Reports and assessments.

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Mummy2
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Mar 21, 2021 11:08 pm

Reports and assessments.

Post by Mummy2 » Sun Apr 11, 2021 10:13 am

Hello,

We have been involved with CS for 11 weeks now. Partner was arrested for child images.
I have just received our reports from her, all in one go. Family and children assessment and 2 CIN reports. What is the time frame that I should have received those reports please ? In the reports there are things that I've never been told, I've learned that when reading them, destressing questions they've asked my daughter and her answers(very important things), lots of the things have been twisted but also my daughter told me the specialist social worker asked my daughter's permission to record her conversation with her and this hasn't been documented in there or mentioned to me. Surely this should be written in there and I should be told before or after ? They also determined that from one 1 off 5 minute phone call at the beginning of all this with my partner that our daughter is his favourite and he doesn't like our boy because he said that she 10yrs is very switched on and emotionally beyond her years and said our son was a typical stubborn 3 year old. So they've written he favours her and that is concerning. I've also said the same when I've spoken about the children!? Should my partner be more involved? He comes to the CIN zoom meeting but he didn't get the reports and the SW hasn't met him, just quick calls when she realises she hasn't actioned something and it's almost the next CIN. They said my mental well being is suffering but it isn't, I'm doing very well and have lots of support networks ? They've also said in the CIN that they are continuing to assess my protective parenting capacity, SW hasn't told me anything about this or what it is, how it works ? Plus not once in the 3 months of her becoming to see us has she seen me at the same time in the same room as the children. Always gone off to the bedroom with the kids then spoken to me after then left. How does she even know who I am as a mother, shes never asked questions about us as a family. If someone said tell us about that family she couldn't describe US. Also I've emailed and asked questions about why I haven't had certain information and asked for a email reply but they've said no they will talk to me in person. I'd really like a written reply because I never remember what has been said when they leave. Plus the document everything I say.
Sorry that was long. I'll do bullet points.
* Time frame of recieving reports ?
* Not being told my child was recorded? Should my child have been asked or me? They didn't take her to be questioned. This was 2 hours after she saw her dad be taken and by 1 social worker, 1 trainee social worker, 1 police officer and 1 specialist police officer (all in her little room)
*Should I learn things via reports or have things fed back to me?
*Should my partner have more contact with the SW, should she have met him?
*Can my partner challenge the SW snap judgement?
*Can they comment on my mental health without me even saying I'm struggling ?
*Should I have information about what a protective parent is and how you are assessed before it is happening?
*Should the SW be spending time with me and the children together ?
*Should she have learnt more about us as a family, or interests or normal routines?
*Do I have the right to have most (the more meaningful) conversations in writing?
*Can I request a more experienced SW?

I hope that makes sense. Thanks you !!

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Suzie, FRG Adviser
Posts: 4210
Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2011 2:57 pm

Re: Reports and assessments.

Post by Suzie, FRG Adviser » Mon Apr 19, 2021 6:50 pm

Dear Mummy2,

Welcome to the Parents Forum. I am Suzie, one of Family Rights Group’s online advisers.
I can see that children services are involved due to your partner being arrested for having child abuse images. There appears to be child in need plans in place which suggests that you are working well with children services. Is dad still living in the family home or has he moved out?
Your daughter is 10 and your son is 3.

I can see that you have recently received the assessment as well as 2 children in need reports. You ask about timescales. Assessments should be completed within 45 working days. However, there can sometimes be delay in the report being completed. For example, if the social worker was waiting for a report from the police. The report should detail the reason for any delay. Usually, you would receive a copy of any reports for the child in need meeting prior to the meeting along with any minutes of the last meeting.

You are unhappy about not knowing some of the information put in the report and some of it being incorrect. If there are factual inaccuracies, ask for them to be amended. If you are unhappy with the social workers opinion you could write and explain why you do not agree with her. Let her know that you have a strong friend and family network who are supporting you. It is common for parents to find it stressful for the police and children services to be involved in their lives. You could do a letter detailing the most important differences between yours and her view. This could be attached to the assessment.

Children services are still assessing your “protective capacity”. As part of the assessment, the social worker will have assessed your parenting ability-so your ability to meet your children’s needs such as health, educational and emotional needs. She says she is still assessing your ability to protect, she means in this context, to protect against your partner being potentially risky to your children due to him accessing child abuse images. It is an ongoing thing because they may not know if your partner is risky to your children, but will have to assume the worse about him-that he is- until he has been risk assessed. Any risk assessment may not take place until after the criminal part has been completed.
Also, partners can be in denial as well. For you to be positively assessed as being protective, it is best to carry on working well with the professionals and the plan. Here is guidance about working with social workers. Also look at the Just stop it now website and Parents Protect for more guidance about being protective.

In answer to the rest of your questions:
Recordings of an interview with your daughter.
The police as well as the social worker were involved in the interview as they may have been concerned that your daughter was a victim of a crime such as sexual abuse given your partners arrest. The interview needed to be completed as soon as possible, so that any information she might have given would be preserved and so that there was less chance she would have been put under any pressure by a parent not to disclose anything. As part of child protection enquiries, the social worker is expected to talk to children to see whether they had suffered any significant harm and to help assess whether it is safe for your children to stay at home. Your daughter is 10 years old and there wil be a question mark as to whether she was old enough to give consent. Ask the social worker about this. They will have explained to your daughter the purpose of the interview and assessed her understanding of why the interview was taking place. In some situations (for example as part of a criminal investigation) a parent’s consent is not needed before a child is interviewed. However, a note needs to be made on your daughters file, why your consent was not obtained before she was interviewed. You could ask the social worker for the reason. With 4 professionals involved in the interview, could it have been oppressive? I am not sure, and you could raise it with the social worker or manager.

Should I learn things via reports or have things fed back to me?
The answer is probably a mixture of both. Often professionals only disclose reports at the meetings so you may hear at the same time as the social worker.

Should my partner have more contact with the SW, should she have met him?
Yes fathers should be involved in the processes. I would expect the social worker to certainly meet him and obtain his views as father. Please look at our information for fathers .

Can my partner challenge the SW snap judgement?
Yes in the same way I advised you above.

Can they comment on my mental health without me even saying I'm struggling?
Yes, they can comment on what they observe and what they hear from you. Have they suggested you seek an assessment from your GP/ Mental health worker? If so, it is worth speaking to your GP who could carry out an assessment of your mental health. If you did need treatment or support, then you could access this and advise the social worker you are doing so.
However, they cannot diagnose you with a mental health condition unless they are suitably health qualified.

Should the SW be spending time with me and the children together ?
Should she have learnt more about us as a family, or interests or normal routines?

In answer to both these questions then I would expect her to have spent time with you and the children and learnt about you as a family. She may have already seen enough from the short bursts of time observing you and the children on her visits to know that she is not worried about your parenting capacity. Plus, I would have expected her to obtain reports from the schools, health visitor and other professionals involved you’re your children. These would help her assess your parenting capacity. However, due to the data protection law and Human Rights Act, any information she obtains from you needs to be necessary for the purpose of the assessment. So there is a balance.

Do I have the right to have most (the more meaningful) conversations in writing? I assume these would have been referred to in the assessment. However, you can request access to your childrens file under the data protection law.

Can I request a more experienced SW? Yes, you can request this. You would need to give a good reason, but the manager may not agree.

I hope my advice is helpful. If you need further advice, please post again.
Best wishes,
Suzie

Mummy2
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Mar 21, 2021 11:08 pm

Re: Reports and assessments.

Post by Mummy2 » Wed Apr 28, 2021 10:09 am

Hello Suzi,

Thank you for your detailed reply.

Dad is no longer living in the family home and has moved out.

I struggle to understand how my parents who the social worker has never met are deemed as protective and capable supervising contact? She knows nothing about them.

Thank you

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Suzie, FRG Adviser
Posts: 4210
Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2011 2:57 pm

Re: Reports and assessments.

Post by Suzie, FRG Adviser » Thu Apr 29, 2021 10:37 am

Dear Mummy2,


It is possible that the social worker has assessed your parents as being suitable contact supervisors from information gathered throughout the assessment and child in need process so far. It would be usual for the social worker to want to speak to your parents in this case in order to to assess their suitability, and therefore you may want to ask the social worker how she has reached her decision.

Best wishes,

Suzie

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