Re: Advice needed

[MotherOfOne]

I am needing urgent advice. Theres alot to cover and will probably miss some so bare with me.
 
My son is currently under a child protection plan starting on 27.01.21. This came about through false information and incorrect reports.

Ss care involvement came about becsuse of domestic abuse reports from my child's fathers previous relationship, with whom he has 2 children. These documented reports come from both sides. My ex partner (child's father) was in prison at this time (non violent offence) and put my address which is why i was contacted by them and asked i was aware of the previous issues. I am and have known my ex partner for over 12 years and briefly new his previous partner. I agreed that they both had a part to play in the abuse. This was put down as me minimising it which isn't the case. On my first few meetings with the assigned sw she kept saying she couldn't see any issues and couldn't see them staying involved for long. But just before my ex partner was released I was told the manager had decided my child would be put on a child in need plan. A month after release unfortunately myself and my child's father split up but continue to have a good relationship. In the time after this  id have visits changed last minute, sw hard to contact, child in need meetings happening that i wasn't aware off (father was never invited to these meetings) got told by hv about the last meeting which then got cancelled the morning of. While this was ongoing my ex partner suffers with mental health issues and it was declining. On a few occasions he had threatened suicide and was classed as a missing/vulnerable person. My ex partner doesn't live with me so these incidents happened nowhere near the home and my child has never been around them. At the beginning of the year  2 social workers turned up at my house stating that my ex partner must leave the house or the police will be called and that I had breeched an agreement that the father can only see my child supervised by a third party (They had a call that my child was inappropriately dressed while in his fathers care, but I was present and these have been proved wrong by other witnesses in tesco and a police officer who was there). This 'agreement' never happened. During a meeting the sw discussed  3rd party supervisinon and i actually asked if this is something i have to do or advice. She stated it was advice. I never aggreed, there has never been any paperwork, nothing signed by me. Also sw has been aware on many occasion since then that my ex partner has been at my home and never informed me i was doing something wrong or breaching an agreement. Anyway, back to the 2 social workers showing up. They handed us a report to sign. This report was incorrect information, the reason my ex partner was in prison was wrong, they made an assumption that my ex partner dominates the conversation and I stay quiet ( this is from meeting us together once where the discussion was about him so I didn't need to say anything) it stated i have said my ex partner comes round when he wants, I can't stop him and I am scared of him. This has never been said. This report was used in the meeting to decide whether a child protection conference needs to take place. Since then the sw has admitted to SOME of the lies saying i never said I'm scared etc and that her notes had been 'misconstrued' and it was a 'miscommunication' on there part. Nothing has been done about this or any corrections made. I have made 2 formal complaints to them following there complaints procedure but haven't had any contact about it. Paternal grandfather and paternal grandmother have also sent separate complaints but they have heared nothing from this. Following these complaints there have continued to be incorrect information put in notes and reports.
  
In the sw report for the child conference she continues to say I have breeched an agreement, and has little things wrong such has stated she has seen my ex partner and child together twice, she's seen them once, that my child goes to maternal grandmothers every Saturday, its every other Saturday. These are obviously minor compared to the rest but show the pattern of inaccuracies we are facing. The hv report for this meeting kept talking about incidents of dv and my child being witness to this.

After the conference when I got a chance to question the hv about this she said things also got 'Misconstrued' and she was looking at reports from my ex partners previous relationship and got confused! Again no offers to amend this.

This is 2 very important meetings now that have had incorrect information in the reports. Without these inaccuracies the outcomes of these meetings could have been very different. 

I provided details for the third party to supervise straight after the conference. The sw had her phone off and i didn't hear anything back till the week after. The third party still hasn't been sorted out even though the people we put forward have been assessed. Meanwhile my child hasn't seen his father in over a month and this is having an adverse effect on his behaviour.

My ex partner has been asking to speak with the assigned social workers manager since last year where we got told she would arrange a meeting, which never happened. We have also asked to speak to the quality assurance manager about this but keep getting fobbed off. We have tried to ask to work with a new social worker hoping things would get better without any inaccuracies being made but without being able to talk to the manager and being ignored by the social worker when asked about this matter we haven't got anywhere with this either. 

I have had a visit today from the social worker today who now admitted to me there was never an agreement in place so I didn't breach anything but said she can't change her reports now.

I've tried to cover as much as i can and this 'case' continues to be handled incorrectly and insensitively with details being fabricated and "miscontrued" and an all round failure by so called proffessional people to take into account the best intrests of our child.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear MotherofOne

Welcome to Family Rights Group’s parents’ discussion board and thank you for your post. My name is Suzie and I am an online adviser. I am sorry that I have not been able to respond to your post sooner.

I can see that you are very unhappy about the current child protection plan in place for your child and about the information shared at the conference by the social worker and the health visitor which you explain has been misrepresented or is incorrect. Despite the professionals now confirming that some of the information was misconstrued or wrong (in relation to the alleged ‘breach’ of an agreement - it seems that you were given ‘advice’ about supervised contact but did not agree to it nor were you asked to sign anything) you have been told that the reports cannot be changed.

Your requests for a new social worker to be allocated have not been considered and the social worker’s manager has not yet been in contact with your child’s father, despite many requests. Supervised contact has also not yet been arranged although several potential supervisors have been assessed.

I can understand that this is frustrating as your concerns are not being addressed. As you have already put in two formal complaints you should initially be contacted by the team manager to discuss and try to resolve your complaints. There are usually different processes for complaining about children’s services or about the conduct or decision made at a child protection conference which are outlined here. If you complained more than 10 days ago and still haven’t heard back then I think you should contact the Complaints department directly or the Conference Chair’s manager, depending on whom you complained to.

The Local Government Ombudsman recently published a report where they were critical of delays by a children’s services’ department in following the statutory timescales for complaints about a child protection process.

Although the social worker has said they cannot ‘change’ their report they can add an amendment clarifying any incorrect information and should also make this clear at any core group.

Here is some advice about asking for a change of social worker.

It is important that you keep working with children’s services even if you are involved in a complaints procedure as their involvement will not end because a complaint is being looked into. I think that they will want to see that the concerns around domestic violence are fully addressed, that your ex-partner accesses the right support for his mental health needs and that any future contact is safe for your child (and you).

It is important that the plan for supervised contact between your child and their father goes ahead smoothly and that all involved are properly informed and in agreement with the plans as well as made aware of any consequences if it is not kept to. You would need to know the proposed timescale for this as well and when it will be reviewed. Perhaps your ex-partner should chase this up directly as he is the parent who is not able to see his child at the moment.

You may find our advice materials on domestic violence for mothers helpful, we also have FAQS for fathers .

i hope this is useful to you.

Please do post again if you have a further query or call the freephone advice line on 0808 8010366 - the lines are open from 9.30 am to 3.00 pm Mon to Fri.

With best wishes

Suzie