Stands for
PLO — Structured final opportunity for families to make change before care proceedings are issued, with free legal representation.
How it works in KallosSim
- In practice language — Structured final opportunity for families to make change before care proceedings are issued, with free legal representation.
- What it means — Where a Local Authority considers that a child may need to be removed through court proceedings, but is not yet ready to issue, it may enter the Pre-Proceedings stage under the Public Law Outline (PLO). The parents receive a Letter Before Proceedings (LBP), which immediately triggers their entitlement to free legal aid — they must be told to contact a solicitor without delay. The pre-proceedings stage typically runs for 12 weeks (Public Law Working Group guidance: 12–16 weeks as the outer limit). It involves a pre-proceedings meeting between the LA and the parents (with their solicitors), a written schedule of expectations, and regular review. The purpose is to give parents a genuine, structured, legally supported opportunity to make the changes needed to keep their child safe. Practitioners must be able to explain the LBP clearly, and must document progress against agreed milestones — this evidence will be before the court if proceedings are issued.
- In KallosSim — Cases and formative debriefs may reference this concept when your sector pack and card selections call for it.
Training only. Fictional AI-generated cases only — not legal advice, not live decision support, not a substitute for supervision.
What it is not
- A substitute for reading primary statute or your organisation’s procedures.
- Competence assessment, ASYE sign-off, or Bar / SRA / CIPD accreditation.
- Advice for a live family, employee, client, or court matter.