Urgent a few things need clarification on

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Missing_two
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2021 12:42 am

Urgent a few things need clarification on

Post by Missing_two » Wed Nov 10, 2021 3:57 am

Hi

I never got the chance to meet the gaurdian in person it was arranged but we all ended up with covid have spoken to her on video call a few times - she's coming today the 10th because she's visited the other dads and I feel she should visit myself and my partner of whom 3 out of 5 have been left with me - she didn't want to as she feels she knows me from my statements and my oral evidence at the ICO hearing - what and how should I be with her she went from not removal of the youngest 2 to removal of them after one 20 min visit to them in school without the solicitor present and has sided with the LA on thier opinion and portrayal of me if which this makes no sense as she's supposed to be unbiased - even tho 2 arnt in my care is she still meant to get to know me and my partner as part of her job ? What should I say talk about etc -

Also how long should it take for the LA to give the IRO information to us were on day 13 now and nothing

And is it possible as I have no clue what happens at the 8 week ICO review to get them back at all - they have lied , failed and let us down the LA that is and the removal was unfair does the 8 week review go to court or is it a meeting I have no clue no one has explained anything to us

Also I had a bad turn at contact yesterday I have health issues which they are using agsisnt me despite my insisting it has no impact and evidenced on my parenting but what happened yesterday was a side effect from a operation I had in 2017 and only the 2nd time it happened I tried to keep it together the evil manager got involved and I said I had to go said good bye and told them I was OK but they are using this agsisnt me thru out - now my partner thought he heard the manager say stop the contact ??? And she had that I told u so look on her face no care or compassion at all where do I stand against discrimination agaisnt invisible illness

Thanks in advance

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

Re: Urgent a few things need clarification on

Post by Suzie, FRG Adviser » Tue Nov 16, 2021 1:11 pm

Dear Missing_two,

Thankyou for your further post.

I see that the guardian would have now visited you if everything went to plan. You say that you feel that the guardian is biased against you and ask whether they should have met with you. The guardian’s role is to make sure that the decisions that are made by the court are in the child’s best interests. All guardians are experienced social workers who are independent from children’s services and from the court. The guardian should meet with you to discuss your thoughts about what has happened, what you think is in the best interests for your children and your understanding about why children’s services are involved. The guardian may also speak with other professionals involved in the children’s lives and may read local authority documents and files about the children. You can find more information about the guardian’s role on our website here and you might find the Cafcass website helpful.

You say that you still do not have the details of the IRO for your children’s case. You should certainly have these details and I would suggest that if the social worker or manager has not got back to you with this then you should contact the duty team of your local children’s services to request this information. They should share the IRO’s name and contact details with you. You should be able to find the number for your children’s services by googling it if you don’t already have it.

You say that there is an ‘ICO review’ coming up and you are unsure what this involves. I am unsure exactly what you are referring to but from what you have said I think that most likely this is the next court hearing which is often called an ‘Issues Resolution Hearing’ (see here for information on our website about this). This will take place at court and is used to see if the parties can reach an agreement on the long-term plans for the children. This would include where the children would live and who they would have contact with. If the parties are unable to reach an agreement about the long-term plans then the hearing will be used to work out exactly what issues the court needs to decide. There will then be a date set for a final hearing in which the final decisions and plans are agreed. I would suggest that you speak with your solicitor about the upcoming hearing as they will be able to offer advice specific to your case.

The other possible meeting that you are referring to when you say an ‘ICO review’ is a Looked After Child review which is a meeting that takes place with the social worker, IRO and other professionals involved in the children’s life. As your children are looked after children the local authority is obligated to hold these reviews regularly and you should be invited to these. You can find more information about this on our website here.

I am sorry to hear that your health has not been good and that you feel that you are being discriminated against due to your condition. It may be a good idea to speak with your GP and ask them to write a letter for you explaining your condition and outlining what impact it has. You could then ask to meet with the social worker and manager to discuss this and ask them to clarify whether they have any concerns specifically relating to your condition.

I hope that this is helpful. Please post again if you need further advice or you can call our advice line on 0808 801 0366 (Monday to Friday 09:30-15:00).

Best wishes,
Suzie

Missing_two
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2021 12:42 am

Re: Urgent a few things need clarification on

Post by Missing_two » Wed Nov 17, 2021 1:05 am

Yes the 8 week first care plan review is due mid Dec- does this have to be agreed in court to extend can I get my kids back then as I am lodging a appeal as they shouldn't of been taken I have asked and asked for the iro details still not got them but that's not new with my LA - I have asked for a meeting with the LA

Cafcass didn't end up coming as she didn't feel comfortable coming to my house but I'm asking her to thr meeting but if you say she should of met in person with me ? She hasn't done to date is this correct she said she wouldn't be meeting with me until before the next hearing in mid Feb!!!! She met the 2 removed once for 20mins changed position to removal without even building a relationship she Said she feels she knows me thru my statmentes and oral evidence at the removal hearing - she sided with the LA based on nothing evidecential and they were taken

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

Re: Urgent a few things need clarification on

Post by Suzie, FRG Adviser » Fri Nov 19, 2021 1:53 pm

Dear Missing_two

Thank you for your further post.

You can find out more about interim care orders and how long they last here – usually the ICO remains in place until the final hearing. In some situations the judge may make the order for a shorter period if they think that is best for the children but the norm is for the order to continue until the final hearing. As you have explained that you are looking to appeal the ICO I would suggest that you discuss this and seek legal advice from your solicitor.

The care plans for your children will be reviewed at their Looked After Child Reviews (LAC) ; the timescales for review are that the first one should be held within one month of the children becoming looked after and the second review within three months. You mention a review being held at 8 weeks. The LAC review cannot change a court order, only the court can do so.

I am sorry to hear that you have not been provided with the name and contact details of the Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) for your children, although you have asked on a number of occasions. It is a legal requirement for every looked after child to have a reviewing officer. Have you been given any explanation or timescale for when you will be given this information? It is good practice for an IRO to be appointed promptly e.g. within a week of a child becoming looked after and for their details to be provided to the local authority’s legal services too. You could ask your solicitor to request their details from the council’s legal services, as you have not been able to find out directly.

It is good that you have already asked for a meeting to follow up on this and any other questions or concerns you have.

I understand that the suggested meeting with the Guardian did not happen and instead she is planning to meet with you before the next hearing in mid-February. You can request an earlier meeting or ask your solicitor to do so via the Guardian’s solicitor but it may be that the Guardian cannot meet you sooner or is satisfied that the mid- February date is satisfactory. I hope that the link, previously provided, to CAFCASS’ information on the role of the Guardian in care proceedings is useful to you. The Guardian is independent of children’s services but sometimes may agree with their assessment and proposed care plan. However, as you know, the decision made in court was temporary and there will be further assessments and hearings before a final decision is made.

I hope this helps.

With best wishes

Suzie

Dippy03
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2020 7:49 pm

Re: Urgent a few things need clarification on

Post by Dippy03 » Wed Mar 16, 2022 5:38 pm

Hi, me n my partner have been dealing with children's services for over 6yrs, we live 135 miles away and each and every social worker have lied or misled us, I've found the best way of communicating with them is through email, we decided this as then you have digital proof time stamped, and make sure you keep every email as like you've said yourself they say 1 thing then do something completely different, the reason my partners daughter was removed from her mother was because of her partner and herself and we had no knowledge that children's services were involved even though my partner has PR for his daughter they took unlawful decisions not to notify him that his daughter was on a child protection order due to false allegations made from his ex partner which resulted in a no contact order between them even our barrister agreed we should have been told but children's services look after each other they missed many many opportunities to just stop and look at the children and the complaints and reports from neighbours they should have know, I hope this helps your situation as we know how frustrating thus can all be,

Good luck

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