Contact suspended until after final hearing.

[ange301126]

Dear Charmed,please note that you don't want just a paediatric report, tell your solicitor that you want a report commissioned from experts experienced in your children's particular difficulties.

In our case, both our children, prior to removal,had been seeing their own consultant paediatrician in the community regularly for years. Social Workers asked her for an assessment. She knew our family well and made a report which was favourable to us e.g. she had never ever suspected any neglect or seen the children in need. We had looked after them well. The Local Authority withheld her report from us and the court at the same time telling it that they needed a paediatric assessment. The court commissioned one from a paediatrician of their choice who did not know the children,did not see us or question us and did not consult the children's actual personal consultants. He did not even see the children until four months after they were taken into care.He accepted the social workers reports of dramatic improvements since being in care as evidence that our care of the children may have been inconsistent. The problem is that in this day and age there are too many people who will take money for writing anything ( and lawyers are the biggest takers of the lot,incidentally).
Half-way through the case we demanded the expert opinion ( in our case it was from autism experts). Although their report contradicted the report commissioned at first by the court, alas , the interim order had already been issued and the final care-plans already decided upon.Don't forget this advice, get the experts commissioned by the court as early as possible. It won't change the social worker's minds,they will ignore it unless is it is favourable to them, but it may affect the Judge.