to wonder if any of you have had social services involved after an accidental injury?

Friend had this happen to her. DD3 fell out of bed and cut her lip. Next morning my friend bumped the injury as she was dressing her and made her cry. When asked at nursery she said 'Mummy hurt it'

SS came to her house. She was devastated and still isn't over it.

There seems to be a bit of a problem with SS taking things up with caring and loving parents and failing to deal with children in real trouble.
When SS have been involved and jumped in on innocent parents sometimes at the behest of an aggrieved person (ex husband) they fail to acknowledge that they have made an error even when it is very obvious.

Yes, deffo.
DD's almost seven and still has the bigger spot - can't see the smaller one anymore.
We're not standard issue European on my side, so there's a few quirks hairy shoulders for DD is a good example here and there.

I think the Mongolian blue spot thing happens a lot were the health care professionals don't deal with a lot of enmic minorties

A friend took his dd to A&E after a fall at home, she clipped her head on the hearth.
No serious injury fortunately, but they got home to find the police on the doorstep. No further action after an explanation but still, very unnerving.

I had a similar A&E trip with mine a couple of years later and it wasn't even mentioned to the hv. There doesn't seem to be a any consistency.

My son had an unusual bruise form while he was at nursery (they confirmed it wasn't there in morning) but no one had seen him cry or fall. He was verbal and couldn't say anything that might explain the bruise. We took him to the doctor who said he had to refer to SS straight away. We ended up with a hospital appt (he was fine) and a home visit even though whatever had happened, had clearly happened at nursery! I still feel very shaken about it now years on, as if I was judged. They never said whether they talked to the nursery.

Yes to the Mongolian Spots thing.

Two of my DSs had them at both and still have blue at the bottom of their back at age 7. Midwives in central London didn't bat an eye at them as apparently almost all East Asians and most West Indians have them. I was pretty shocked when they were born as they were pretty pronounced, and I'm white British and had actually never seen them. I pinned a Wikipedia article on my noticeboard and told everyone that had contact with DCs what they were as was petrified. Apparently about 1% of white babies have them.

DP and I weren't allowed to take dd1 (then aged 4) home from hospital with her broken leg until a social worker and police officer had interviewed both us and her (in our presence though). The hospital had automatically flagged it as she'd broken her arm the year before.

We were both petrified, I will never forget the sense of powerlessness against the machine.

After the interviews, the SW and sergeant went off for a quiet chat. Then came back and said they were happy that it had been accidental.

Years later I was chatting with the Head of her school about something else, the subject came round, and she told me she'd been rung that morning and asked some pretty searching questions about us. She said she'd told them that dd1 was a rumbustious little girl and she wasn't remotely surprised to hear she'd broken her leg while messing about jumping around at bedtime!

I know they were doing a job, and doing it properly, but it so doesn't help that most of these cases are not reported in the media as the Family Court's default position is an injunction against publicity, so the system has an aura of mystery and fear about it.

SS visited us after a visit to A&E when DS was 2. He fell and cut his face quite badly. I was glad to have been investigated- that kind of action is what could save another child one day.

It didn't go as far as SS, but I was reported to the hv. Luckily she knows me well and knew I am not an abusive mother. The reason for the trip to a&e was that I had been playing with dd doing "1,2,3 weeee" and lifting her by her hands. She was laughing and having a great time, then suddenly stopped and started to cry. She immobilised her arm and was quite distressed. I called 111 straight away and they sent us to a&e.

She had a dislocated elbow which the doctor who triaged us put back in place straight away. They asked me two or three times what had happened, and I told them honestly each time. They told me that it was a common injury and could be caused in a few ways, one of them being yanking a child by their arm. They seemed satisfied while I was there, but evidently sent a referral to the hv as I got a call a few days later from a somewhat bemused hv. She knows me and knows that my dd is my whole world, I am far from an abusive mum. She told me that although she had had the report that she wouldn't be taking it any further as my explanation was absolutely fine and she knew me well.

Had two calls from the HV team. One after DS climbed up to a cupboard (he's an unbelievable climber, has been since before he could walk) undid the Calpol bottle and shared it with DD (they were 5 and 2.5 at the time).
Obvs we went to A&E, where DD had serum tests and DS got a stern talking-to.
DD had no trace of paracetamol and from what we could see from the carpet most of the bottle's contents ended up on it.

We actually asked DS to open a childproof Calpol bottle when we got home and he was very impressed with himself:

"You turn and turn and do it really hard. You have to do it for s long time..."
Anyway - a couple of days later our HV called to ask what happened and to suggest we keep the Calpol in a high cupboard and make sure it's properly closed up.... I told her we already did and that DS is a notorious climber so we were going down the route of talking about liver damage and death instead. Never heard back about it.

Second was after DD fm had an accident at nursery and dislodged a couple of teeth. We called the OOH dentist for advice and took her in the next day...all well apart from bruising and a temporarily wobbly tooth.

Later that week, HV called to see how she was, even though it happened at nursery. She explained that whenever a child goes to dr/dentist in circs like hers, they have to call.

DD also has Mongolian blue spots on the top of her bum - at one of her first visits to HV (days old), I asked her to draw shape and location in DD's notes and Red Book. Just a tip for people there.

I had regular GP and HV contact when ds was small, thanks to PND and disability and stuff. When ds broke a limb at nursery, I did get a HV come round to check we were coping OK because they'd been told he broke said limb but not that he was at nursery at the time. Few months later young dd claimed to have eaten something sharp so I called 111 and they said to search for the item for up to 30 minutes, then go to A&E for X-ray if I hadn't found it, or immediately if she showed any distress - had to redial 3 times to stop her leaping off high furniture! Spent 5 hours having her X-rayed 3 times... a few days later she showed me where she'd hidden the thing!

HV popped round to check I was coping with a demonic toddler, but it was a SS-triggered visit. Had cup of tea, got update on local toddler groups, end of.

I had a phone call from the school nurse as dd had been to a and e a few times in a short period, triggering a further enquiry, it was for a broken wrist x 2 and a few sprains ect, pretty sure dd was over reacting on occasion but better to be safe than sorry.
Anyway she called me up at home whilst I was at work and at that time I got in half an hour after dd did and she was under strict instructions not to answer the phone/door ect. (she was 12, walked home with friends, safe area ect)
Of course on this occasion she decided to answer the phone and tell the nurse she was alone!
I got an inquistion as to how often she was left alone and whether she was safe, presumably all was ok as I've not heard anything since and more importantly dd has been a lot less accident prone!

Frodo you're saying your son had a had injury which has left a 'gristly lump' two years later and you didn't seek medical attention because you felt guilty?

I'm shocked.

No but it is something I worry about. One of my DDs has elbows that are extremely prone to dislocation. On most children, to dislocate the elbow, it needs to be pulled quite hard (which can happen if they fall while holding a parents hand for example). My DD once dislocated hers putting on a jumper! We have had numerous trips to A&E and minor injuries and I do worry about it being flagged up.

Name changed for this.

Two years ago DS was having a really trying day. He'd been rude, name calling, teasing his sisters all day. Final straw and I called him to come in the living room, he refused and said no and you can't make me idiot and then turned to run up the stairs. I got hold of his wrist and pulled him around to face me. As the same time he slipped off the step he was standing on and smashed his forehead/eyebrow off the stair doorway.

I've played it over in my mind a million times. I don't think I pulled him into the door, I'm sure he slipped. But the guilt I feel is all encompassing. He came up in a big bump and even now still has a gristly lump where he banged his head. Every time I see it I feel so so awful.

Anyway the point of the story was that I didn't take him to the hospital because I knew how it looked. I was so fearful of what would happen.

I've never ever and would never put my hands on any of the children again, not even to restrain them.

Not personally though I know others that do.

I have drummed into my dc the importance of blood tests during pregnancy and after birth for Vit D and advised them to mix feed. We have low vit D issues and other health issues that is why I know about NAI.

my baby has a rare limb condition (diagnosed at my 20 week scan) and when she was a few weeks old had a broken bone in the same limb that has a significant problem. We experienced 6 weeks of absolutely hell which culminated in a child protection conference. Luckily the chair of the conference had done lots of her own research (as had we - we presented a 'dossier' of similar cases) and they came to the conclusion that it was a pathological fracture (caused by the bones incorrect formation) or caused when a doctor roughly performed hip checks at her hip scan appointment which left bruising (luckily we had photos and had seen health visitor about)

I really feel for people who are innocent in the current system because our experience was truly awful and I often think about it and get upset about it xx

Yes - when DS was a few months old he rolled off a piece of furniture. Had a skull fracture and the consultant basically told us they didn't believe our explanation of what happened so they called in social services for a meeting at the hospital.

In the meantime my DS had to have the full body x ray and the back of his eyes checked for broken blood vessels as it was assumed myself and his dad had clearly been abusing him. After nothing else was found we were eventually discharged and told that social services 'weren't going to take it any further '.

I understand the hospital staff have to follow procedures when they suspect abuse but to know that they initially thought we had injured our own child was just absolutely horrendous. I still haven't got over it now and am reduced to tears just typing this out. And I still have this fear that social services have some report somewhere on us and that if my DS ever has to go to hospital again it will be flagged up to them.

I'm probably being overly dramatic but it's really affected me

I work for the police in the child protection unit and a couple of our officers have had SS check up on them after taking their kids to A&E with accidental injuries. Obviously they hadn't done anything but it was good that they still check things out (even when the parents are child protection officers)

DC2 had Mongolian blue spots on the base of her back and back of her ankles. HV spotted them and made us go see the GP to confirm they weren't bruises. GP said Mongolian blue spots as soon as she looked at them but pressed on them anyway to see if DD reacted which she didn't. They've just about gone now she's almost five but when she was a baby they were very prominent.

I'm glad HVs and SS check these things out if anything, at least they're doing their job. If you genuinely haven't done any harm it shouldn't go any further anyway.

Have name changed for this.

My DS was very hyperactive as a boy, he ran into a busy road. I grabbed him by the neck and grazed his neck. He was about to be hit by a car, was outside school.

Had SS arrive at home with Child Protection Police threatening to lead me out in handcuffs and warning me anything further, including "attitude ", and I'd be fully prosecuted.

Certain injuries automatically will get flagged up to the child protection team in the hospital so although there may be a plausible reason its just that some type of injuries are common in children that are being abused.

Personally I'd rather get a call for something sounding worrying than for more children to die at the hands of abusers because no one was checking. Not sure that makes sense!

I worry about this, dd (almost 1) had a cut head, a bumped head (both a&E) and a Out of Hours for amother head bump so far she's just a confident mover and bumps and falls a lot! I worry every time though.