Children Services issues
Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2017 12:26 am
Apologies for the long post but I am very confused and frustrated over this situation and really need some advice.
Myself and my husband are having issues with Children Services and we feel that we are being treated unfairly.
We have three children, Child A, my son 12 years old who is severely disabled (5p Syndrome) and adopted by my husband, Child B now 8 years, my son, who came to live with us in 2012 after living with his birth father’s parents and was recently deemed to have attachment disorder. Child C 6 years old, our daughter and no additional needs.
For the past 4 years, we have been seeking support for Child B as he has been displaying some complex and challenging behaviours which has escalated over the years. We feel that he may also have ADHD. We have self-referred him for Psychological Help as well as taken him to see the various professional help however it was concluded that he may have suffered abuse during his time with his paternal grandparents (from 9 old months to 4 years old).
Children Services became involved with the family in November when I got admitted in hospital due to Acute Stress Reaction. As my husband in currently in the military, he often work away from home and I have to manage with taking care of all three children. I believe I do a great job with them as is evident by school and other professionals. I have been asking for support to deal with Child B ever since I noticed the complex behaviour in him. He has also made several allegations that he had been hit and slapped which have not been true this I understand is something that kids with attachment disorder often do. These have been investigated by school and the police. He was also running off to school on his own in the mornings and running away at times. These concerns have also been raised by us before I got admitted into hospital however nothing was done.
All three children lived with us until February this year when I asked for some respite for Child B as his behaviours has gotten out of control. This resulted in me signing a Section 20 agreement. Before signing the section 20 it wasn't explained clearly to me what I was getting myself into as I believed that this was the respite that i asked for. I was assured that at any time I wanted my son home I can just pick up the phone and say. This doesn’t seem to be the case at the moment. I do not feel that the Section 20 agreement has been upheld by Children Services as these have been decisions made without our consent as well as the contacts being supervised and poorly managed. There was an independent review held after my son went into care and it was agreed that a care plan was to be produced within 4 weeks by the social worker however this has not been done.
A Child Protection Conference was called in march for Child A and Child C because Children Services said that Child B may have suffered emotional abuse and chastisement by us Child A and Child C may be at risk. At the CP conference, all the professionals (approximately 10) that attended produced thorough reports and all apart from 2 (the Social Worker and Child A’s Social worker) voted against CP. It was agreed that a Child in Need Plan be put in place for Child A and Child C and extra support put in place for the family. The report that the Social Worker produced was in-accurate and rather than going through it with us to make any corrections and clarifications before the CP conference, it was dropped off on the Friday afternoon for us to look through. The CP conference was to be held on the following Monday.
At the first Child in Need Plan we rather than a Plan, we were informed by the social worker that they have decided to go to the courts for Care Proceedings for all three children. We were also informed that there will not be a pre-proceeding. This I feel is unfair because they are not taking his attachment disorder into consideration and rather than supporting us with fulfilling his needs they are making him worst as well as pulling our family apart.
We as well as all the professionals are puzzled by this discussion as we have been fully cooperating with Children Services.
We do not feel that our concerns are being taken into consideration and therefore needs advice on how to best approach this situation
Myself and my husband are having issues with Children Services and we feel that we are being treated unfairly.
We have three children, Child A, my son 12 years old who is severely disabled (5p Syndrome) and adopted by my husband, Child B now 8 years, my son, who came to live with us in 2012 after living with his birth father’s parents and was recently deemed to have attachment disorder. Child C 6 years old, our daughter and no additional needs.
For the past 4 years, we have been seeking support for Child B as he has been displaying some complex and challenging behaviours which has escalated over the years. We feel that he may also have ADHD. We have self-referred him for Psychological Help as well as taken him to see the various professional help however it was concluded that he may have suffered abuse during his time with his paternal grandparents (from 9 old months to 4 years old).
Children Services became involved with the family in November when I got admitted in hospital due to Acute Stress Reaction. As my husband in currently in the military, he often work away from home and I have to manage with taking care of all three children. I believe I do a great job with them as is evident by school and other professionals. I have been asking for support to deal with Child B ever since I noticed the complex behaviour in him. He has also made several allegations that he had been hit and slapped which have not been true this I understand is something that kids with attachment disorder often do. These have been investigated by school and the police. He was also running off to school on his own in the mornings and running away at times. These concerns have also been raised by us before I got admitted into hospital however nothing was done.
All three children lived with us until February this year when I asked for some respite for Child B as his behaviours has gotten out of control. This resulted in me signing a Section 20 agreement. Before signing the section 20 it wasn't explained clearly to me what I was getting myself into as I believed that this was the respite that i asked for. I was assured that at any time I wanted my son home I can just pick up the phone and say. This doesn’t seem to be the case at the moment. I do not feel that the Section 20 agreement has been upheld by Children Services as these have been decisions made without our consent as well as the contacts being supervised and poorly managed. There was an independent review held after my son went into care and it was agreed that a care plan was to be produced within 4 weeks by the social worker however this has not been done.
A Child Protection Conference was called in march for Child A and Child C because Children Services said that Child B may have suffered emotional abuse and chastisement by us Child A and Child C may be at risk. At the CP conference, all the professionals (approximately 10) that attended produced thorough reports and all apart from 2 (the Social Worker and Child A’s Social worker) voted against CP. It was agreed that a Child in Need Plan be put in place for Child A and Child C and extra support put in place for the family. The report that the Social Worker produced was in-accurate and rather than going through it with us to make any corrections and clarifications before the CP conference, it was dropped off on the Friday afternoon for us to look through. The CP conference was to be held on the following Monday.
At the first Child in Need Plan we rather than a Plan, we were informed by the social worker that they have decided to go to the courts for Care Proceedings for all three children. We were also informed that there will not be a pre-proceeding. This I feel is unfair because they are not taking his attachment disorder into consideration and rather than supporting us with fulfilling his needs they are making him worst as well as pulling our family apart.
We as well as all the professionals are puzzled by this discussion as we have been fully cooperating with Children Services.
We do not feel that our concerns are being taken into consideration and therefore needs advice on how to best approach this situation