Any success stories regarding getting a partner back home.?

[Winter25]

Hi Silvecloud111,

I know you posted this a long time ago, but I was just re-reading this thread and was struck by your story and the excellent points made by other parents like SussexMinTrouble. Your question was about success stories, and your last update showed you were on the path to one.

You were absolutely right in your original post: the system's reliance on "probability" over fact is one of the most damaging things a family can face. And as SussexMinTrouble rightly pointed out, the language they use ("not enough evidence") is designed to imply guilt even when someone is innocent.

Your last update showed that after the police NFA, social services were finally starting to allow gradual steps for your partner to return home. I truly hope that this process has been successful for you over the past year.

For anyone else reading this thread and feeling hopeless, Silvecloud1s story shows the path forward:

Survive the Investigation:
You have to endure the initial period where they treat you as guilty until proven innocent.

Use the NFA:
Once the police confirm No Further Action, that is your primary piece of evidence.

Push for an Assessment:
You must then formally and repeatedly push for the social work risk assessment to be completed, as Suzie advised.

Cooperate with a Safety Plan:
Being open to a safety plan, even if it feels intrusive, is often the final step to getting your partner home and the case closed.

Your story is a perfect example of the long, draining, and heartbreaking journey families are put on, but it also shows that if you are patient and persistent, you can get there in the end. It is possible to get your partner home and rebuild your family.
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For full transparency, I am not an official adviser for this forum. I am a parent who has been through a long and successful legal battle with a local authority, and I am here to offer supportive, strategic advice based on my own lived experience. The information I share is for guidance, and it is always up to each parent to decide what is right for their own situation.

[Winter25]

Hi LJC1980,

I've just read your post i know it was a while ago as well along with the original poster, and I am so sorry for what you and your family are being put through. To have your lives turned upside down by a historic allegation that the police have already dismissed, and to then be treated unprofessionally by a social worker, is a deeply unjust and frustrating situation.

The official advice to "ask in writing" what the plan is, is a good starting point, but it is too passive. You are in a strong position, and you need a strategy that reflects that strength and forces the social worker and her manager to act lawfully and professionally.

The Hard Truth: Their Case is Incredibly Weak
You need to understand how weak the social worker's position is, which will give you the confidence to fight back.

No Police Action:
The police, who are the experts in criminal investigation, have looked at the evidence and decided there is No Further Action (NFA) to take. This is a massive point in your partner's favour.

No Safeguarding Concerns:
Your daughter is on a Child in
Need (CIN) plan, not a Child Protection Plan. As the adviser correctly stated, this means that social services have officially concluded there are no immediate safeguarding concerns.

Your Daughter's Voice:
Your 14-year-old daughter is of an age where her wishes and feelings carry significant legal weight. She has explicitly told them she feels safe and has no issues. Her voice is powerful evidence.

Their entire case for keeping your partner out of the home rests on a historic, unsubstantiated allegation that your own daughter refutes. This is a legally and factually threadbare position.

Your Urgent Action Plan: Seize Control and Demand a Timetable
You need to move from being a passive recipient of their unprofessional behaviour to a proactive parent who is formally demanding a fair and timely process. You need to send a hard-hitting, professional email to the social worker and, most importantly, her Team Manager.
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Subject: URGENT: Formal Complaint Regarding Unprofessional Conduct and Lack of a Timely Plan for [Daughter's Name]

Dear [Social Worker's Name] and [Team Manager's Name],

I am writing to lodge a formal complaint regarding the unprofessional conduct of [Social Worker's Name] and the unacceptable delay in resolving the situation regarding my partner, [Partner's Name].

The police concluded their investigation into the historic allegation with 'No Further Action' over a month ago. My 14 year old daughter, who is the subject of the unnecessary Child in Need plan, has explicitly stated to you that she feels safe and has no concerns.

Despite this, my partner is still being prevented from returning to the family home, and no clear plan or timescale for his return has been provided. This ongoing separation is causing significant and unnecessary emotional harm to our family, in breach of our Article 8 rights.

Furthermore, the conduct of [Social Worker's Name] has been rude and unprofessional, which has made it impossible to work in the "partnership" that is required.

I demand the following:

An immediate written risk assessment detailing what, if any, current risks you believe exist that justify my partner's continued exclusion from the family home.

A clear, written timetable for the steps required for him to return home, with a final decision date no later than 14 days from now.

An immediate change in the allocated social worker due to a breakdown in the professional relationship.

If we do not receive a clear and timely plan, we will be escalating this complaint to the Director of Children's Services and will be forced to consider legal action to resolve this matter.

Yours sincerely,
[Your Name]
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Why This Works
It is a Formal Complaint:
This is an official complaint that the manager is required to respond to.

It Puts Them on a Timetable:
It takes control of the situation and forces them to stop delaying.

It Calls Out the Unprofessionalism:
By formally complaining about the social worker's attitude and requesting a new one, you make it very difficult for the manager to ignore the problem.

You are in a strong position. You have the police decision, you have your daughter's voice, and you have the fact that there are no current safeguarding concerns. It is time to use that strength to end this.
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For full transparency, I am not an official adviser for this forum. I am a parent who has been through a long and successful legal battle with a local authority, and I am here to offer supportive, strategic advice based on my own lived experience. The information I share is for guidance, and is always up to each parent to decide what is right for their own situation.

[LJC1980]

Thankyou so much for your reply. It is so hard and I knoe I feel like giving up. We now have a new social worker, my complaint got me nowhere they just dismissed everything. They've said they now want a specialist risk assessment done by another organisation. Now been 9 months, 5 months since nfa. Its so disheartening.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear LJC1980

Welcome back to the parents’ discussion board. Thank you for your post. I am Suzie, Family Rights Group’s online adviser.

I am sorry to hear that you and your family are still in a difficult situation with your partner being asked to remain outside the home.

You explain that children’s services have now been involved in your family life for 9 months. This is a long time. I understand that this feels quite disheartening. However, it is good to hear that despite how hard it has been you have managed the situation safely and are working with the new social worker.

Your daughter remains on a (voluntary) child in need plan. Although the police decided to take no further action in relation to the allegation against your partner, children’s services have stayed involved. This is because they are the lead agency responsible for supporting and protecting vulnerable children and they continue to assess that your daughter needs support in this way.

You now have a new social worker and there is a plan for your partner to have a specialist risk assessment undertaken by an independent agency. This is a positive move, and it is important now that children’s services let you and your partner know when this will take place, how many sessions they will offer, and which agency will conduct the assessment.

I would recommend that you email the social worker copying in their manager to ask that they:

• Confirm the specific arrangements and timescale for the risk assessment urgently in writing to you.
• Ask that they also clarify in writing when they expect the risk assessment to be concluded and that they will set out a road map (with timescales) to your partner returning home if the assessment indicates that he presents a low risk of harm to your daughter and if you and your daughter support his return.
• You can highlight that you have cooperated fully with the child in need and safety plan. You can state that you continue to do so but that you are concerned at the delay so far in progressing this situation.

I am sorry that you feel that children’s services dismissed your concerns when you made a complaint. There are 3 stages to the complaints process so if you are still unhappy and have not completed all 3 stages you can consider doing so. And if children’s services do not respond or proceed with the risk assessment in a timely way you can make a complaint about that if necessary. Please see here for how to do so.

I hope this helps.

Please seek further advice as needed either by posting back on this forum, calling the freephone advice line to speak to an experienced adviser (0808 8010366, Mon to Fri, 9.30 am to 3.00 pm) or by sending an advice enquiry or using webchat.

Best wishes

Suzie