Social Services - am I naive?

[Autumnwoman]

A FB friend/acquaintance has recently had her children removed by Social Services, pending an X-Ray on a 5-month old baby's rib. She says he was injured by a toy (trying not to be too outing, for her sake).

She seems like a lovely lady - I don't know her well, but she used to do some cleaning at the school where I work. She had a troubled past herself in and out of care, but has always come across to me as trying to make the best for herself and her family. I often see her playing with her children in the park etc.

If she genuinely has had her children removed because of one bruise on a baby (and suspected broken rib), surely this is massively excessive. I understand there are places kids don't often bruise and it can be a cause for concern, but surely removing her children for this is a HUGE step.

Or am I naive, and will there be a massive history, and this is the last straw, as it were? Is this likely to be the tip of an iceberg, or do kids really get removed for one suspicious incident? I want to support her - but want to make sure I'm offering support in good faith.

Also stays are.done a week or two after the accident see if there are signs of healing fractures that didn't show first time.

Xrays!

I would support.... don't turn your back on her because it could absolutely break her heart if it's not true but also be cautious.... in other words just don't really get involved.
I'm currently going through something a little similar in that my dad made claims (encouraged by his bat shit crazy sister) that we were abusing him. He has now passed away (because of said bat shit crazy sister). The sister has got his neighbours to write statements backing her claims. I'm sure they are doing it thinking that they are doing the right thing because it's all so awful, poor man being abused by his kids etc. But they are destroying us with their lies. I don't want them to believe me over her, I just want them to stay out of it because they don't know facts. Humour us both or humour none of us but don't take sides.... I think that's what you should do.

Just to add as well..... social services were firmly on bat shit crazy sisters side too and refused to even entertain our accounts.... so much so there is absolutely nothing in his records about any of the phone calls or anything we made reporting sister.
I wouldn't trust them one little bit so I would definitely take a very neutral view.

She has updated SM today to say the X-ray was clear and her children are being returned, for anyone who wanted an update.

So this answers your question. The children were removed for investigation. I am glad all worked out well.

That's great news OP. What a relief for everyone involved.

Okay, so what ARE the instances where SS remove a child immediately?

I read in a book written by a police officer that crack users always have their babies taken (due to danger of second hand smoke), but heroin users are allowed to keep them?!

No food in the cupboards?

No proper home to live in?

Unable to manage money and in a lot of debt?

@Valkadin

DS had only been walking for a month and was just over 1 we were running about in the garden and I fell on him. He started dragging his leg. He had a fracture though slight after x ray. I felt terrible and told them what had happened. About four months later he fell over in the garden and cut his head on the patio, it needed A&E again, they glued it together. I was really worried as two nasty injuries in a short time. We were never referred to SS, I was surprised we weren’t. Any social workers on here have any idea why.

Not a social worker, but perhaps they were just too busy?!

@rorosemary

You need to be careful to paint SS as villains when you only hear the parents story. Other country, decades ago I spoke to a social worker who was on a case where a child was removed and the parents then did the whole sad face innocent story in the press. Due to privacy SS couldn't tell their findings (I believe they can't easily in the UK as well). The child was daily beaten with a thing that left distinct markings all over his body, but under his clothes. There was no way the child could do it themselves to that extent plus that the child had told school about it themselves (who called SS).

Simply put: if you don't know the whole story, stay out of it. No parent ever claims that they abuse their children, even when they do.

Absolutely; and some actually think it’s acceptable to be drunk/ high all the time.

They think others are just ‘judgemental’, or it doesn’t affect the children as they are ‘asleep in bed’.

IME it isn't necessarily the injury itself that raises alarm bells, so much as wether the story being told matches said injury. Also does it look like like anything is being held back, do the caregivers appear to be open and truthful and appreciative /worried or dismissive
/blase about the accident