changing amount of contact

[ladyp]

my son is in foster care and court allowed me 4 visits a year!!!! for the last 2 years childrens services have refused to up any contact with no good reason and now they have just decided to reduce it and the social worker he has is not allowed to take him out of the house to talk to him. she has said she doesnt know why and cannot understand why contact has not been upped either. they had a meeting this week to drop contact despite what the courts have said and the social worker did not go as not told about it. what are they doing it is driving me insane thanks

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear ladyp

Thank you for your further post.

I am sorry that you are so frustrated by what is happening in respect of your contact with your son.

It is not clear from your post whether you son is to remain in long term foster care. Did the court make an order for contact 4 times a year or was it just confirmed in the final care plan and approved by the court?

Normally, the final care plan for contact should not be changed without a meeting taking place, that is a review relating to contact. This seems to have happened for the decision to reduce contact. It is not clear how there would be a meeting without your son’s allocated social worker being present, so I suggest you write to children services and ask for an explanation. Do you know who was present at the meeting and were you invited?

A copy of our advice sheet relating to contact with a child in care is here for your information. You have already been sent links to the duties that children services have when a child is in care. Please do read this to make sure that you understand and agree with procedures being followed by children services.

I should also point out that as children services have a care order they do share parental responsibility for your son and can make decisions for him which they consider to be in his best interests. You do not have to agree with them as their parental responsibility can be exercised over and above yours. It might help if you contact the Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) for your son to discuss your concerns about contact.

You might wish to make a complaint if you feel their decision is unfair or they did not follow correct procedures in their decision making. A copy of our advice sheet is here for your use.

I hope you find this helpful. However, should you wish to speak to an adviser, please telephone our free confidential advice line on 0808 801 0366. The advice line is open 9.30 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. Monday to Friday.

Best wishes

Suzie