Can SW refuse to engage with father ?

[Xvx]

Hi I have posted previously about social services visiting me after having my baby and giving advice not to allow unsupervised contact with father.

Father has been trying to engage with social services to try and get help and advice on how To eventually get unsupervised contact but they don’t seem interested. His social worker and his psychologist have tried multiple times to arrange meetings to discuss this with them and they have refused and are saying since they have no involvement they don’t need to help. He has also called them himself and they have told him to go to court if he wants access.

We are trying to get this sorted for the sake of my son. I am following all advice given but I want my child to have a relationship with his father and get it sorted while he is still young to notice any difference.

Do you have any advice ? Thanks

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Xvx

Welcome back to the Parents’ Forum and thank you for your further post.

I can see that you are still struggling with the dilemma of wanting your son to have a relationship with his father, including unsupervised contact, while also keeping your son safe and complying with children’s services expectations.

I have previously made suggestions about your ex-partner having supervised contact with his son in a contact centre. Has this happened? In your previous posts you also mention that he was participating in a domestic violence perpetrator’s programme. Has he completed the course?

From what you say, your son’s case is closed to children’s services as they are satisfied that as you are not allowing unsupervised contact, you have separated from your ex-partner and so you are able to keep your baby safe.

Unless they receive a new referral there is no specific requirement for children’s services to do any work with your ex-partner. They consider the situation to be a private law matter i.e. if he is unhappy with supervised contact he can make an application to the court for a Child Arrangements Order. The court would then consider if unsupervised contact were in your son’s best interests and would assess the risk of domestic violence. Your ex-partner can get legal advice from a solicitor or from Child Law Advice if he wishes.

You mention that he is working with his own social worker and a psychologist. It is positive that he is engaging with professionals and getting support and I hope this is helping. I think it may mean that he has some additional vulnerabilities too which may have impacted on children’s services’ assessment of the risk he poses.

As a father, with parental responsibility (if named on your son’s birth certificate) he could consider making a complaint to children’s services’ if he is dissatisfied with their lack of engagement with him. Making a complaint is one way of getting children’s services to review their intervention. This should come from him though, not you, as he is the parent who is affected by their recommendation that he should not have any unsupervised contact with your son. Perhaps the professionals working with him could assist him in making a complaint if he chooses to do so. He may find these FAQS for fathers helpful.

I think it is important that you continue, as you have been doing, to prioritise your son’s needs and to be a protective parent.

I have provided links to useful information in previous responses and I hope they have been helpful too.

If you have any new queries about children’s services please do post again or call our freephone advice line on 0808 8010366, Mon to Fri (except bank holidays) 9.30 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. Your ex-partner is also welcome to ring if he would like to speak to an adviser.

Best wishes

Suzie

[Xvx]

Thanks for your reply yes he is still attending his courses atm. Contact is supervised with my mum around once a week there isn’t any contact centres close to my area.

Can social services always refuse to work with him or even do a risk assessment after he has completed courses ? Surely he can’t need supervised forever?

They are also refusing to meet with me as my women’s aid worker has been trying to get them to meet with me to discuss the situation and any questions I may have. They just don’t seem interested at all.

[Xvx]

Also he is not on the birth certificate as social services advised me not to.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Xvx,

It is encouraging to hear that your child' father is attending the courses recommended to him and that you continue to follow the recommendation of supervised contact.

You want to know if your child's father will need to have supervised contact forever. This should always be guided by your child's safety and his best interests. If he engages with support and completes the recommended recommendations, and you think there has been a significant change in his behaviour which may warrant a re-assessment, you may want to contact children's services at that point.

I am sorry to hear that children's services will not answer your questions - this may be because the case is not currently open and they do not think there has been a change in circumstances. It may be helpful for you to submit your questions in writing and to ask for a written response.

Best wishes,

Suzie.