Sex offender... Where do we stand? Worried sick!

[poppy321]

Hello, hopefully someone will be able to advise me on the likely outcomes of our situation

My partner of 4 years is on a sex offender register for sexual assault and indecent exposure. The sexual assault was against adults, NOT children or minors. This happened 10years ago and nothing has happened since.

The police worker who comes out to see him still has to submit a referral to social services at 23 weeks gestation.

Will he be allowed unsupervised contact with our baby? What will the outcome of this situation be?

Has anyone been in my position before? Everything I've found in forums, the partner has been convicted of child sex offences which is very different.

Also I'll add, he lived with his sister when she was a minor and no referral was put in place then.

Please help!!

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear poppy321

Welcome to the Parents’ Discussion Forum

My name is Suzie and I am an adviser at Family Rights Group.

From your post you are clearly very concerned about the effect your partner’s past conviction as a sex offender is likely to have on his contact with the baby you are having together. It must be a worry for you at what should be a happy time awaiting the birth of your baby.

Have you informed your midwife of your partner’s background? If not, you should do so as when you do the midwife will make a referral to children services. Alternatively, you may wish to consider making children services aware of your pregnancy yourself. This is to show that you are being open and honest with them. Once they are aware of the pregnancy a decision will be made about what assessment they need to carry out. It is also very likely that they will want to carry out a risk assessment on your partner.

It is unlikely that children services will become very involved in the early stages of your pregnancy and it will not be until 20 weeks or later that they will be actively working with you and your partner. Whilst it might be difficult to have children services involved, it is important that you cooperate and engage with then fully. This is the best way for a good outcome. There may be a pre-birth planning meeting to decide what will happen when the baby is born but this will depend on what concerns children services have about risk of harm to your baby. Our frequently asked questions here will give you more information about what happens when children services has concerns about a baby’s safety.

I am not in a position to say whether children services will suggest no contact or only supervised contact. This will depend on the circumstances of your particular case and the outcome of their assessment.

As soon as children services become involved with you and your partner you should ask that they carry out a risk assessment and ask for details of when it will start and how long it will take. I suggest that you put the request in writing and ask for a written response.

I am including a copy of our advice sheet about child protection procedures for your information.

The Lucy Faithfull Foundation who deals with issues relating to sexual abuse can provide you with more specific advice about your partner’s history. Their website is here

You may wish to speak to an adviser and, if so, please feel free to telephone our advice line on 0808 801 0366. The advice line is free and confidential and open from 9.30 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. Monday to Friday.

I hope you find this information helpful.

Best wishes
Suzie

[poppy321]

Dear poppy321

Welcome to the Parents’ Discussion Forum

My name is Suzie and I am an adviser at Family Rights Group.

From your post you are clearly very concerned about the effect your partner’s past conviction as a sex offender is likely to have on his contact with the baby you are having together. It must be a worry for you at what should be a happy time awaiting the birth of your baby.

Have you informed your midwife of your partner’s background? If not, you should do so as when you do the midwife will make a referral to children services. Alternatively, you may wish to consider making children services aware of your pregnancy yourself. This is to show that you are being open and honest with them. Once they are aware of the pregnancy a decision will be made about what assessment they need to carry out. It is also very likely that they will want to carry out a risk assessment on your partner.

It is unlikely that children services will become very involved in the early stages of your pregnancy and it will not be until 20 weeks or later that they will be actively working with you and your partner. Whilst it might be difficult to have children services involved, it is important that you cooperate and engage with then fully. This is the best way for a good outcome. There may be a pre-birth planning meeting to decide what will happen when the baby is born but this will depend on what concerns children services have about risk of harm to your baby. Our frequently asked questions here will give you more information about what happens when children services has concerns about a baby’s safety.

I am not in a position to say whether children services will suggest no contact or only supervised contact. This will depend on the circumstances of your particular case and the outcome of their assessment.

As soon as children services become involved with you and your partner you should ask that they carry out a risk assessment and ask for details of when it will start and how long it will take. I suggest that you put the request in writing and ask for a written response.

I am including a copy of our advice sheet about child protection procedures for your information.

The Lucy Faithfull Foundation who deals with issues relating to sexual abuse can provide you with more specific advice about your partner’s history. Their website is here

You may wish to speak to an adviser and, if so, please feel free to telephone our advice line on 0808 801 0366. The advice line is free and confidential and open from 9.30 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. Monday to Friday.

I hope you find this information helpful.

Best wishes
Suzie

Dear Suzie,

Social services have started their involvement a few weeks ago. They have started a pre birth assessment and we have had several sessions going through lots of information. It has not been as scary as I thought and the social workers are supportive and clearly want the best for our baby.

Could you advise me on how long the pre birth assessment takes?

Also, what is a pre birth planning meeting? What will happen during this and what does it mean? Is it the same as an initial child protection conference or does it indicate they are thinking of a child protection plan?

Please reply!

Thank you.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Poppy123,

Generally, assessments take up to 45 working days but could be much shorter. I am not aware of anything different about timescales for a pre birth assessment. But you could check your local procedures. Why don’t you also ask the social worker how long she thinks it will take?

A pre- birth planning meeting (if it takes place) is a meeting that will involve professionals such as the midwife, health visitor, police, as well as children services and parents.
It could be alongside a child protection plan (if children services assess that your baby might be at risk of suffering significant harm due to dads offending past.) Or it could be alongside a child in need plan, if your cooperation is such that it is decided that baby is not at risk of suffering harm.

The aim would be to plan what further assessments and support might be needed; leading up to the birth of your baby, during your stay in hospital and what happens when you and baby can be discharged from hospital after the birth.

For example, if there was a child protection plan some of the issues that might be addressed are around dad’s potential risk to his child and other mothers or children in hospital.

Would dad need to be further risk assessed, to see what support or security might need to be put in place before he came onto the maternity ward? Would his access on this ward be restricted?

How would his contact with baby be managed? Would it need to be supervised by children services?
What would be the plan on discharge of baby from hospital? Would it be safe for baby to go home with both you and dad or would dad need to stay elsewhere? How would this be monitored? Would it be safe for you to go home or should you go into a mother and baby foster care placement, for example or stay with family?

I am giving you a lot of types of issues that might be addressed but all will depend on whether dad poses a risk to baby. If he does, whether you as mum can protect against that risk. So a lot will depend on the outcome of the pre- birth assessment.


If you have any questions, please post back or call our advice line on 0808 801 0366.

Best wishes,

Suzie

[poppy321]

Dear Poppy123,

Generally, assessments take up to 45 working days but could be much shorter. I am not aware of anything different about timescales for a pre birth assessment. But you could check your local procedures. Why don’t you also ask the social worker how long she thinks it will take?

A pre- birth planning meeting (if it takes place) is a meeting that will involve professionals such as the midwife, health visitor, police, as well as children services and parents.
It could be alongside a child protection plan (if children services assess that your baby might be at risk of suffering significant harm due to dads offending past.) Or it could be alongside a child in need plan, if your cooperation is such that it is decided that baby is not at risk of suffering harm.

The aim would be to plan what further assessments and support might be needed; leading up to the birth of your baby, during your stay in hospital and what happens when you and baby can be discharged from hospital after the birth.

For example, if there was a child protection plan some of the issues that might be addressed are around dad’s potential risk to his child and other mothers or children in hospital.

Would dad need to be further risk assessed, to see what support or security might need to be put in place before he came onto the maternity ward? Would his access on this ward be restricted?

How would his contact with baby be managed? Would it need to be supervised by children services?
What would be the plan on discharge of baby from hospital? Would it be safe for baby to go home with both you and dad or would dad need to stay elsewhere? How would this be monitored? Would it be safe for you to go home or should you go into a mother and baby foster care placement, for example or stay with family?

I am giving you a lot of types of issues that might be addressed but all will depend on whether dad poses a risk to baby. If he does, whether you as mum can protect against that risk. So a lot will depend on the outcome of the pre- birth assessment.


If you have any questions, please post back or call our advice line on 0808 801 0366.

Best wishes,

Suzie

Thank you for your reply it's been very helpful. I have asked the social worker when the pre birth will finish and they advised March, which near enough fits in with 45 working days (discounting Xmas period and weekends).

I've got one more question... do you have any experience in arranging home births when issues like this are concerned?

I asked the SW and she said she can't see a problem as long as the midwife agrees and there's no obstetric complications. I know that the midwife has a duty of care to provide home birth services. I'm a member of a home birth support group and have done a lot of reading and research before making my decision. There would be 2 community midwives at the birth and I think it would benefit the hospital from a safeguarding point too? Regards to if they have any concerns with my partner on the ward?

Thank you

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Poppy321,

I am glad that my advice has been of help. I think the social workers response seems reasonable.

If you are planning on a home birth, then the issue of any risk your partner might pose to baby would need to be planned for within the home environment. So if children services were worried about dad to posing a sexual risk to your baby, then there would need to be consideration about how he could be supervised. Just as when your baby is born, the primary issue would be whether dad would need to be supervised when he has any contact with baby.
I also assume there would need to be an alternative plan, in case there were any obstetric difficulties and you needed to go into hospital. So any plan would need to travel with you.

Best wishes,

Suzie