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Telephone contact with children in Foster Care

Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2014 4:43 pm
by cousinsincare
Hello

This is my first post. My cousin has three children in three separate foster homes. One foster carer is excellent and allows my cousin's daughter to speak with her mum every evening before bed. One refuses to answer her telephone and never returns her calls. One has refused telephone contact saying that it upsets the little boy.

The Social worker is fully aware of the situation and always avoids the issue or says nothing then it becomes obvious she has supported the foster carer.

Now my cousin has been told that the foster carer who refuses to return her calls and does not tell the little girl that her mother has been telephoning has got that social worker to agree to one telephone call a week at a fixed time on the same day every week with no flexibility if the time specified is missed.

My cousin is scared to complain as she has complained about another matter. She was nearly ill with stress over it and backed down without any resolution.

My cousin says her social worker keeps changing the rules and they are different according to the placement.

Sadly there is reason for the foster placements but my cousin now feels like walking away because it is too difficult to achieve reasonable telephone contact apart from the one who she is allowed to speak to every evening.

I'll be grateful for your opinions or suggestions as my cousin is so low she wants to give up trying to keep in contact.

Thank you.

Cousinsincare

Re: Telephone contact with children in Foster Care

Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 1:38 am
by ilovebingo69
I am in the same situation but I dont get any phone calls I did with my eldest until her foster carer took her phone off her permanently. I would speak to your solicitor, she or he should be able to see what they can do. And if your not happy complain formally and if no joy go to the ombudsman and they will investigate properly.

Re: Telephone contact with children in Foster Care

Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 3:09 am
by cousinsincare
Thank you, ilovebingo69. My cousin does not have a solicitor at all. She had one at first but legal aid would not pay enough and she had to give up.

Social services know this. I talk with my cousin most days and I'll tell her what you suggest. I know this may sound negative but, after her last 'failed' complaint, she was so ill and stressed and really had to abandon it. She was not sleeping because of it, was feeling wound up all the time and it was too much for her. It sounded as if she was being bullied and overpowered by social services.

She really is at a very low ebb.

I really appreciate your reply.

Cousins in care

Re: Telephone contact with children in Foster Care

Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 10:24 pm
by ilovebingo69
Goto to citizen advice beuro, or try new solicitor or even do what I did put a formal complaint into social services and wait for reply and if that doesn't work and u dont get the reply you like goto the ombudsman and they will sort it out if they can.
I know the social services dont care about the parents in the situation which is not right, but dont let them win.

Re: Telephone contact with children in Foster Care

Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2014 8:49 am
by cousinsincare
Thank you for very good advice,ilovebingo69. My cousin definitely won't manage without proper support and I'm doing my best to encourage her but she needs good professional support.

She is not saying that she has not made mistakes but it sounds as if she is being punished further and messed about by social services. I think they know she is at rock bottom but still make it hard for her to maintain even just telephone contact. It is very, very, sad,

Thank you again.

Cousinsincare