§ Mr. Freesonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will consider allowing parents to have an automatic right to a second opinion from a social worker or social work organisation, independent of the local authority, when that authority is intending to remove the rights of parents over their children.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergWhere a local authority proposes to assume parental rights in respect of a child and the parent objects, the matter must be referred to a court.
261WThe parent will be party to the proceedings and it will be open to him or her to commission an independent social inquiry report.