can SS or CAHMS in effect force a parent to resign...

24 hour supervision is not possible for a single parent. You need to sleep for a start. They need to be in hospital if this is what they need.

Sorry I re read - CHC is for over 18’s, regardless no one can be expected to be on call 24/7. It’s not realistic. Hospital.

What’s your understanding of why she is feeling like taking her own life?

There are a number of other options you could explore first,

Parental leave, co passionate leave.

Is there any possibility of temporary wfh?

I had a child who developed severe illness as a teen and I just about managed to hang on to my job but it wasn't easy.

If your child requires 24 hours supervision because of sucide risk, they should not be in your care. They need to be hospitalised. Even if it goes to Child Protection - it in your child best interest (and your other children). I think you need to go back and say this is affecting your other children and you are at risk of being homeless.

I’m not sure if they can force you to but a friend was in a similar situation and both her and her husband had to drop their hours to part time and work opposite shifts for exactly this reason. They had to stay like this for well over a year

I really feel for you op. No advice, but sending sympathy.

I was lucky that dd stabilised by herself, more or less, because if I'd been relying on Camhs to help then I don't know what would have happened. They told me a) her suicide attempts weren't serious enough to be genuine and b) she needed the ASD assessment to be completed (like you, several years' wait) before deciding whether she needed separate Camhs support. I still worry that she might relapse. She's still depressed, but not suicidal.

So, I don't have any idea how to access the support you need, but sending hugs and hopes that you get it.

Social services cannot provide accommodation for children with severe mental health needs and suicidality. That is a CAMHS/NHSduty. Social services are not ineffective. We effect huge positive change in the lives of thousands of children every day. I will not argue that we are underfunded but ineffective we are not.

I’m sorry OP. I would state very clearly this is not an option. Over and over and insist it is minutes and ask what their plan is. My DH had to do this for his (adult) sister because they were trying to discharge her to our house and we simply couldn’t take that kind of responsibility with SEN kids in the house. Eventually they gave in and made a supported living plan which was much better for her as well as us.

@needavice888 I'd suggest seeking advice from SS and citizens advice about whether there is any financial support you can apply for in the circumstances. There isn't likely to be an alternative to you caring for your child, irrespective of how pressured it is. If she was admitted you'd need to be taking time off work to spend at the hospital. I mean this genuinely, what sort of alternative are you hoping for? Presumably you don't want her in foster care, they can't provide people to watch her while you're at work?

@SlowBoiledFrog I answered the OPs question. When did I say I agreed with the approach?

There are difficulties in both, but a key difference is CAMHS can agree that a child has serious needs but put them on a waiting list. SS don't have waiting lists but then overload the workers so the service is ineffective. Really wish there was proper investment for both services, especially given the increase in mental health issues for young people

The direct but unpleasant answer is that if you ignore the safety plan, your child could be hurt, and/or social services could initiate a child protection plan (which is extra pressure/stress you don't need)

And you think unemployment, homelessness, depravation is an extra stress she does need?

It isn't possible to keep afloat with other children and offer 24/7 suicide watch.

OP, I'm sorry. I've had experience of where you are, eventually they were sectioned and foster care became involved.

Thanks for acknowledging that. Bashing social services for the failings of CAMHS is a common mistake many people make.

Not sure how old your child is but at one point I took my dd to a&e and insisted she was seen, 2 hours later we have intervention plan in place and were given the option of inpatient if i had preferred. They tried to say there was nothing they could do via out of hours mental health (she was nearly 18 so camhs had passed her over) but miraculously the hospital could get things moving.

Thankfully that was her last major crisis, 6 years ago

The direct but unpleasant answer is that if you ignore the safety plan, your child could be hurt, and/or social services could initiate a child protection plan (which is extra pressure/stress you don't need)

If a child is seriously ill, a parent is expected to care for them, and yes that includes taking leave, taking unpaid leave, reducing hours or coming out of work. Yes it impacts the whole family, there are thousands of parents of children with long term disabilities in this situation.

If your child was taken into hospital you'd likely still need to be with them a lot of the time - parents spend a lot of time on wards. If your child is struggling with a mental health issue there's no quick fix that services can provide, and a child who is suicidal isn't likely to be able to engage in therapy until they're out of crisis.

Social services are not there to provide homes for suicidal children. Children's mental health services (which are NHS not social services) are the ones who are failing here.

You are still his constituent and it's his job.

There is more they can do, take it higher if you can. It's awful the fight people face trying to get the right support and care for their children. I really hope things improve for you soon 💗

Has your child got a diagnosis of a learning disability (NOT difficulty) or autism?

In which case they can be referred to something called the Dynamic Support Register under the Learning Disability and Autism Programme by a mental health professional (or any professional working for your NHS trust) and additional support is a valuable and there is a budget for additional care and support.

https://www.england.nhs.uk/learning-disabilities/#:~:text=Our%20programme%20is%20about%20making,support%2C%20and%20close%20to%20home.

Social services are actually fucking useless. Honestly they are not fit for purpose.