New and sounding off!

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MandyLou
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Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2012 10:23 am

Re: New and sounding off!

Post by MandyLou » Thu Mar 28, 2013 8:10 am

Well the relationship between us and my step-daughter just gets worse. It is so hard to stand back and just take the abuse and downright lies about us. I know we have to be grown up and calm in this situation but it is so hard when you are faced with someone who uses every opportunity to have a go.
How on earth did we get to here? Everything was great until she realised that she had to go to court. Now it is all our fault.
The case conference said we should apply for residence but she has forgotten that.
The social worker and health visitor say she can't cope, but she has forgotten that too.
She had the police called to her address 4 times Sunday night over the new boyfriend. The same guy who threatened my husband outside the core group meeting last week. Yet she STILL thinks she will be able to have her baby back.
I am sick of fighting her. I am fed up of us being the bad guys in her eyes. And I know it hasn't really started yet.
The worst bit for me is the fact that she now gets to see the baby twice a week (supervised) and it is heart wrenching knowing that he is not in the house. The contact is mainly for the formal assessment of her parenting capacity (as ordered by the court) but even so it is hard for us. The only good thing being that the baby will not remember any of this in years to come. :|

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MandyLou
Posts: 50
Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2012 10:23 am

Re: New and sounding off!

Post by MandyLou » Tue May 28, 2013 8:52 am

Birth mother is pregnant again.
No idea how far gone.
No idea who the father is (one of a possible 3 - minimum).
She didn't turn up to core group about the little one who is with us, but apparently she will give the next one up for adoption but wants the first one back!
Her idea of reality is very, very screwed!

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David Roth
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Joined: Thu Aug 10, 2006 11:14 am

Re: New and sounding off!

Post by David Roth » Mon Jun 03, 2013 4:49 pm

Has anybody asked you yet whether you would consider taking the new baby? It sounds as though birth mother is already aware that she might not be able to keep this child, and social workers must have it in mind.

If you think you would like to be considered, then I would advise you to let the local authority know at an early date. The government's current agenda of promoting adoption, particularly for babies, could mean that family and friends carers could miss out if they don't put themselves forward quickly enough.

If you don't feel that you'd want to be considered, and the child is to be placed for adoption, or with someone else in the family, then you will need to think about contact between your grandson and his new sibling. Again, if this is something you want, it could be worth making the social workers involved aware of your wishes for these siblings.
David Roth
FRG Policy Adviser

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MandyLou
Posts: 50
Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2012 10:23 am

Re: New and sounding off!

Post by MandyLou » Tue Jun 04, 2013 7:52 am

Thanks David
We have expressed verbally so far that we would consider taking on the new baby. The social worker has said they will not get involved until birth mother is 20 weeks gone, and at the moment we guess it is about 12 weeks. We go back to court next week for the RO for the grandson who is with us. The section 7 report is very clear that birth mother cannot cope with him. It also shows how different the birth mother's view of her own abilities is to the reality.
My own opinion is that we will be prepared to take the next one as long as the baby is properly placed and there is much less of the to-ing and fro-ing we have had to deal with over the little one. I also want my grandson to be able to grow up with a sibling - not to mention the fact that having had our own plans to start out own family derailed it does give me a little of what I want. I'm step-mother to the birth mother and have no children of my own.
Can the section 7 assessment just done be used to say whether she will cope with the next one, or will there have to be a new assessment?

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David Roth
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Joined: Thu Aug 10, 2006 11:14 am

Re: New and sounding off!

Post by David Roth » Tue Jun 04, 2013 9:19 am

There would have to be a new assessment, although the new assessment would probably draw on a lot of the information from the one just written. The report recently written might be presented as evidence of past difficulties.

Although children's services can plan for the new baby's arrival, there can't be any court proceedings until the baby has actually been born. A lot of the local authority's evidence for taking out proceedings on a new baby will be based on past experience, and what has happened with other children, but there will need to be a report on the way things are at the present time, which would need to show that the same concerns were still there for the new baby.
David Roth
FRG Policy Adviser

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MandyLou
Posts: 50
Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2012 10:23 am

Re: New and sounding off!

Post by MandyLou » Fri Jun 07, 2013 9:56 pm

Court on Monday. Please spare us a thought if you can.

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