Urgent Advice please coming back to England

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Caiov79
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2018 9:30 pm

Urgent Advice please coming back to England

Post by Caiov79 » Mon Dec 10, 2018 12:49 pm

Hi

I really need some advice please

6 years ago my 2 middle children went to live with my parents under a private sgo order, it was a hugely complicated case where even my social worker left her job and became my independent witness however my parents won the case.
There was substance misuse however I was 2 years clean at the time

After the case I moved to Spain as my parents stopped access and I needed time to heal

I am now 6 years clean and have an Amazing 2 year old daughter and an amazing relationship with my 2 eldest children

I am moving back to the UK in March and I'm petrified about what social services will or can do, my parents will try anything to open a case and they will not give up

I can prove everything but in my experience this means nothing

Can anyone offer advice
Last edited by Caiov79 on Mon Dec 10, 2018 3:15 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Miserylovescompany2
Posts: 220
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2017 6:55 pm

Re: Advice please coming back to England

Post by Miserylovescompany2 » Mon Dec 10, 2018 1:32 pm

I wouldn't return. Especially if it is to same locality! If you have evidence I would consult with an experienced lawyer to establish exactly where you stand. CS could open a case and use whatever they already have against you. It shouldn't be this way and new case (if opened) should be based on the facts of here and now. The system at present is failing so many.

Caiov79
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2018 9:30 pm

Re: Advice please coming back to England

Post by Caiov79 » Mon Dec 10, 2018 1:46 pm

Its to a new location but I know that doesn't seem to make a difference

England offers better education and healthcare for my daughter as well as social inclusion however by putting her needs first I'm petrified that ss won't see this and begin a case I know that despite every part of positive evidence i provide they may just go ahead anyway

Caiov79
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2018 9:30 pm

Re: Advice please coming back to England

Post by Caiov79 » Mon Dec 10, 2018 1:46 pm

Its to a new location but I know that doesn't seem to make a difference

England offers better education and healthcare for my daughter as well as social inclusion however by putting her needs first I'm petrified that ss won't see this and begin a case I know that despite every part of positive evidence i provide they may just go ahead anyway

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

Re: Urgent Advice please coming back to England

Post by Suzie, FRG Adviser » Fri Jan 04, 2019 1:03 pm

Dear Caiov79,

Welcome to the Parents Forum.

I apologise about the delay in responding to your post.

I can see that there were court proceedings and your parents were awarded SGO’s in respect of your 2 children. You suggest your drug misuse was the main reason why your children could not live with you.
You do not say whether there were care proceedings (public law) which resulted in SGO’s being ordered by the court or whether your parents applied for and were granted the orders themselves.
It is likely that it would have been much easier for your parents to obtain SGO’s if they applied for them-ie took the private law route.

Since that time, you moved away to Spain, as your parents stopped your contact with your 2 children.
Your now 6 years free of drugs, are back in contact with your 2 older children and have a 2 year old daughter and plan to move back to England. You’re worried that your daughter could be removed from you by children services.

When you move back, you say your parents will make a referral to children services in the area you live.
If children services do receive a referral, they may carry out an assessment to check that your daughter is safe and well cared for.
Here is information about assessments .
As you can see they can be intrusive and can be very detailed. It is likely that the social worker will want to know about the history in relation to your older children. The social worker will want to have evidence of how things have changed. It sounds like you have that evidence. They would want to contact other professionals for independent evidence (nursery, health visitor, information about your recovery from drugs misuse.) Do you have details of these professionals in Spain, in case children services want to contact them? What about your family and friend network? Do you have support around you?

There are different possible outcomes from an assessment. The assessment could be closed with no action or intervention. Or children services may want to remain involved with your consent-to monitor and provide any support, if they assessed your daughter as being a
child in need.

Only if children services suspected your daughter is at risk of suffering significant harm and that risk may be ongoing, then a child protection conference will be held. See our FAQ’s about child protection.
Q 2 concerns when a child has been previously removed and a parent is worried that a younger child might be removed, even though circumstances have changed.


You are most worried about your daughter being removed. However, from what you have said in your post, this seems unlikely.
The law says children services are there to provide support to keep families together. Children services can only remove your daughter, if you agreed to it or they were granted court order giving them parental responsibility to allow them to remove your daughter from you. In an emergency, to obtain an order, they would have to be concerned that your daughter was in imminent danger. You are entitled to a legal aid, if children services went to court.
Please see our advice sheet about care proceedings which details the different types of orders.

Also have a look at the triangle diagram –scroll down on our Young Parents Board. It gives an idea about the different levels of intervention by children services.

I hope this advice helps but if you have any questions, please post back.
You should consider contacting a solicitor who could look at the judgment from the earlier proceedings and advise you. Or you could phone our free and confidential advice line on 0808 801 0366 to discuss your case further and in more detail.

Best wishes,
Suzie

Caiov79
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2018 9:30 pm

Re: Urgent Advice please coming back to England

Post by Caiov79 » Fri Jan 04, 2019 8:27 pm

Thank you everyone for taking the time to offer advice

In my previous case social services became involved after my partner contacted them about substance misuse, mine is a very complicated case and too long to give all the details here however Cafcas, my 2 nd social worked, health visitors , recovery centre managers, nursery workers and more all provided positive statements regarding my parenting and at no point did anyone have concerns other than the substance misuse and the fact that my husband and I had a stressful not violent relationship

I had a housing emergency during the onset of the case and I agreed that my daughter could stay at my parents for 2 weeks and everyone promised this was the last time she lived with me

I provided 8 months of clean urine, swab and hair strand tests and worked fully with recovery professionals, I was told I was working too hard and no time for my daugther to return

There is obviously more and I couldwrite a book however the outcome was that I waited a year and the privately return the case to court proving I had made a safe and secure environment and life for my children to return, I did this but when I made an application to court my parents followed with a sgo application of which they won due to timescales

I know first hand how social services can and sometimes do not work with parents and being a recovering addict I am always tarred with that brush and my voice becomes non existent

My parents will launch a case and they will not stop no matter what I can prove, I'm petrified that again my voice and evidence will not be enough, I have moved house 3 times in Spain and my parents will say this is an unstable life for my daughter

Returning to the UK is the best decision for my daughter but I'm petrifiedof what the outcome could be

Miserylovescompany2
Posts: 220
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2017 6:55 pm

Re: Urgent Advice please coming back to England

Post by Miserylovescompany2 » Sat Jan 05, 2019 10:09 am

Hello again,

What is the likelihood of your parents being informed of your whereabouts - is there any viable way of avoiding this. An example would be to not tell any family or connected people your new location/address.

I would imagine this would have you constantly looking over your shoulder though.

Do you have any way of contacting the SW who spoke up for you in court? They might be able to give some advice.

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