Supervision order

[Hal123]

Hi everyone. Looking for some advice on what happens with the supervision order. Back story: therapist reported me to social services after some concerns as I’ve been struggling since my baby was born (currently 5months). No harm has come to the baby and he went to hospital as per protocol and everything was clear and doctors were happy with how the baby has been developing. SS asked me to move out the family home and my husband is looking after the baby in our current home. We’ve had the initial hearing where a supervision order was granted but looking at some timescales as to when they’ll allow me back home. I’m working with the perinatal mental health service and they’re happy with my progress but it doesn’t seem like SS actually care how I’m doing and plans to get me back home. They still need to do parenting assessments on me and my husband.

[gabs]

I underwent a parenting assessment- my council advised me to request an independent parenting assessment and we agreed a residential parenting assessment centre with a final report in 3 months. This enabled me to be with my son which was my priority at the time. They offered a risk assessment, parenting capacity but really were the only party that took the time to see the mother and child relationship. In my view if you are already in proceedings and would like the opportunity to learn a LOT about child development and the impact of parent behaviours on children i would take a residential assessment centre. I do wish you the best both with your recovery and family x

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Hi everyone. Looking for some advice on what happens with the supervision order. Back story: therapist reported me to social services after some concerns as I’ve been struggling since my baby was born (currently 5months). No harm has come to the baby and he went to hospital as per protocol and everything was clear and doctors were happy with how the baby has been developing. SS asked me to move out the family home and my husband is looking after the baby in our current home. We’ve had the initial hearing where a supervision order was granted but looking at some timescales as to when they’ll allow me back home. I’m working with the perinatal mental health service and they’re happy with my progress but it doesn’t seem like SS actually care how I’m doing and plans to get me back home. They still need to do parenting assessments on me and my husband.

Dear Hal123,

Welcome to the parents forum and thank you for your post. I am sorry to hear about the difficulties that you have been facing and I hope that the following information is of some help.

You say that a supervision order was made at the initial hearing and would like some more information about this. Our website has information about supervision orders HERE that you might find helpful.

It is positive that you are working with the perinatal mental health service and that they feel that you are making good progress. I would encourage you to continue doing so and to continue accessing support that you need. I am sorry to hear that you feel like children’s services aren’t showing an interest in your progress. Children’s services should be working with you to identify what support you need in order to make any changes necessary to be able to care for your baby safely. It is vital that you feel that you clearly understand what the concerns are that children’s services have and what they feel needs to change to reduce any risk to your baby. If you feel that you are not clear on this then I would suggest that you ask to meet with the social worker to discuss this, or perhaps liaise with your solicitor to ask for some clarity in writing. You may find it helpful to read our website pages HERE as they contain information about children’s services involvement when a parent suffers from mental ill-health. We also have a guide called Working with Social Workers which has some top tips about how to work well with a social worker and what to do if that relationship is not going well.

I hope that this is of some help. Please post again if you have any further questions, or you can call our free, confidential helpline on 0808 801 0366 (Monday to Friday, 9:30am – 3pm) to speak with an adviser.

Best wishes,
Suzie