Dear scared mother,
Thank you for posting back.
I am glad that you have a solicitor to help you deal with children services.
I think you should explain to your solicitor your worries about the foster carer and the difficulties there have been with the contact arrangements. Its not fair to your family that the records are not correct. Put your concerns in writing.
When children are accommodated, the social worker should be promoting contact unless it is not in your children's welfare. Your solicitor could let them know your concerns.
Or you could raise theses issues directly with the independent reviewing officer-the person who should manage your children’s' care plans. Have you got a copy of the plan?
However, it is really important to remember that you are under the microscope at the moment.
Do not lose sight as to why children services are taking proceedings.
Once care proceedings have started, they will be over very quickly-usually26 weeks. See our advice sheet about
careproceedings.
At the end of the proceedings, your children will either be:
1)returned to you or dad,
2) or if you are not able to safely parent, then children services should have assessed family or friends to look after your children until they are 18 years old. Do you have anyone in your network who could be assessed? If so, please give their details to the social worker. Or ask for a family group conference-which can help find friends or family to look after your children ?
3)If there is no suitable family or friend available to care for your children long term, then children services will consider foster care.
4) As a last resort, if nothing else will do, then adoption will be considered.
Do you know why proceedings are being taken? What are they worried about? If you know the reasons, you might be able to get the support to help you address the worries.
Children services would need to prove to the court that the “threshold criteria” has been met-ie that they have reasonable cause to believe that your children have suffered significant harm or are at future risk of suffering significant harm due to your parenting or because your children are beyond your control.
What are their worries?
Do you know why children services are saying you can't provide “good enough parenting”? If so, can you take steps to make your parenting better?
If you find it difficult to look after your children because of a health condition-can you get treatment or support to help with that?
You mentioned your partner being known to the police. Is he considered to be dangerous to your children?
Find out exactly what the problem is? Ask him to agree to any information the police have about him being given to you.
For example, has he been abusive or violent to you or a past partner?
If so, he is likely to be a danger to children who might witness the abuse of you (they will suffer emotional abuse) or they could suffer physical abuse by being caught in the crossfire. See our information about
domestic violence
domestic violence and why it causes long term harm to children.
or id this is not the reason, find out what is.
So I can give more helpful advice, or for other parents to support you, you could post back explaining what you know about your situation.
Best wishes,
Suzie