my unborn granchild coming under CP

[dvsurvivor]

Had case managment hearing and baby still with my daughter. So far all assesments going rely well! The judge said no reason why my daughter cannot see me and her siblings regular. The ss have asked for 7 days to go through the police reports until the restrictions are lifted . But ok give them the 7 days. Got the IRH in 3 month time. According to my daughter barrister [she changed her legal representative. ] Its a good thing and it should all be over by the time got IRH and the joint PR should be removed and possibly a supervision order if needed with a care plan for baby. With my daughter and baby moving back from were she is. As long as things continue going well as they are! The SS even tried bringing up addoption as a resort if things don't work out! The judge told them that it not neccesary to discuss it at this point as things going so well. I hear such horrid stories of were things go wrong! Should I worry to much or be hopefull as I am doing?

[ange301126]

Dear dvsurvivor,As the welfare of your grandchild is paramount,the CS have to be open about plans,inform the court about strengths and weaknesses of family,tell the parents what improvements they must make and of timescales etc.

I was wondering if you have seen the interim care-plan? Clearly, the baby needs a father as well as a mother. When will the loving family be united?

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear DVsurvivor

Please try to remain optimistic and continue with the good work, as it sounds like you are doing everything you can to get the best possible outcome. Feel free to post back if you have a further question about your circumstances.

Best Wishes

Suzie

[dvsurvivor]

The baby dad can only see his son twice a week at a contact centre. Which I feel is rely unfair. As their no history or evidence of him being agressive or violent in frount of children. He has ADHD so the ss have put him as having a "personality disorder". Which I feel is unfair! But if I voice my opinion I'm classed as minimizing the so called "domestic abuse". And risk not seeing my grandson. The ss had a legal meeting on friday just gone. The sw was suppose to call my daughter with the outcome but did not. The meeting was to go over the police reports and depending on the reports would be wether the ss lift the restrictions on my daughter. I know what the police records are as regards my daughter as they were needed for another case. They have NOTHING on my daughter!! The SS are clutching at straws. The carers were she is with baby under the ICO and the carers SW have voiced their opinion to my daughters baby sw that they feel my daughter shouldn't even be ther. She is apparantly the first young mum that cooks properly. All from scratch. Can wash,cook,clean,tidy up and look after her baby with out being prompted!! The baby is very advanced for his age. And that's all down to my daughter being the naturelly wonderfull,amazing mummy she is! Its purely discusting that she has to go through all of this. The SS have split us all up as a family. My younger children have not even met their nephew yet and don't understand why or what's going on??
Also is it true that an ICO no longer needs to be renewd every 28 days and it can be for long as the proceedings without having to go back to court to renew it?

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear DVsurvivor,

Thank you for posting back.
Yes that is correct that now the court have the power to make an interim care order (ICO) until the final hearing or until the next hearing. There is no need for the local authority lawyers to apply to renew the ICO every 28 days.

I am so glad that your daughter is doing so well with the assessment of her parenting skills. It will help a lot. But please do not be complacent. We often hear on the advice line or on the parent’s forum that in every way a mum is doing brilliantly except for worries about a partner who is domestically abusive.
This worry is heightened when children are too young to protect themselves. Because baby is so young, the risks are potentially very high. If mum was to be a victim-this may occur when she is holding baby. Baby could get injured or worse.

You might be completely correct about dad-he can manage his anger in front of his child. However, you could be wrong as well. He has lost control in front of professionals and there are police reports about him as well.
How can they be sure that he won’t lose control in front of baby? That is the risk that children’s services cannot take until they know for sure that dad is safe as you say.

Dad has his solicitor to advocate for him. He should do everything to think about his risky behaviour and seek help if he needs it. He could contact
Respect advice line -be honest with them and ask whether they think his behaviour is domestic violence? They are independent experts. They have a young person’s advice line. If he is-he can ensure that he is getting access to the right sort of support.

The worse thing is for him (or your daughter) is to minimise the possible risk. Hopefully, Dad is listening to his children law solicitor who will be advising him on assessments (including for his mental health) and courses he can do to lower any risk, convince children’s services that he is safe and not a danger to his baby. Until then, the best thing for him and your daughter is to cooperate.

You are also very important part of the family. Could you be a protective factor for baby? What about other family? Has there been a family group conference ?

I don’t want to emphasise the negative but once care proceedings are issued, the whole case is expected to be completed within 26 weeks. Any delay in planning for children is considered to be detrimental. So dad will have alot to prove in a short time.

Best wishes,
Suzie

[dvsurvivor]

Yes the father of baby is doing courses etc far as I know as reports say. I am not having any contact directly or indirectly so as not to undermine my daughters and babys risk. Also my daughter has completley split up and cut off from babys dad. As she will not risk anything as regards her baby! She has no contact at all directly or indirectly.
No we still not had a family group conference!! Am going to ask again. How long does it take once referal gone through?
My daughter had good news today that their is nothing on the police reports that makes the ss concerned about my daughter being a risk. So the ristrictions on her are gradually being lifted. Like you say she just has to stay away from baby dad until he can prove that he can maintain self control.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear dvsurvivor

It is difficult to put a timescale on how long it takes to arrange a family group conference, but this will depend on the availability of family members and the family group conference coordinator (the person responsible for arranging the meeting).

I hope this helps.

Best Wishes

Suzie

[dvsurvivor]

Ok we still not heard anything. Got good news though. My daughter is no longer viewd as a risk! Her ristrictions are gradually getting lifted. Looking at moving her and baby out of placement soon. Me and my other children seeing her and baby at weekend. Ss said we can see one another and baby when we like as long as within times scale she has to be back etc.... So happy!!

[ange301126]

Dear dvsurvivor, it is important not to minimise the risk of domestic violence and it is crucial to the welfare of your new grandchild not to maximise the risk of domestic violence as the CS have done to the baby's detriment.
Social Workers ,when they receive information or a child-in-need referral , are intended to make an in-depth investigation into the circumstances of a case BEFORE interfering with family life.

Yet only at this late stage have they 'gone over' the Police reports and declared that your daughter and yourself present no risk to the baby. Of course,that is what you have all been claiming all along.It is because the CS failed to investigate properly that there is any 'problem' at all, that is my opinion anyway. Had they done so and studied the Police reports 'in depth' they would have seen straight away that a non-violent argument occurred only, that there was no question of any domestic violence ( no complaint of it to Police and no charges brought) and that no child was at risk because the baby had not been born.

Maximising potential risk of abuse is the culprit here and it is down to the department not to the child's father, mother or you.Lots of couples argue and home life can be stressful in the weeks leading up to the birth of a baby. It is wrong that a non-violent dispute (in every way) should get transposed into a violent one because of incompetent and over-authoritiative sw's.

Why,oh why do these awful people go over the top on potential risk and cause so much reckless,emotional damage to so many victims? It is no good they ( or anyone else) citing reasonable concern as an excuse for it when guidelines which are set down to establish any such have been ignored.

For example, had both parents been informed of advocacy services and had concerns explained to them properly, it is most unlikely Dad would have punched the wall in frustration. Again, had the social workers investigated properly, they would have established that Dad was a sufferer from ADHD earlier rather than declaring he had a ' personality disorder' without any definition of it's significance and how it affected him.Persons with ADHD often relieve their stress unconventionally by banging on tables and stamping their feet and may strike a wall in frustration.

Social Workers should do their jobs properly!

I understand, however, why your daughter has to go along with it all and do as they tell her. If she
doesn't who can tell what she will be made to suffer at their hands.I do hope things turn out and the emotional harm the CS are causing to the child are minimised.

I suggest that when it is all over (if ever) that the family request copies of the Police referral.I don't think it is wholly regular for a couple to get reported to Children's Services by Police before a child is born. I suggest the possibility that your daughter's name was on some sort of secret file which had been sent to Police long before.They may have been asked to report any involvement with her as and when. In other words,she was discriminated against and deliberately targeted because of her kinship to you.
I look forward to your comments, hope you find this helpful and hope that continued cooperation will minimise the damage to you all. Damage limitation ,I suppose,is what it is all about when one is dealing with the CS. Yet don't let them confuse you as to the actual fact which is THAT THERE WAS NO DV to worry about!

As regards timescales for arranging a Family conference, Suzie is right it is difficult ; I would go further and say it is nigh on impossible to judge when sw's habitually ignore requests for one preferring to proceed without one.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear DVsurvivor,

What fantastic news! I am glad that your daughter has had such a positive assessment and that you are having contact with your baby grandson. It is a credit to her and you that this was the outcome.

Ange has raised some points about risk assessments when there is possible domestic violence.

First, the definition of domestic violence used by agencies including the police, children services, NHS is definition of domestic violence .

I am glad he highlighted the importance of advocacy services and access to good quality legal advice. The advocate or solicitor may have highlighted how domestic violence can be so dangerous to children that no risks should be taken by children services.

Actions around possible domestic violence

The law was amended to specifically include domestic violence being mentioned in care proceedings. Care proceedings can be taken when children suffer significant harm or are at risk of suffering significant harm, from witnessing domestic violence.

The human rights act also considered the absolute right to be free from torture or inhumane treatment set against the right to family life which is conditional. Also any intervention by the state has to be a proportionate response.

It is also now automatic that police will refer to children services or a multi agency panel, when they are called to a home, where they suspect domestic violence and there are children or mum is pregnant. An urgent risk assessment will then need to be completed. Support to the family should be offered to protect against this risk.

If it becomes apparent during the early days of the assessment, that there may be a risk of a child suffering significant harm, then support such as a safety plan should be put into place immediately to protect baby/child until children services have completed the full assessment (which can take up to 9 weeks).
So this may mean the “potential” risky parent moving out of the family home until the risks can be properly assessed. Or for mum and baby moving to a safe address. Contact, for example, will be assessed to see whether it should be supervised.

Ange says that a referral to by police before a child is born is not regular. In fact it is regular, just as when a midwife who has concerns might refer to children services.

When a baby is yet to be born, there will be a lot of questions over whether a possible violent father will be safe to mum, baby, doctors and nurses during labour. What about other mothers in the maternity ward?

So a pre birth assessment and child protection plan may look at a plan for the hospital stay. Will it be safe for dad to attend the birth? What about visiting mum on the ward afterwards? What about when the family return home? Will it be safe for baby?

Finally, if a father does not engage, then he can’t be risk assessed and there will be no choice but to assume he is high risk (even if he is no risk at all).
I hope this clarifies the position but you could also look at our information about domestic violence .

Best wishes,

Suzie