Dear Gbn2088
Thank you for your further updating posts. I hope that your pregnancy is going well although I understand that this is also a stressful time for you.
I am pleased to hear that the pre-birth assessment has now started and that you have met the social worker. You have consented to the social worker contacting your previous local authority to explore their past involvement; this was a good decision to make as it shows that you are willing to work with children’s services. The social worker acknowledged that your home is well-kept and she was positive about the steps that you have taken to inform and keep yourself safe from domestic abuse.
It is relevant that your partner has also had a child removed from his care and placed with a family member. He has not told you much about this. The social worker will need to explore his background too in the same way as yours to understand the situation better and to determine what is different for him now.
Unfortunately, as the social worker has only just begun the pre-birth assessment she cannot predict the outcome as she has not gathered and analysed all the relevant information yet. A pre-assessment is not completed in one visit; this is what the social worker means when she says she will visit again next week. However, from the information provided you are in a different and better situation now than when you had children’s services’ involvement with your son. As discussed above, your partner’s circumstances will also need to be considered. I set out the possible outcomes in my earlier response so please do take another look at my original reply.
You are worried that the baby may be removed from your care. Many parents worry about this when children’s services are involved however the information provided
here may help explain the only circumstances in which this can happen.
Children’s services are required to work with parents and families to keep children safe and at home where this is possible. You mention that you have a solid support network – this is a positive and something you may wish to discuss with the social worker including how/when they will support you and the baby. You may be offered (or can ask for) a
family group conference to bring your network together to harness this support.
The link above explains how/when social workers can remove a child. The key points to be aware of are that this cannot happen unless:
The Family Court has approved a plan for the child to be removed and made an order allowing children’s services to put that plan into action, or
A parent (or someone else) with parental responsibility has given their real and voluntary agreement to children’s services removing the child and no one else who is able (entitled) to object, is objecting. But the law says only certain people with parental responsibility can object.
You are doing all the right things and should continue to do so. You might find these
tips on working with social workers helpful too. The social worker will need to discuss her completed pre-birth assessment with her manager to confirm what happens next so the decision about how to proceed is not just down to an individual social worker.
I can see that this process is causing you anxiety. Perhaps you could manage this by asking the social worker to keep you regularly updated, to let you know if she has any concerns or recommendations for you. And that she confirms when the assessment will be completed and a copy shared with you.
Please do post again if you have a new query or call our freephone advice line on 0808 8010366, Mon to Fri, 9.30 am to 3.00 pm to speak to an adviser – apart from Christmas/New Year when the freephone advice line and digital advice service will close at 3pm on Friday, 23rd December 2022 and will reopen at 9.30am on Tuesday, 3rd January 2023.
Best wishes
Suzie