need urgent help baby daughter in care

[mel34]

hi i am currently battling to get my 6 month old daughter out of care they got an epo on the 3 decmber 2013 and then after 8 days they were granted an interim care order we are going back to court at the end of january to contest the ico,the reason they removed my daughter was down to a weight issue and her losing weight which was down to her finding it difficult to take her new diet of homemade solid food as opposed to the more pureed liquidy baby food jars i did all i could apart from force it into her mouth, i gave her the homemade that she found difficult to digest on the advice of the health visitor and she had also been suffering from constipation in this time which is what i have explained but im not being listened to by the authority they just want to think that i have not been feeding her which isnt correct and the court have gone on their side,i had 2 children removed from my care in 2005 due to neglect which is true i struggled, which is why they immediately put my daughter on the protection register when she was born and ive had intensive family support in which i havent found helpful i felt that they have favoured removing my child from the start and placing her with her father which is now looking likely unless i can convince the court that what im saying is the truth and that the local authorities view isnt correct,i am very worried about my daughter in the small amount of time shes been in care the attachment between me and her is weakening the poor girl probably doesnt understand why shes now in a strange home with a strange lady,and is yet to be moved again causing her more emotional harm,the guardian is siding with the authority because of what they are saying which are lies and feel because these people have professional status they are being regarded higher than myself,i feel like the authorities are shutting the door on me and my child for good,it was suggested by my legal team to go into a mother and baby placement but they have outright said no,i see my other children once a year and thats with me hounding them or id never see them,please can you help and give me some much needed advice as to what i could do to help my case and in getting the truth heard and to keep me daughter in my life before they stop all contact for good.

[frustrated mum]

Try asking the same question on netmums they are a site with fonts of knowledge! also think its called conram child legal something or other! sorry not sure
I get good advice from both this site and also from netmums so its worth having a look . Have you checked the advice sheets on here might have some info for you too.
sorry if not much help but good luck.xx

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Hello

My name is Suzie and I am an adviser at FRG. I am sorry to read about the difficult and distressing situation that you are in.

As frustratedmum has said, we have a range of advice sheets which might help to answer some of your questions. I would suggest that you have a look at our sheet on care proceedings as a starting point.

I would advise that, although you do not agree with the view of the local authority, it is important for you to continue to co-operate with the social worker as best you can. Emphasise that your daughter is your priority and that you only want what is best for her. Make sure you are very clear about the specific concerns being raised and emphasise that you are willing and able to work in partnership with the local authority and to accept support and advice in the best interests of your daughter. It may be helpful to think about the level and sorts of support that you might find helpful.

It is also very important that you work closely with your solicitor. Your solicitor is your advocate in the care proceedings process so it is important that you feel clear about his/ her advice as well as feeling that s/he is listening to you and fighting your case as you want.

Make notes of the issues that you want to discuss with your solicitor or questions that you want to raise and take these along to your appointments. Questions might include,
• How is my case going at the moment? What outcome do you expect in January?
• Is there anything else that I can be doing to improve my case at the moment?
• What are my legal options at the moment and what would you advise me to do?

I hope this is a helpful start. Please do come back and let us know how things are going or if you have any further questions. You can also ring our free and confidential advice line (0808 801 0366), which is open from 9.30am- 3pm, Monday- Friday. The line will be closed for the Christmas period between December 24th and January 2nd.

Best Wishes

Suzie
FRG Adviser