Social services advice

[Babe2012]

Can anyone please advise me ?

Husband is working with probation..Probation have told him that they are going to get him home.His offender management officers have said he should be at home and can’t understand why he isn’t already, yet even after 2 assessments, myself putting a family safety plan into place, changing passwords and pins to all connected devices, buying an indoor security camera, doing 2 child protection and safeguarding courses and completing the seen and heard programme, social services are saying In their view, the level of supervision I’d be required to do in the home for husband to be able to return is 2 much for me..

His offender management officers have said that social care need to made aware that the level of risk hasn’t changed and he should be at home..
Social care won’t even after all I’ve done , consider allowing contact in the home either and are expecting us to continue with Contact in the community even in the wet, windy and freezing weather we’ve been having and are still having.

Can social care oppose what probation and his offender management officers have said ?
Social care are saying they’re not saying he won’t ever be able to come home just not yet but probation are saying different.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Babe2012

Welcome to Family Rights Group’s family and friends carers’ discussion board and thank you for your posts. My name is Suzie, and I am FRG’s online adviser. As you are a parent, our parents’ discussion board would be better for you to post on; if you have a further query please post on the parents’ board instead of this one. As well as receiving advice from FRG, other parents may also be able to advise you there. However, I will respond to you here today. I am sorry that I was unable to reply to you sooner and to hear of the difficulties your family is experiencing.

I am replying to all of your posts in this response.

Your main query, I think, is that children’s services' view of the risk posed by your husband is very different to probation's view. Your husband has been convicted of possessing sexual images of a child/children and children’s services have become involved because of this. They have completed two assessments and concluded that it is not safe for your daughter if her father returns home to live or even if he spends time with her at home with you supervising, at the moment. The social worker is also worried about your understanding of the potential risk posed and that you would not be able to maintain the level of supervision necessary. The social worker’s assessment should make clear what work they want you and your husband each to do to reduce the current risks identified; it should also say how and when this will be reviewed.

I can see that this is causing you a lot of distress and that the practicalities of your husband’s supervised contact happening in the community is difficult. You have also thought about what you can do to ensure safety in the home and have taken steps to be better informed and to put practical measures in place. Despite this, children’s services’ second assessment has come to the same conclusion, which you strongly disagree with.

All agencies have a duty to work together to safeguard children but have different remits and areas of expertise. Probation is the key agency which works with an offender and as part of this they share and contribute their assessments and professional knowledge to the social worker involved with the child.

Assessing and managing risk in these situations is complex especially if there is a possible ongoing risk. Your daughter is at the centre of this, from children’s services’ point of view. They are the lead agency when it comes to protecting children and promoting their welfare. This means that if a child is at possible risk of harm, they must take steps to make sure that they are kept safe. Their risk assessment will depend on your family’s individual risks and circumstances. They must consider other professionals’ opinions and assessments, but they are the only organisation whose specific purpose is to decide what is needed for your daughter.

At present, they are not satisfied with the proposals you have put forward to manage the risk. They are asking you both to comply with their current recommendations although as advised above they should be explaining the next steps that they want each of you to take and telling you the timescale for review. They should also spell out what action they would take if you do not comply.

You may already be aware of the Stop it Now website and confidential helpline: tel - 0808 1000 900 (run by the Lucy Faithfull Foundation); they can advise anyone affected by child sexual abuse including internet offending and you could check if they have any further suggestions about what else you can do.

As your husband is the parent who is being asked not to come home/not to spend time with his daughter at home and he is unhappy with this he (or you) could consider making a complaint. If his offender manager strongly disagrees with children’s services’ recommendations and is concerned that their assessment has not been properly considered, then they can raise this directly with your daughter's social worker.

Your husband can also get some private law advice from a solicitor if he wishes; Child Law Advice can also advise on this.

However, it is a good idea to continue to work cooperatively with children’s services, clarify what happens next, the timescale for review and maybe think about other possible solutions to the difficulties around contact now – if family cannot supervise now, do you or your husband have responsible friends who could be put forward to be assessed as supervisors?

I hope this has helped.

If you would like to discuss your situation with an adviser, please call our freephone helpline on 0808 8010366; the lines are open from 9.30 am to 3.00 pm Monday to Friday (except on bank holidays). Or you can post a further query on our parents’ discussion board.

Best wishes

Suzie

[Babe2012]

Also social care have even said that there is no evidence of our being abused and there’s no evidence of her being abused by her dad.

I am angry with him, of course I am ..I have never ever tried to play it down .now we know the reason he was on kik in the first place, now we know about his addiction to adult porn , we are on the right path as advised by probation in getting social care to at some point allow him home .
As social care have now been made aware by probation that he’s low risk..he’s getting counselling and therapy arranged by probation as we are unable to afford to pay for sessions

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Babe2012

Thanks for your further post. It is good that the support your husband is getting from Probation is helpful; this will need to be considered by children’s services. However, make sure you also know what else they think needs to be done as advised in my last response; they are the lead agency when it comes to your daughter’s welfare and protection.

Please post on our parents’ forum if you have any new queries as you may get additional advice and support from parents there; many of whom are dealing with similar issues to yours.

With best wishes

Suzie