Social services, so worried!

[horsescory]

Earlier today, DS20 months ran into my bedroom whilst I was getting ready. I had my straighteners on the heat mat and he managed to grab them for a mini second, just before DH picked him up.

He had a burn on his thumb, we immediately ran into the bathroom and ran his hand under cool water. Of course he was hysterical at this point.

The skin looked as though it was blistering, so I rang 111 who suggested we take him over to A&E for an assessment. He was fine at this point, not bothered about the thumb and playing happily. Thumb is now bandaged and GP appointment on Tuesday.

I'm still very shaken up and I'm terrified that the hospital are going to inform SS. It was all so quick, DH opened the bedroom door and DS ran in... it was over in seconds

He's a happy boy, nothing previous etc. I don't know if I'm just panicking over nothing.

Please no negative comments.

And If social services were informed, what would they say?

Accidents happen, that's why they are called accidents. However, if this is the third accident in as many weeks then they will be more interested.

Nope, nothing like this has ever happened before

Hospital staff will inform SS.

You'll likely get a call from your HV, to double check the what-happened and ask you what you'd do differently to reduce risk in future, like keep the straighteners on a shelf with no dangling wire in reach or something.

It is routine to call and check. Don't worry.

Fucking hair straighteners. This is forever happening. I've lost count of how many toddlers I've seen with hand burns from them. There aren't enough social workers in the country to get involved in all of them.

I think they're meant to tell you if they inform SS.

You're panicking over nothing. SS do not have time to investigate every family attending A&E.

OP, i dont want to go into details but my family was referred to social services for a similar type of incident. I was really worried. What happened was a lovely lady telephoned from social serives. We had a chat and she asked was there anything her team could do to help and she gave me a number to call if i did want support such as early help and said she was happy with everything she had heard and closed the file.

You poor thing and poor DS. It must have been such a shock for you both.

Firstly, please try to relax. Get yourself a cuppa. Everything is going to be okay.

SS generally only get involved if an accident is a bit suspect - if the doctor didn't believe the story or if DS was burnt but you didn't know how.

Honestly, these toddlers are hooligans with no care for themselves! I've been on the phone to 111 more times than I'd like to admit when my toddler DS, also 20 months, has split his lip from climbing on the sofa and falling or bumping his head when he ran into the table at my mum's so hard,I swear it dented.

Your sorry adds up.yoube not taken DSto multiple hospitals for numerous burns that can't be explained. You're just a loving mum whose DS had an accident. Like every single other loving mother. It happens.

Hospital staff will not routinely inform SS for this kind of injury ! Like others have said if it’s not the first accident or looked suspicious they would but if it’s literally a one off and you’ve sought medical help there will be no reporting to SS - and I say this as a children’s social worker.

You’re panicking over nothing, as long as he doesn’t do it repeatedly.

SS have plenty more than this to worry about. It’ll be different everywhere, but in my area 3 trips to a&e in a year trigger a referral to SS. It will get sent to your hv who may get in touch. At a similar age DD got hold of an open bottle of calpol and took a slug, I got fairly grilled by staff as to how she got it (fair enough) but no contact from hv or SS afterwards. Hope he heals quickly and you let yourself of the hook, all a learning curve this parenting lark!

My child cut his head open, SS weren’t informed. I don’t think you have any reason to worry here.

Calm down. Hospitals KNOW kids fall over, have accidents and hurt themselves. They would only investigate if there was a pattern to the injuries or there was a specific reason to suspect or the injuries didnt match the explanation. My kids have been to A&E for all sorts of reasons - my two were playing spider man and my youngest jumped off the sofa, landed awkwardly and hit his head on our brick fireplace. Paramedics came, patched him up, he was fine. My friend's kid fell off a swing and broke her arm, my other friend's kid broke his nose when his brother swung a tennis racket and it caught him in the face. Social services were not called for any of those injuries. If they rang social services every time a kid got injured they'd be ringing them multiple times a day.

Hospital staff will inform SS.

Bollocks will they. For a one off accident at home? Stop talking nonsense.

Ok, so it was 10 years ago but exactly the same thing happened to my ds when he was 23months.
SS were not informed.

You won’t be referred to social services unless there’s some other concern. You’ve had a shock, be kind to yourself, your little boy is going to be just fine and I know you feel bad now but we’ve all been there (or very close!).

Nhs advice is you should go to a and e for burns on the hands that cause blisters. A and e will contact your HV who will probably just ring you. If you don’t seek appropriate medical advice as advised by 111 that will raise red flags.

Yes stop posting nonesense @FlibbertyGiblets !!!!

OP, they absolutely won't inform SS, your tot had an accident, that's all. Every single kid has accidents.

A friend of mine was in hospital twice in a fortnight as he DS had eaten firelighters and then a 200ml bottle of calpol (FFS). SS were not informed even though her DS was very lucky to pull through the calpol incident unscathed.

Our 3 boys have been in A&E more than once each over the years. Never ever heard a peep from social services. Please don't worry - accidents happen. If there were no other concerns noted by the doctor or nurse then it will be highly unlikely anything will happen. And if it does, just tell them what happened and what you have done to stop it happening again. Glad he is OK.

Hospital staff will inform SS.

For a one-off accident with no other concerns? No. No they won't.

OP, calm down and take steps to reduce this risk in the future.

If you don’t seek appropriate medical advice as advised by 111 that will raise red flags

Agree- I would have thought that not getting appropriate medical attention for your child would raise far more red flags than going immediately to check it out.

The injury matches your explanation, you have sought appropriate medical help and it is not a recurring event, social services won't be interested.

Be kind to yourself, accidents happen.

I’d be amazed if they even contacted your HV. HVs are a dying breed in my area. They’re not even run by the NHS, they’re Virgin Care.

I took my son to A&E on the GP’s advice for a hand wound that wasn’t healing (turns out it just needed antibiotic cream and the blooming GP should have prescribed some in the first place). The HV team weren’t alerted. I think it’s a misnomer that A&E’s routinely pass on data about children attending.

As PP said. You have an explanation that is compatible with the injury, you sought medical attention and no other concerns have been identified. Accidents happen don’t worry!

Please don't worry I have 7 children 24 years old to 4 weeks old I have 4 grandchildren and the amount of time my children hurt themselves when they was toddlers is unbelievable nothing serious just knocks and bumps I never had a call from ss but times have changed my grandson who is 5 had a similar accident a few weeks ago the ss called my daughter about it and after a bit of advice from them it was all sorted please don't worry if they call all you have to do is explain

My son touched the iron when it was on last year (he was 2 at the time)

He had a horrible blistery burn and we went to the walk-in center. He had to have it treated and bandaged up bless him. Obviously we had to explain what happened.

Im guessing they would have written it down in his medical records but we certainly never heard anything from social services or a HV nor were questioned by anybody at all 🤷‍♀️

They see this sort of thing EVERY DAY. Countless times. When it’s a one-off there’s nothing to suggest anything is amiss. Red flags would be this sort of thing happening multiple times or injuries that could only have been inflicted by others etc etc.

As others have said these things happen, be kind to yourself.