3 children removed now im pregnant again

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Tt23
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2018 2:12 pm

3 children removed now im pregnant again

Post by Tt23 » Sun Apr 08, 2018 9:55 am

2 years ago i had my 3 children removed from my care due to neglect( bad mental health problem) the judge said i had to do a form of physcotherapy and that in future i could have more children i just had to address my childhood truma. Ive spent 15 months addressing all my issues move homes went to physcotherapy got tid of my ex. A year ago i got into a new realationship and now im pregnant again. The question i would like to no is can i keep this baby or will they take it away im petrified that they will come in and take it despite all my circumstances changes i cannot enjoy my pregnancy at the moment. I did the right thing and informed children services straight away infact they were the first people i contacted it took them over two weeks to get back to me. Any advice or help would be grately helpfuly.

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Suzie, FRG Adviser
Posts: 4207
Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2011 2:57 pm

Re: 3 children removed now im pregnant again

Post by Suzie, FRG Adviser » Tue Apr 10, 2018 3:57 pm

Dear Tt23

Welcome to the Parents’ Discussion Board and thank you for your post. I am sorry to hear of the difficulties you and your family have experienced in the past.

Congratulations on your pregnancy. Also well done for being so proactive and open in contacting children’s services to let them know that you are expecting another baby. I am sure that this was a scary thing to do but it is also the best thing to do as it shows that you are willing to work with social workers, that you are open and honest and it allows time for an assessment to take place which is better for you and the baby than a referral later on in your pregnancy.

I am sorry to hear that you are not able to enjoy being pregnant though due to your understandable worries about what will happen now that children’s services are involved.

It is really important that you continue to keep in touch with your midwife and any professionals involved with yours and the baby’s health needs and with the social worker.

From what you say, your situation has moved on a lot in the last two years. You have separated from your ex-partner - I guess there were concerns about him too as it sounds as if the children did not remain in his care either.

You have managed to access psychotherapy. Has this now come to an end in agreement with the psychotherapist?

You have also moved home and are in a new relationship. Does the new baby’s father have any children/any previous children’s services’ involvement/ any vulnerabilities himself?

What are the contact arrangements for you to see the children who are no longer in your care?

These are all questions that the social worker undertaking the current pre-birth assessment may wish to explore further with you. Part of what they will need to assess is your understanding of the difficulties which contributed to the other children being removed from your care a couple of years ago and what you have done to address these difficulties. The social worker will also need to assess your new partner and try to work out what support you would need to care for your baby when they are born.

Do involve wider family and friends early so that they can support you to care for your baby if need be or to be considered as possible carers for the baby if you are unable to care for them. You could have a family group conference to help work out a safe plan.

It is not possible to predict what the outcome of the assessment will be. There are different possibilities depending on any risks identified.

It could be that a child in need plan is put in place.

Or if the social worker is still worried that your baby may be likely to suffer significant harm after the birth, then an initial child protection conference may be held while you are still pregnant. The conference would decide if a child protection plan should be made saying how your baby must be kept safe after the birth. You can find out more about child protection processes in our advice sheet: Child protection procedures.

In some cases where there is a serious concern that a parent would not be able to care for the baby safely after birth children’s services could apply to the court for an order when the baby is born which would allow them to make decisions for the baby about who they live with and spend time with. There is more information in our advice sheet: Care (and related) proceedings.

You should be kept fully informed at all times and do access support and advice including legal advice as and when you need it.

As you have had children removed from your care before it is a good idea to get back in touch with the solicitor who represented you in the previous court case, or a different children-panel accredited solicitor, if you prefer. They can advise you and help discuss plans for the baby with the social worker, even before the baby is born.

Continue to keep looking after yourself and your unborn baby, working with professionals, engaging with services and accessing support and advice.

When the situation is a bit clearer or you have any further queries please do not hesitate to post back or if you prefer, ring the Freephone advice helpline on 0808 8010366 Mon- Fri 9.30 – 3.00 to speak to an adviser.

With best wishes


Suzie

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