ico granted now back in court 2 weeks later

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A123
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2017 4:40 pm

ico granted now back in court 2 weeks later

Post by A123 » Tue Jun 12, 2018 8:58 pm

the ICO was granted 2 weeks ago an the appointed gaurdian is one i had previously (placed my other child with someone who has had a family member around her kids before i was pregnant and the SW said that was fine) well she now wants a psychological assessment because i have traits of emotionally unstable personality disorder but from what i can gather from the 1st court hearing if i have that diagnosis then they will use that against me saying that personality is developed during childhood and can't be changed, my CPN has said there are loads of women with that diagnosis and don't have issues parenting, i have also been told i will be having another parenting assesssment completed by september, i believe the gaurdian will say no to my daughter coming home shes currently in foster care, im breast feeding her and im having constant battles over that because origanally i was told they would collect the milk on days i don't see her which is the weekend and one week day that has not happend the court support me breast feeding not sure how because they have not put anything in place to help the SW has given my solicitor a breast feeding diary and hes never seen one before (i have low supply but it could be an underlying medical issue).
i give the foster carer clothes, nappies, milk wet wipes everything for my daughter and we have a good relationship and i can attend all medical appointments with the carer as there is no issues surrounding my parenting just about me being able to safe gaurd my daughter, they are not asking me to do any parenting courses or anything i have said i am willing to work with services put in place as i have never had support before apart from my CPN ss has never offered me support so as far as im aware i have not been asked to complete anything or do anything apart from complete the freedom programme as didn't finish the last one due to pregnancy complications.
what exactly is a psycological assessment for a personality disorder? i have a psyciatric assessment this thursday to check i dont have post natal depression and because SS want a diagnosis they are not happy with the current one which is annoying my CPN because they cant diagnose something if i dont have it i just have traits.

DOR19
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Joined: Sat Jun 09, 2018 9:14 pm

Re: ico granted now back in court 2 weeks later

Post by DOR19 » Fri Jun 15, 2018 5:16 pm

I am very sorry to hear about the situation you have found yourself in.

I believe that the professionals cannot use any diagnosis against you unless they can demonstrate that there is a direct impact of it on your child - any completed assessments will look how any of your emotional/mental health difficulties prevent you from meeting your child's needs.

If there are any concerns, they will also consider how these are managed - if any identified risk can be managed by a safety plan you put in place and the impact of your difficulties on the child is therefore minimised, their conclusion will be that the child can return to your care because there is no significant harm to the child.

Specifically, you have certain difficulties but you can recognise them and you can also recognise that they have a negative impact on your child. Example would be - you self-harm but can recognise that your child witnessing your self-harming would find it very distressing. So your safety plan to manage this could be

a) short-term plan: you calling your child's grandparents and asking them to look after the child every time when you self-harm. This way, any risk linked to you self-harming is managed.

b) long-term plan: you seek support for your self-harming via GP/self-groups etc

I would:
- be honest with myself and try to identify my difficulties and the impact of them on my child;
- do a search of all support available in my area and refer myself for this support - self-help groups, charities such as MIND, referrals via GP etc;
- think of which of my friends, family members etc could help me to minimise the impact of my difficulties on my child and how I could utilise their support - I would then approach them and make a specific plan which I would present to Social Care (you can do this formally through a Family Group Conference).

I would not wait for the assessments to be completed and actively look for support myself as soon as possible.

A123
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2017 4:40 pm

Re: ico granted now back in court 2 weeks later

Post by A123 » Fri Jun 15, 2018 10:41 pm

I am working with mental health services and I was due to get discharged last year but because I got pregnant they wanted to keep an eye on me I haven't self harmed since January 2017 when I was living in a refuge an since then I have had my daughter permanently removed an suffered serious injuries from a car crash an my mental health has remained stable.
They are concerned about my relationship choices although I have been single since 2016 my daughter was a result of a one night stand but the appointed guardian is arguing I'm lying because it's not my usual behaviour other children i was in long term relationships, I left my last relationship to go in a women's refuge and got rehoused in a different area an then SS disclosed my address in court to my abusive ex partner, I have had the out of Hours SS randomly called 3 times a week which has now stopped as no evidence of a relationship and no one else here so the SW stopped it.
The psychological assessment date I was given in court I couldn't do as I had an appointment with my shoulder specialist to do told my solicitor as soon as we left the room he went to tell the guardian an her solicitor to which the guardian replied oh that's convenient so my solicitor asked if she would like a copy of my hospital letter to which she said no it's not necessary (I took a copy to my solicitor anyway) I do feel like she's made her mind up because she's not happy with anything I'm saying.
Do they do courses specifically for safe guarding children? Or who would I need to speak to to find out I am also going to look at self referring to the freedom program again as the woman who is meant to be doing it with me hasn't started it yet and it's part of the work for court.

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

Re: ico granted now back in court 2 weeks later

Post by Suzie, FRG Adviser » Wed Jun 27, 2018 4:14 pm

Dear A123,

Welcome back to the parents board.

Congratulations on the birth of your baby. I am sorry to hear that there are care proceedings and she is in foster care. It must be so difficult to have to deal with another separation.

I can see that you are not happy about the caffcass guardian who was involved in the previous care proceedings. The courts try to keep the same guardian who know a family, if that’s possible, because they should have a good knowledge of the past issues and can assess how things have changed for you since the last care order was made. The written judgment for the last care order, if you have it, will outline why the care order was made. What has changed since then?
You do seem to have good insight into why children services have been involved. How have things improved since that time? The guardian seems to be suggesting that things have not changed that much but you are yet to have some of your assessments.

The guardian wants you to have a further psychological assessment which you are worried about as you had previously been diagnosed with traits of a personality disorder. Will it be the same psychologist who is assessing you and were you advised by that person to undertake any therapeutic support? If you took therapeutic support has any changes been assessed?
Your CPN was going to step down because your mental health had stabilised so this change is relevant and should be noted.

The main difficulty of getting a diagnosis of emotionally unstable personality disorder is that often the therapy that is recommended is difficult to get and takes too long so that the courts decide that a baby cannot wait that long.
You should discuss your options with your solicitor.
Did you ever receive any support to help you deal with the trauma of domestic violence and the loss of your other children through the care system?
Even though you are worried about the guardian, you do seem to have good working relationships with other professionals such as the foster carer and your CPN. Can your CPN tell you about therapeutic support in your area and can a referral be made on your behalf?


It is a good idea to consider further support around the domestic violence risks.
Given that it is contended you may have been groomed by the person who crashed the car who is known to been an abuser, iI agree that you should self-refer to the freedom programme. I don’t know what other evidence you have to show that you were not in a relationship with the person who crashed the car. Is there any messages on your phone that can be disclosed? Or anything to do with the father of your baby?

You ask about courses around child protection. Do you mean the effect of domestic violence on children? Your social worker or Family Lives might be able to advise you of courses near to where you live.

If the courts decide that your baby cannot return to live with you, what are the plans for your baby? Are there any relatives or friends of baby who could be assessed to take on the care of your baby?
A family group conference could still take place to look for these people. Here are our advice sheets. 3- is about family group conferences and 15- care proceedings.

I can see that Dorothy has provided you with very helpful advice and support as well.

If you have any questions then please post back or call our advice line on 0808 801 0366.

Best wishes,

Suzie

A123
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2017 4:40 pm

Re: ico granted now back in court 2 weeks later

Post by A123 » Fri Jun 29, 2018 4:27 pm

Hi Susie
I have argued with what they have written for the threshold as they are no longer an issue (my injries after the crash, My mental health which I was getting discharged from) and the relationships I've ended up in I've not been in a relationship since 2016 I've had out of Hours calling to see if they can find someone here or any males paraphanilia (as stated in recordings) no males or anything found so they were stopped. The judge granted the psychological assessment and then the gaurdian called me a lier because I said I had an appointment with my specialist at the same time and when my solicitor told her she stated that my appointment was convenient so my solicitor asked if she would like a copy of my letter her reply was oh that's not necessary so I provided a copy anyway and then I had to change it for the assessment. I've not had any contact with the gaurdian since the 2nd hearing.
I've spoken to Dart and was told that because I'm not in danger I have to wait for an appointment I'm also looking to move because my address was disclosed by the last LA I was under to an abusive ex partner.
I put my mother forward to care for the baby but her assessment was negitive because she has my 2 oldest and my son has behavioural issues and she's had 2 heart attacks last year but the main reason was my oldest 2 children and their needs.
I have asked if I could have contact sometimes away from the contact centre the sw said she will ask I'm not asking for it to be every week just maybe once a month as I've always said I want to take her to mother an baby groups to meet people In the area my parenting assessment is starting next week and needs to be written by 1st week of September

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Suzie, FRG Adviser
Posts: 4207
Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2011 2:57 pm

Re: ico granted now back in court 2 weeks later

Post by Suzie, FRG Adviser » Fri Jul 06, 2018 3:57 pm

Dear A123

I can see that you have amended the threshold criteria document as it was out of date and you have evidence to back the changes. You appear to be dealing well with the guardian. She may well be testing you, to see how you respond to her accusations that she does not believe you. If you have any questions about her-speak to your solicitor.

How long do you have to wait for an appointment with Dart? Have you checked with your solicitor about other DV courses that you could enrol on? It is unlikely for the court time table to be changed to allow you to attend a later course.
It will be important that your housing situation is sorted out. Is progress being made?

I am sorry to hear that your mum had a negative assessment. Is there anyone else in your network who could be assessed to care for your baby, in case the court decides that it is not safe to return baby to you?

Good luck with your assessments and continue to work well with you solicitor.

Best wishes,
Suzie

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