Child neglect? What happens next?

[Returning2thesceneofthecrime]

I’d like to know what is likely to happen next.

A relative is getting divorced and is really struggling. She has four children aged 9/7/5/3. I live in another city so my support is limited to weekends and phone calls.

She has previously been reported to social services (don’t know by whom) for leaving her children at home alone while she went out to the supermarket and gym etc. The oldest child made a reference to self harming and she was called into the school. I think social services got involved again. She was told to take him to a psychologist but did not. Oldest child has done something similar again and again she was called into the school who found out she hadn’t taken action the previous time.

What will social services do? Am I right in thinking the school must have reported this to them? I do think she is guilty of child neglect (have been torn between trying to help her and report her in the past). What action will they take? I am assuming there is some sort of support offered before removing children from her care?

Yes.
The last thing Social Care ever want to do is to remove children from their parent. Things have to be dire for that to happen. Even the most cynical person can see it is a very expensive option for the public purse even if they refuse to believe that social care genuinely want to put support in to help people the overwhelming majority of the time.
There are a whole raft of levels of support - Child Protection Plans, Child in Need Plans, Support from a Family Support Worker, and other options they will look at and try to give her support to support / look after her children before considering removing them.