SW not following CPC decision

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In_My_Heart
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2015 9:34 pm

SW not following CPC decision

Post by In_My_Heart » Sat Dec 05, 2015 6:20 pm

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Last edited by In_My_Heart on Sat Feb 20, 2016 7:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Suzie, FRG Adviser
Posts: 950
Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2011 12:25 pm

Re: SW not following CPC decision

Post by Suzie, FRG Adviser » Mon Dec 07, 2015 4:22 pm

Dear In My Heart,

How worrying that mum is still with her partner when the child protection conference says he is dangerous to her young children.
Has she been given the right support to help her leave the dangerous partner? If she cannot make him leave her home then other housing options can be considered. What support does the child protection plan list?
You might find our domestic violence FAQ's useful.
As you say, it is important that the risk assessment does include relevant facts.
Given the issue is domestic violence I would have thought that the threats would be relevant. What was the outcome of the risk assessment? Is his risk still high or has it changed?
Have you taken the matter up with the chair of the child protection conference? Here is our
FAQ’s about child protection.

As paternal grandmother to one of the children, how else are you being involved?
Has there been a family group conference to look for support within the family such as family finding in case the children’s safety is further compromised?
I am glad that you remain engaged with the child protection process. You will be an important source of support for your family.

Please post back if you have any questions or need further advice.

Best wishes,

Suzie

In_My_Heart
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2015 9:34 pm

Re: SW not following CPC decision

Post by In_My_Heart » Wed Jan 13, 2016 9:19 am

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Last edited by In_My_Heart on Sat Feb 20, 2016 7:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.

In_My_Heart
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2015 9:34 pm

Re: SW not following CPC decision

Post by In_My_Heart » Sun Jan 24, 2016 2:13 am

Suzie? Anyone? Please.

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Robin D
Posts: 1985
Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 1:58 pm

Re: SW not following CPC decision

Post by Robin D » Sun Jan 24, 2016 9:09 am

If your granddaughter is old enough and so inclined, a call to Childline to say she still feels unsafe would not go amiss. Either way, it would provide her with another outlet for her concerns.

Were it me, I'd also be sending a letter to the Director of Children's Services at the Local Authority outlining your concerns that the child is not being protected and letting them know that if anything does go wrong, you will ensure that they are publically held accountable! Make sure you copy in your local councillor if it's the authority in which you live.

Robin
Former F&F carer, foster carer, adopter and respite carer for umpteen children. Now retired and when with kids, making sure they 'go home' at the end of the day.

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Suzie, FRG Adviser
Posts: 950
Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2011 12:25 pm

Re: SW not following CPC decision

Post by Suzie, FRG Adviser » Wed Jan 27, 2016 5:51 pm

Dear In_My_Heart

Thank you for your further posts and apologies for not responding sooner.

It is very clear from your post that you remain very anxious for your granddaughter’s wellbeing in the care of her mother and her partner. I know you find the process frustrating as you do not believe the Children Services is acting to protect your granddaughter.

There was an initial child protection conference and it concluded that the mother’s partner should leave the property. For some reason, and the fact that they are both being compliant with the child protection plan is probably why Children Services are continuing to work with them to try and resolve what they consider to be issues with their parenting style (which I understand you do not accept).

Children Services has a duty to work with families to prevent taking care proceedings and it appears that this is what is happening here with your granddaughter’s mother. If she has completed the requisite courses then Children Services are likely to take that as her trying to improve her parenting. I suppose that they family is being monitored under the child protection plan and with regular visits to the home to see the children.

Has your granddaughter made any further complaints about how she is being treated at home? Do you know if there have been any further incidents at all? It seems that you are working from the position that the previous conference made recommendations and these should be carried out. It is likely that the plan included other things which was required of the mother and her partner as well to improve the situation.

I am not clear about the court orders that the mother’s partner has breached. If he has breached specific orders then the matter should be take back to court about the breach and to ask the court to enforce the terms of the order.

It seems that you are at the moment feeling that the mother being with this partner is wrong but if she is doing what is asked of her by Children Services, they seem willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Are you refusing to accept the situation as it is now because you do not feel that any real change has been made or can ever be made by the mother?
Disapproving of choice of partner does not mean necessarily that no changes can be made.

You have made a complaint which is being dealt with at the moment so your concerns will, I hope, be dealt with appropriately.

Children Services may be concerned that you rather than your son appear to be taking the lead in challenging the decisions that they make and may believe that you rather than your son who has parental responsibility. It could be viewed as you being against the mother. I am not saying this is the case but that there might be a perception of it. You do not think parenting classes can help but in a lot of cases parents learning how to manage different issues can be helpful and mean changes to how children are treated in the home.

Is it possible for your son and the mother to try to mediate with you being involved if they ask you to be. Perhaps if they are able to speak to each other through an independent third party it might help the situation. Her partner does not need to be involved as it is about their child. Maybe your son would consider this. If they can work things out then may be there could be further mediation including the wider family.

You may be at odds with the mother but trying to work with her might be helpful rather than if she feels this man is the only one on side with her and supporting her against everyone else.

As you are concerned about the possibility of your granddaughter suffering further abuse it might help if you explain to her what she can do. For example, that she can speak to her teacher at school or any adult she trusts to tell them what is happening. As one poster has suggested you can ensure that she is aware of Childline the number 0800 1111 she is able to phone this number without it showing up on a bill. The service is completely confidential.

Robin has made what I think is a sensible suggestion that you inform the Director of Children Services of your concerns. You may also like to make sure your local MP and councillor has copies of the letter.

I am sorry that Stage 1 of your complaint did not go as expected and hope that Stage 2 will properly address the concerns you have about Children Services decision and procedural omissions. All cases are different, so in your stage 2, it will be important for you to say why stage 1 did not adequately address your complaint, set out clearly what your expectation are for a resolution of the complaint. I suggest that you keep the issues clear and concise in your complaint. State the evidence that you believe Children Services is ignoring and therefore putting your granddaughter at risk of harm.

Turning to your second post about Stage 2 complaint specifically, as stated above each case is different and as such you will need to ensure that you stick to the point of what you want to happen. Also, how you feel Children Services have failed your granddaughter. You do have to bear in mind that they can provide support to help a parent improve the way in which they parent and to ensure that a child is not at risk of harm.

I know you believe that their current actions or lack of action is putting your granddaughter at risk and you should ensure that you point this out clearly with evidence to support your view. A copy of our advice sheet about making complaints is here for your information.

I hope you will find this helpful.

Best wishes

Suzie

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