreter for you if there’s one in your area. If an interpreter isn’t available, you could ask someone you know to interpret for you. If you ask a trusted friend or family member to help you, make sure they understand they’re there to interpret, not to defend you or speak for you. Your interpreter should always stay calm when talking with the social worker.
• Ask for someone to interpret into sign language if you need that.
• If you think you aren’t being understood because you’re from another country and have different beliefs about raising children, tell the social worker. You may be able to get help from an immigrant-serving agency to explain your situation or ask about things that aren’t clear to you. 

It’s important to know how to contact the social worker who’s investigating your child’s safety.

• Ask the social worker for their business card. If they don’t have one, ask them to write down their name, office address, and phone number. This makes it easier for you to give new information, tell them about anything you forgot, or ask questions.
• Write down the name and phone number of the social worker’s supervisor or team leader (their boss).
• If a social worker phones you, it’s very important to find out their name so you can phone back if you need to. If you’re too upset to talk when the social worker phones, ask if you can phone back. If the answer is yes, be sure to phone back as soon as you can. You can also ask to meet in person.
• If you can’t reach the social worker or don’t have their phone number, call the ministry office nearest you. Or ask an advocate for help.

All social workers have lawyers who represent them. Their lawyers don’t represent you and can’t give you legal advice. You have the right to talk to your own lawyer who can give you legal advice. They have experience and knowledge about child protection law and court processes. Having your own lawyer can be very helpful for you.

You have the right to get legal advice as soon as the social worker contacts you. An advocate or community worker can also help you.

• Contact Legal Aid BC immediately to find out if you can get a free lawyer. You can apply for legal aid when a social worker starts an investigation, or you learn you’re being investigated. Even if you’d like to work cooperatively with the social worker, call Legal Aid BC or the Parents Legal Centre.
• If you’re an Indigenous parent, ask for a band or community Indigenous representative to take part in the process. Your Indigenous community, band, or First Nation may already have a written agreement with the local ministry office or delegated Aboriginal agency to set out how your band or First Nation is involved in your child protection matter.
• If you’re an Indigenous parent, ask the social worker (or your lawyer) about getting an Indigenous child protection mediator to help with your case.
• Ask an advocate or community worker to go with you to a meeting with the social worker. Advocates and community workers can explain how things work. They can help you decide how to explain your situation, take notes for you, or help you find legal help. You have the right to have an advocate with you at all face-to-face meetings, if you want an advocate to be there. 
• If you don’t have an advocate or a community worker, a trusted friend or family member may be able to support you or take notes.

See also Legal Help.

While the social worker is investigating, you can give your ideas about how to take better care of your child, or how others can help you. It often helps to write a plan with the social worker to set out what you want to do to make things better for your child. This is called a safety plan.

Making a good safety plan is one of the best ways to meet your child’s needs. It could show the social worker your child is safe in your home, and they may decide not to remove your child. If the social worker decided to remove your child, making a safety plan may help to get your child back sooner.

When you make your safety plan, think about:

• why the ministry is worried about your child’s safety
• what’s best for your child
• what you really can do
• how much time it will take you to make changes (be realistic)
• what your child wants (especially if your child is 12 or older)
• what help you may need
• what you’ll do if you have to wait for help

It’s good to tell the social worker:

• ways you can make your situation better
• what you did in the past that helped
• what support you used or plan to use
• what you’ve already done to deal with the current problem
• if you need help to find a doctor, food, counselling, family therapy, childcare, or a safe place to live
• what you’d like the social worker to do to help you
• which family members and friends can help you
• the names of trusted people who may let your child live with them for some time, if that’s needed
• how your child can help (if they’re old enough)
• if your child is Indigenous, how they could be involved with their Indigenous community
• how your child’s school or teachers could be involved

You can also make a written agreement with the social worker for them to connect you with community services to address the child protection concerns.