Advice needed regarding home CCTV

[Ignatious]

Step-son is diagnosed epileptic and we have CCTV positioned in his bedroom directly above where he sleeps. The sole and primary reason for us to have the CCTV in there is to potentially capture epileptic seizure activity.

We have had additional benefits from the use of the CCTV (in proving that it was not us who physically assaulted Step-Son) a couple of months ago, needless to say Social Services are aware of the Camera.

Despite us not assaulting step-son, our failure to protect child from harm (in a nutshell, obviously a little more complex than that), we ended up on a child protection plan. Such as things are with CPP's, now's the time we get the help we need. Step-son has issues with sleep and we have a sleep behavioural specialist on board (possibly about to become more involved).

My issue is today Social services turned up and requested (verbally only) a copy of the CCTV footage. I want to know where I stand in denying said footage in view of non-compliance with Social Services bearing in mind were on CPP.

I am completely prepared to release file(s) directly to 'Sleep guy' on a proviso that Social Services do not get footage. (because the sleep 'pattern/behaviour' child displays may be of use in providing additional support.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Tony P

Thank you for your further post.

I note from your post that you have concerns about providing a copy of the CCTV footage you have relating to your stepson.

It is not absolutely clear why you decided to record him or if he is aware that he is being monitored in this way. Despite this, if you want to know about children services having footage, I think the best think is for you to have a conversation with the social worker.

In order for you to make an informed decision, you may need to have questions answered such as:

-What footage do they require i.e for what period of time?
-Is it all the footage that you have recorded?
-Why do they need the footage?
-Can the social worker not view footage at your home rather than having a copy?

Children services cannot force you to handover footage and it will be for you to decide once you have clear answers whether the request being made by children services is a reasonable one.

I think it is important that you have this conversation with the social worker before making a decision.
You did not say in your why you are reluctant to provide footage to children services

Best wishes

Suzie

[Ignatious]

The reasons for the CCTV are to capture epileptic seizure activity during the night. Step-sons cognitive functioning means he doesn't understand the CCTV nor its function, but rest assured, he knows its there. The recording (step-son in this instance) is an unfortunate by-product of the system we are using. It allows me to remotely view via my smart phone, so for example at 3am should I wake up I can check to see if he is OK without going into his room and potentially waking him up.

As for Children's Services having footage, who would want that kind of an organisation to have that kind of footage attached to your file.

As far as I'm concerned the footage is for personal and private family life and just because we have it, and were on a CPP doesn't mean they have any rights of access.

[Ignatious]

Concerns realised.
(I use Social Services to encompass Safeguarding and Childrens Services)
During one of the 3 day visits were currently receiving, it was just disclosed that one of the other children had reported something to school LAST WEEK. The school contacted Social services. Social Services came out to the house and viewed CCTV footage under a different pretext not informing us of there true reason for wanting to view footage. One of the social workers also turned up with a memory stick which now in hindsight only seems to fuel additional concerns that they wanted to walk away with footage of something.

When they came out last week, with the concerns I had at that time, I was clearly unhappy and removed the camera from sons room (plus the Hard Drive) and now have no internal CCTV monitoring stepson and seizure activity nor external monitoring the house. Social are now using none compliance with the CPP as an argument.

I feel more so justified in my actions now knowing that they were subversive in there reasons for coming out last week and with the 1st Child Protection meeting since the initial hearing looking forward to airing all our concerns in front of the independent chair.