her, my problem is that the letter states that i should not be contacting social services about the welfare of my children as they have already been to see my ex wife and found nothing wrong, i do have real concerns for my childrens safety as my ex wife is drunk on a regular basis and regularly takes my children to the pub with her my children are 18mth and 3 years old. Also one night recently i took my son off her as he was ill and she was drinking, and i am not sure where i stand legally doing this, as neither of us have been granted custody of the children. i can not afford legal reprecentation at present so any advice would be greatfully recieved. Also to letter says i have to acknowledge i have recieved the letter is this true ? A. Hi there The children come first. If ever you feel that they are at risk of harm , you should contact the authorities. If that is the police, they will contact social services in any event. You may apply to the court for contact and or residence (order that the children live with you). If there are no orders at the moment and you have parental responsibility, you may keep the children with you if you feel that returning them puts them at risk of harm. If you choose to do this, you will need to apply to the court for a residence order