Life turned upside down - household under investigation due to iioc flagging up to police

[Mrbean123]

A few weeks a go our house was raised, electronics seized for forensics, wife and 2 kids currently living with a family member. Supervised contact suggested for all (6 adults in the house, 2 of which are disabled)
This was because the police where alerted to 2 instances of our IP address downloading iioc.
We are all innocent and have nothing to hide. We cooperated fully, answered all questions etc etc. No arrests and so far no interview requests. All devices from the females of the house were cleared, but because there is no clear point of blame, or suspect, we've been advised that the entire household is under investigation (to which the police advised the case would be shelved when nothing is found in the devices) - we know full well this is due to our details and internet routers being sent and linked to our previous address.

Social undertook their investigation and we have an initial child protection conference this week. The report from social does suggest there is a risk because of the police investigation and due to no identified risk (social did suggest this is not common) It was also mentioned by the police that the house conditions were poor (i.e. cluttered and not tidy) which was annoying because we usually do the tidying when children are at school. This was a concern several years ago but we brought things to the expected standard.
Also frustratingly the school have now mentioned concerns for cleanliness and a smell of smoke 'over time' which has never once been raised or mentioned before! They've also mentioned then children's responses to their 3 houses assessment, which my youngest (3) responses can clearly be used out of context (he's 3 for goodness sake)

I just feel at a loss right now until the police finish their forensics.

I have no idea what to expect from this conference. I completely get the need for concern, but what can I do to prove I'm not a risk? Am I allowed to ask if they can come home or myself and the rest of the family can see them more? Could I suggest they come home and we just have regular social worker visits? The social report says that the kids are deemed children in need. The suggested outcomes are 'workbook' and 'continue with child protection process' I don't know what this means, are we to have to continue like this for months?

I've been with my kids everyday of their lives, for the past 2 weeks , but it's now become a daily video call and supervised weekend contact.
It's damaging the children's wellbeing not being allowed home. They miss me, they tell me everytime I see them. They miss home.

All support and advice I've been given, or can find online are for families with a convicted family member. That's not appropriate for us. We've managed to make some cover stories for the children but it's not right to lie to them. Social again point us to resources for families with an arrest or conviction. That's not us, it's an investigation. When it comes back our devices are clear, then what.!?

We've not sought legal advice right now, because we're innocent.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Mrbean123

Welcome to the parents’ discussion board. Thank you for your post. My name is Suzie. I am Family Rights Group’s online adviser.

I am sorry to hear of the difficulties that your family is experiencing.

You and other adults in your household are currently the subject of a police investigation into alleged child sexual images offences. You state that your family is innocent. You have not sought legal advice due to this. I would recommend that you consider getting legal advice from a criminal solicitor about the criminal investigation.

I understand that this is a distressing situation. You may be interested in seeking advice and information from the Lucy Faithfull Foundation who are the experts in this field. They have specific information about the criminal justice system too which you can find here.

Children’s services have become involved as a result of the police investigation. This has resulted in your wife and children currently staying in a family member’s home while you and the other adults in your household have remained in the family home. This is a temporary safety plan. You are complying with supervised weekend contact arrangements and daily video calls. You have described how painful it is for you and the children to be separated in this way, which I can understand.

There has now been a child protection conference which, I believe, has resulted in a child protection plan. Is that correct?

As the conference happened very recently, there should be a further (smaller) meeting within 10 days called a core group. This will be where the plan for the children is finalised.

Please see here for more information on child protection.

You mention the social worker’s report described the children as children in need so it is possible that a child in need plan was made not a child protection plan. There will still be a meeting to decide how to work with your family under a child in need plan but it will not be a statutory process in the same way. It is voluntary. Please see here for more advice about child in need.

You ask a number of very reasonable questions. You should put these forward to the social worker, ideally in writing, by email, before the next meeting. You should ask that they consider your requests and let you know their response as soon as possible, in writing.

You and your wife have parental responsibility (PR) for the children and are the legal decision-makers for them. Even if there is a child protection plan is in place, children’s services have not acquired PR for the children. They only do this if they obtain a court order for the children. So they are making recommendations which they are asking you and your wife to follow for the children’s protection. However, it is reasonable for you to ask that the current safety plan is reviewed, if it can be amended in any way and what is the proposed timescale for this. If you have extended family who would be willing to supervise contact with the children you can put them forward to children’s services. This could mean that contact could happen more regularly.

Your situation is particularly complex, I believe, as there are a number of adults in the home, two of whom are disabled. Therefore, there is a large number of adults who are under investigation. You may wish to ask for clarification from the police (or a criminal solicitor) about how long the investigation may last. It can take some time. It is important to also be aware that the burden of proof in criminal cases is very high i.e. beyond reasonable doubt but is lower in family cases i.e. on the balance of probability.

You and your wife could try to urgently address the concerns raised by police and school about the home conditions and the children’s presentation. If improvements are made to these areas they may no longer be considered to be causes for concern.

It seems that you and your wife are working with children’s services which is a positive. I am attaching a link to our working with a social worker guide to assist with this.

You are adamant that there is no basis for the police to suspect that someone in your home has been involved in accessing child sexual images online. The police will need to determine whether a crime has been committed but in the meantime children’s services are concerned that the children may be at risk of harm due to the this. You can find out more about concerns around child sexual abuse here. If children’s services remain worried about you, they will look to your wife to be a protective parent and may assess her capacity to so.

I am attaching a link to Talking Forward which is a peer support service for family members whose partner or relative is being investigated for online child sexual offences. It may be helpful to your wife.

I hope this is helpful.

You are very welcome to post back with a further query about children’s services. If you prefer, you can call our freephone advice line to talk to an adviser. The number is 0808 8010366 and lines are open from Mon to Fri, between 9.30 am and 3.00 pm (except bank holidays). We also have an advice enquiry form and a webchat.

I hope the situation becomes clearer soon.

Best wishes

Suzie

[FVB6J8]

Has the police completed the forensics stage?

[Mrbean123]

Has the police completed the forensics stage?

Not fully completed yet. However, they've cleared the devices on 1 of the males so that just leaves myself and 1 other to clear. (Bear in mind they have around 40 devices to clear)

At lot happened in December as I was arrested and released on bail. This was because they felt 1 image of my daughter was deemed category C indecent. Although they informed social services of this, they failed to disclose the clear point that it's a single image amongst thousands of our innocent family photos, of which are not hidden or passworded in anyway (despite this also not being related to the initial intelligence they received)

Police have been extremely quiet in providing no updates. The last we heard from them, they arranged to meet my wife and her parents to discuss, and try to get some form of statements. When they questioned why I was arrested, and why they deemed 1 image as indecent - and how they came to that conclusion. The officer in charge hurried out the door without any explanation.

My wife has been bullied by both the police and social services into giving a statement against me. They haven't, because they have all the details of everything so far - details from the police, details from my conversions with my solicitor, everything. They have come to the conclusion that I'm not guilty and there's no case to answer for.

The stories you hear about social services, and their scare tactics, bullying and lies. Unfortunately from our experience this is true.
I'm thankful that in our family, we have foster carers who know the system and aren't afraid to challenge. I'm thankful I have family who will push the police for answers and updates. And I'm fortunate enough to have a solicitor on hand.

As it stands right now, I'm just waiting for my devices to be cleared. I'm told that at this point the investigation will either close, or they may consider other routes to enquire.