childrens services

ruthmarie
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2012 10:20 pm

childrens services

Post by ruthmarie » Thu Apr 26, 2012 10:10 am

Hi
I am currently a long term foster carer for a child with extreme disability Autism/bipolar.
I have posted before for advice as I have come to the point where I can no longer be part of
a system that resembles the mafia more than a caring service for vulnerable families.

My child has been in my care since she was 10 days old and is now 12+ becoming a teenager in September. Over the years I have had many disputes with the LA and other professional re approaches and medication . Due to an unprofessional social worker giving false accounts three years ago I was deregistered by my fostering agency who are a leading charity, but after investigations and involving a solicitor was reinstated. However I never received an apology for my treatment in which I had been accused of being violent towards fostering agency workers
and there were apparently grave concerns around my mental health - amongst other issues.
During the investigation and my complaint regarding this social worker she went sick and has never returned.

Things improved for a while but we are now in the situation where there is friction because once again false reports are being written and untrue statements made. This is because I have now
officially applied for special guardianship which is not being supported by the LA or by the fostering agency. I have contacted fostering network and they were amazed by what I told them
and advised a solicitor. I have a solicitor involved and she too was quite shocked bymy situation.

However my point is that I have read several posts by vulnerable families who have had their children removed from them partly they claim by social workers writing untrue reports and being unwilling to help as perhaps they should do - generally making life more difficult for them.

In my view something needs to be done to reduce the power of this group of people, I am a strong person and can to a certain extent fight back, but what happens to these poor vulnerable people who cant do that and basically have their lives wrecked though accounts of lie after lie by people who are supposed to be helping.

There must be some way to put a stop to this bad practice.

ange301126
Posts: 537
Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2011 1:27 pm

Re: childrens services

Post by ange301126 » Fri Apr 27, 2012 10:28 am

ruthmarie,i agree with you wholeheartedly.Firstly, what do we see as their problem? Secondly, how to tackle it?

Some problems I can see to kick off with. They do not follow correct procedure on anything because of spanish practices which seem to hold sway throughout the department and when complaints are made the complaints procedure does not investigate objectively and always backs up the department. For example, Correct L.A.C. Review procedures are not strictly adhered to to the detriment of children. This affects both natural parents and foster parents!

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

Re: childrens services

Post by Suzie, FRG Adviser » Fri Apr 27, 2012 4:28 pm

Hi Ruth Marie

Thank you for your post. Sorry to hear that you have been through such a challenging situation, however I am glad to hear that after some considerable distress, your foster care status was reinstated. You say that you did not receive an apology for the Local Authority involved. Did you ever put in a formal complaint, about how you were treated?

I am not sure if your concerns related to one particular social worker, who now appears to have left the position. You seem to have found the National Fostering Network quite supportive.

I am pleased to hear that you have a solicitor involved in relation to your special guardianship order application, particularly as you say, the Local Authority are not supporting it.

Please keep us updated about your progress.

If you wish to discuss your situation in more detail, please contact the Family Rights Group advice line on 0808 801 0366 Monday to Friday 09.30 am to 03.30 pm.

Best Wishes



Suzie

ruthmarie
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2012 10:20 pm

Re: childrens services

Post by ruthmarie » Fri Apr 27, 2012 9:29 pm

Hi again

also some time ago when I was finding out information about SGO from fostering helpline who advised because my foster child comes under a child in need because of her multiple complex disorders I should not lose support of any kind with negotiation and and willlingness, but advised that I should read my files from both the fostering agency and the LA.. This was way back in Feb and this week I have just been allowed into the fostering agency office to look at my files which I was told there may be certain documents removed such as 3rd party thing referees, intital assessment etc, but everything else I would have access to unless stated I should not be able to see it, if this was the case I would be told who the author was so I could contact them and query why it was being kept from my knowledge. I was told any complaint would also be kept from me but in any case there were none of these.

The reality was different! as soon as I started reading them they were removed from me and I was told they needed to be checked properly.- which should have been done before my arrival.
I was then told I could n ot photocopy any correspondence from the LA without their permission.
It was evident that the information I was after had been removed from the file - correspondence about myself between Islington and the fostering agency! One piece of interesting correspondence between the LA and fostering agency had been left in by mistake and this was the LA claiming I would not be granted SGO because the child is excluded from Christmas festivities at home - this could not be further from the truth, but I do have respite support for a few hours on Christmas day so that I can go to a friends and enjoy Christmas dinner in peace with my son which we cannot do with my foster child as she would be terribly distressed an d would be unable to cope given at school she cannot cope with sitting and eating with her peers plus she is severely autistic and finds xmas difficult to get through. I know this is not a one off which is why I needed to see my files. Are they in their rights to prevent me reading information writeen about myself ? The problem is over the years professionals have provided each other with misconceptions about our case because they do not know the child but apparently act in her best interests.

ruthmarie
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2012 10:20 pm

Re: childrens services

Post by ruthmarie » Fri Apr 27, 2012 9:53 pm

PS no I did not put in a formal complaint re the LA but I did put a formal complaint regarding the fostering agency social worker who was responsible for having me deregistered (with support from the LA)
However earlier on in the year that this happened (2009) I had been advised by the chair of the LAC review to put a complaint in regarding the level of support and respite I was getting. - which I did. However this led to the LA colluding with the agency social worker who had been included for her lack of support in the complaint and between them they managed to present a case for me to be deregistered which included them claiming there were grave concerns about my mental health and that the child,s escalating behaviour was down to my parenting. At this point in time I was being attacked continuously by this child along with support carers. It was clear that she desperately needed medication as she was having manic outbursts where there was no getting through to her. I am glad to say that due to the intervention of a specialist agency eventually all this changed and it was accepted she needed help with menstruation issues as well - she was 9 when her periods started. I was also accused of being violent to agencyworkers and verbally abusive!

ange301126
Posts: 537
Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2011 1:27 pm

Re: childrens services

Post by ange301126 » Sat Apr 28, 2012 10:28 am

ruth-marie, when an official investigation was held into the c.s.department of one very large city council in the North-west it was found that computer records of so-called facts were not reliable due to different nameless social workers making entries in 'different' computer files.All the so-called facts whether true or not were not consolidated into one computer system and not all the different files were available to every interested social worker,Guardian or to anyone else.

When false unchecked information such as false allegations are not investigated properly in consultation with parents or foster parents in accordance with correct procedure but where they have nevertheless been entered into computers by one social worker, any social worker who accesses the information at a later time has to accept the entries as fact regardless as to whether it is correct or not.

In other words ,the computer operating systems were not fit for purpose and thus the department involved dysfunctional. I suggest this is widespread throughout the country (I do not know which area you are in).The turnover of social workers is so high that one of them can make entries onto the computers record as fact which new social workers are unable to check for truth. These faulty entries are also used verbatim when preparing court cases.

The answer to this problem would be that no allegations be recorded unless correct procedure is followed by each and every department. Allegations to be investigated in cooperation with parents and other professionals involved with a child BEFORE so-called facts are recorded as such. Also a full record of parental disagreements to be recorded and circulated and all professional reports(medical and educational) to be circulated. Currently departments withhold anything which does not accord with their aims. I hope these comments don't sound too complicated;i'm trying to be as clear as I can.

The Law already commands that only true statements are made to a court and that correct procedure is to be adhered to strictly at all times but this does not happen.

What , then, can be done about this?

ruthmarie
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2012 10:20 pm

Re: childrens services

Post by ruthmarie » Sat Apr 28, 2012 10:54 am

Hi ange

thanks for your reply. I live in the South East area, but my foster child is from a Local Authority and I am an agency foster carer.

Something does need to be done, thousands of families are being affected by unprofessional power mad social workers. Maybe all of those who have been affected by the actions of these
such social workers need to come together through if possible with frg if this is at all possible and we need to approach David Cameron,s lot about what is happening - families cannot be condemmed in this manner by people who think because they have a powerful role c an behave in this appalling way - I would think its illegal. It amounts to if someone is taken a dislike to by this group of people abusive treatment for them and their families.- with devastating consequences for the children.

ange301126
Posts: 537
Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2011 1:27 pm

Re: childrens services

Post by ange301126 » Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:25 pm

ruth-marie,recently someone mentioned a petition which can be subscribed to on one of the large gossip sites; I think it was facebook or twitter. Unfortunately, I will not enlist on any of those sites for various reasons. If it were possible for the FRG to organise a petition to NO.10,however, I would happily sign it. Provided I agreed with it, naturally! Whether the FRG'S status will allow it,I don't know.Perhaps suzie will comment?

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Suzie, FRG Adviser
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Re: childrens services

Post by Suzie, FRG Adviser » Mon Apr 30, 2012 4:04 pm

This thread has been edited in line with our rules of use.

Best Wishes


Suzie

ruthmarie
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2012 10:20 pm

Re: childrens services

Post by ruthmarie » Mon Apr 30, 2012 4:52 pm

apologies Suzy, just realised why

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