What should I do next

[Nan53]

My daughter went back to court again last week this time they have taken her children from her and placed them with the sister of the man that physically absued her and supplied her with cocaine. I am unsure how this can happen other than the fact she was passed for kinship right at the start of this sorry mess before all the facts were known. In September last year she finally came clean to her SW that she was in a domestically abusive relationship with the father of her youngest and was taking cocaine SW told her that the children would have to go to his sister's as she had been passed for kinship. I told her that this could not happen as she knew all along what was going on. Instead despite the fact that I had not been accepted for kinship they all stayed with me for 11 days until my daughter and her children went to a foster placement. I am deeply concerned by the fact that my grandchildren have been placed with the sister of an extremely violent man who has threatened the life of my daughter. He is also a drug dealer and user and is in regular contact with his sister how can SW think that this is a safe place for my grandchildren to be. SW has now gone on A/L for 2 weeks and I am at my Witt's end

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Nan53

Welcome to the Family and Friends Carers discussion forum and thank you for your post.

I am sorry to read that you are concerned about the placement of your grandchildren with their paternal aunt and that you wonder how she was able to pass a viability assessment.

From what you say, it appears that your daughter is currently involved in care proceedings and it is usual for family members on both sides to be assessed as possible carers on a short or long term basis. Your grandchildren would only be placed with the paternal aunt if she had a positive assessment. From what you say, it is not clear whether the children have been placed with her under an interim care order or some other order temporarily.

You say you had not been approved for kinship care but your daughter and the children stayed with you. May I assume there was an agreement with your daughter that she would stay with you prior to going to the foster placement with her children? Did your daughter leave the placement, and why did children’s services consider that it would not be safe for the children to remain in her care?

When Children’s Services assess potential carers they follow guidelines and procedures and then present the individual/family member to Panel for approval as foster/kinship carers. If this was the case for your grandchildren’s paternal aunt she would have demonstrated to the social workers and the Panel that she would be able to keep the children ‘safe’ from their father and or any other person who might ‘cause them harm’.

Our advice sheet about Care (and related) proceedings may be useful to you at this time, please take a moment to read it. Care proceedings usually last for up to 26 weeks and your daughter will have a parenting assessment to decide whether or not children’s services believe she would be able to have the children returned to her care. Do you know if your daughter was asked to separate from her partner prior to children’s services making the decision to apply to the court? You say your daughter admitted to being in an abusive relationship and using cocaine in September last year, how long had children’s services been involved before she made this admission?

If you would like to speak with us to answer any of the questions I have asked you do call our confidential advice service where one of our advisers would be happy discuss with and advise you about your family’s situation. Our advice service is open, Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays) on 0808 801 0366, from 9.30am-3.00pm.

Best wishes

Suzie

[Nan53]

Thank you Suzie
SS have been involved with my daughter for a very long time she was pregnant with her previous partner's baby who was an aggressive alcoholic. He ended up trashing her home shortly after my granddaughter was born an injuction prevented contact for 2 years during this period she met and fell pregnant to the father of my grandson. SS were already involved as I had contacted them because I had found out he was a drug dealer and that there was a gun in the house. I was becoming increasingly concerned because he seemed to be trying to alienate my daughter from all her friends and family then he trashed the house while my granddaughter was in the house and my daughter heavily pregnant. I later found out that he'd punched her several times in the stomach she had my grandson 3 weeks early she was not allowed to bring her son home from hospital until she agreed to come and stay with me. Things escalated very quickly after this with SS we seemed to go straight to prepreceeding this is when both myself and his sister were assessed for kinship she accepted I wasn't (if only I had read your parents pages how to deal with SS by tale of man prior to my assessment) Court decided that she could return home with her children and he could only see his son once a week in a family centre. That's brings it up to September and my daughter's addmission. SW originally wanted my daughter to sign section 20 she would not agree then she said then they will have to go to his sister's I said that can't happen she knew this was happening (that my daughter was taking cocaine and a victim of domestic abuse at the hands of her brother) this is when they stayed with me for 11 days they were under an ICO whilst in foster care with my daughter when it went to court she was given a new home and a chance to start afresh but messed up that is why she ended up back in court
My daughter says that they will be there for a year till she can prove to the court she is a fit parent. I have heard from my ex husband that she is back in court May 15th and that his sister has only been passed for short-term kinship SW told him it was only a matter of ticking boxes to make it more permanent that doesn't sound anything like going before a panel. His sister has pretended to be my daughter's friend through all of this knowing what her brother was doing threatening to have her children taken off her but doing nothing taking her brother's side believing everything that he says how can my grandchildren be safe. I spoke to Cafcass prior to court they asked did I think I was fairly assessed and I said no they asked me did I want to be reassessed I said no as I had realised after having them for the 11 days I was unable to care for them full time on my own. I told them about his sister and how she knew everything and did nothing. This time when she went to court I was not contacted at all.

[Nan53]

The father of my granddaughter is being frozen out of the decisions being made about her future he is only now being invited to court when a plan is already in place. The letter he received was hand delivered on the day he was meant to submit evidence by 4pm the same day. The only other contact that he has had with Social Services was the hand delivered transcript of the court case held in the March he has legal representation now but if a plan is already in place what hope has he got

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Hi Nan53,

It is not clear from your post why granddaughters dad has not been involved in the earlier part of the care proceedings. Was his address unknown?
He has now been aware of the proceedings since March 2018 when he was served with the transcript. I would have expected him to have also been served with all the court papers and advised of his right to seek legal advice. This would have given him time to be assessed and for his solicitor to prepare a statement on his behalf.

If children’s services or the CAFCASS guardian had not made efforts to ensure he was served with the correct papers and advised of his need to seek urgent legal advice, the courts will be concerned. Dad’s solicitor may consider what applications can be made and whether, exceptionally, the final hearing can be adjourned to enable him to contribute and be assessed.
Best wishes,
Suzie