Care proceddings

[Annoynomous]

Hi I have three children one 10 months one 2 years and one 4 year old I have been doing everything possible to get my kids back iv been doing the courses staying away from my ex been doing demostic violence courses and children courses but my assessment still came back negative so they saying that children are unable to come back home is their any way I be able stop this from happening please as all I want is for my kids to come back home

[Ignatious]

Dear Annoynomous,

Firstly, Welcome to FRG. Sorry to hear about your issues.
I'm sure Suzie will get around to messaging you in due course. But for now, It may help if you provide a little more information.
Without divulging too much in detail,... could you please divulge the state of things?
Are your children removed by Social Services,.. And under what reason (for example a Section 20), or by way of court order (interim? or otherwise). This will help with the kind of response(s) that can be provided.
If you are in early court proceedings for example, and the initial Judge agreed for children to be removed under an interim care order,.. pending further proceedings,...to include things like the above mentioned (negative) assessments,.. then these are things that can be challenged by you / and/or your legal.
I wish you good luck in your pursuit to get your children back. Remember they are yours, and no matter what happens, never forget that and always keep fighting for them.

Ignatious

[Annoynomous]

Yes I am on a section 20 at the moment and they said the care plan they looking at is putting two of my kids up for adoption and keeping one child in temporary care because of his autism I have improved everything with my home conditions because that’s one of things they was taken because I took drugs but I don’t anymore am 7 month not taken nothing I was demostic relationship with their dad but iv stayed away done courses done everything they have asked they said they can see improvement but it’s not enough just wanted see what else I could possibly do because I just want them home they said last hearing is on the 30th may

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Annoynomous

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 very sorry to hear about your family situation. I can understand how difficult this is for you.

Your 3 young children are not in your care. I understand that you are in care proceedings. You say there is a final hearing due to take place on 30th May. We have advice about preparing for a final hearing here.

I am surprised that the children are currently in a voluntary arrangement under section 20 and not under interim care orders. You will have a solicitor as you are in care proceedings so they will be able to clarify if/why this is the case.

Unfortunately, you have had a negative assessment. I think this is a parenting assessment but it could also be a psychological or another type of assessment. It is important that you ask your solicitor to explain very clearly why it was negative, what exactly are you expected to be able to do differently?

From what you say, you have made good progress. You describe how you are separated from your ex-partner, have done domestic abuse courses, improved your home conditions and are not using drugs. You have achieved a lot and it is important for you and the children that you keep this up. It seems that the professionals involved can see that you have made improvements but say that it is not enough. You need to know what they mean by this exactly – what do they need to see that you are doing or will do to be able to keep the children safe in your care.

Sometimes, professionals say that a parent needs more time to address their different issues but the court process is time limited. This means that the focus is on the children’s timescale and not the parent’s. This can make it difficult for a parent to show the court during the proceedings that they can maintain their changes and that their own needs have been met.

The assessment report/s should set out all of this. But you should ask your solicitor to go through it with you. You should also ask your solicitor for their legal advice about whether there is anything you can do now such as asking for an independent assessment or challenging any of the findings of the current assessment.

You should also make sure that you know what the Children’s Guardian’s recommendations are – your solicitor can help you find this out.

Please see our guide to working with a solicitor to assist with this. They are best placed to give you specific legal advice as they have access to all the court reports and know your situation better.

In the meantime, it is important that you continue to attend your family contact sessions with the children and attend any meetings about them. This shows that you are as involved as you can be.

Are there any extended family members or friends of the children’s father still being assessed as potential carers for them? If there is no-one at present or no-one who has been positively assessed is there anyone you could put forward at this stage? The court has to consider parents, and family or connected people first before they consider making an order that will allow children to be later adopted. Adoption is always a ‘last resort.’ But if the court decides that that there is no parent or family or connected person who can safely care for the children (especially very young children like yours) then can make a placement order which will allow the children to be placed for adoption. The recommendation for one of the children is foster care (which would be under a care order) due to his needs as he is autistic.

I am attaching our advice information on adoption which explains the processes involved. You are entitled to adoption support when this is being considered as a possible plan for your children, you can find out more here.

The charity Mothers Apart from their Children (MATCH) provides support to mothers whose children are not living with them.

I hope this helps.

If you would like to discuss your situation with an adviser please call our freephone advice line on 0808 8010366, Mon to Fri, 9.30 am to 3.00 pm (except bank holidays). Or post back on this forum.

Best wishes

Suzie