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Original poster

Has anybody called social services on a neighbour before?

74 replies

L0ts · 23/07/2022 18:56

So without going in to too much detail, I’m pretty certain the 2 year old next door doesn’t get the proper care he needs as the mother and father are quite honestly downright vile.

What I’m wondering is, has anybody else done this before? And did they take it seriously when you asked to remain anonymous?

I’m just worrying because I have a 3 year old myself and I’m currently pregnant with number 2 and don’t really want any trouble but can’t bare hearing how they are treating this poor boy any longer.

OP posts:

sallytarific · 15/09/2023 23:54

@Mummabear2jnj
What's your housing situation?
Because I would be moving if I was you, I just couldn't bear the stress of living next door to someone like that.

Kittybijoux · 15/09/2023 23:58

Yes, twice. When there is a doubt of safeguarding you can't risk not doing anything. Too many children have slipped through the net because things weren't reported. You can do it anonymously so they won't know it's you. Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, it may be the puzzle piece of a larger puzzle that helps to put support in place for the family.

Mummabear2jnj · 18/09/2023 17:28

I'm hoping they will move now tbh. Everything has been silent for the last 3 days as I'm sure she's now aware we can hear everything through our walls. She has been suspended and the 2 foster children were removed from her care within a couple of days. This woman is bound to hate me. But I won't be moving thats for sure. I just wondered what the end results with the OP were really. This isn't going away any time soon and I'm hoping for some light at the end of the tunnel. I'm feeling really low and this constant anxiety is exhausting me. Lucky enough I provided more than enough evidence to prove she has been verbally and emotionally abusive to a 4 year old vulnerable child. And he's now somewhere safer hopefully.

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irisretic · 18/09/2023 17:33

I called them once. The woman next door was being very verbally abusive to her under 1 year old child and there was a lot of shouting. I had no idea what else was going on but I couldn’t hear it and do nothing. I wasn’t told anything later on but they were moved as they were over-occupying a one bedroom flat.

peekaboo1986 · 18/09/2023 17:52

This is such a difficult situation and to answer your question yes I have, the same neighbour multiple times. Some similar things to what you have heard but also saw the father hit the child across the head on one occasion and on a separate occasion kick them in the back knocking them to the ground and then kicking them in the legs, I called 999 in that instance.

To be honest I would never report a neighbour again, not saying you shouldn’t you absolutely should but my neighbours have made our lives hell for the past 3 1/2 years. It has got so unpleasant that myself and a few other neighbours have been granted injunctions by the court with power of arrest in place and the mother has been convicted of harassment with violence, stalking and a public order offence for the attacks on my family including my kids.

HolyHellaciousHeck · 18/09/2023 17:55

@Mummabear2jnj maybe your neighbour is feeling suitably ashamed and chastened at her behaviour, rather than hating you? It may even be that she feels some measure of relief at the foster children being removed. In any case, you entirely did the right thing and try not to worry what a cruel, inadequate woman thinks of you.

drisdush · 18/09/2023 18:03

We know a family of four, man and woman boy and girl, who have been living in a caravan for a few months. The woman is a 'housewife' and doesn't work and I think the man occasionally works as he drives a white van.

They pretend to be nice in public, and 'love you' to the children and visiting family and friends, but the man is clearly aggressive and has a drink problem, and has been seen grabbing the boy and chasing the girl. The woman is just as bad, squeaking and fake in public, but shouting at the children behind closed doors and thudding sounds accompany the shouting .

They've been reported now I think, though not by me. So hopefully a matter of time.

QueenOfWeeds · 18/09/2023 18:08

I have reported a neighbour’s child to the school safeguarding team. I didn’t think it met a threshold for social services or the police, but was worth logging. I’m a teacher and I would have wanted to know if it had been a child in my class. Does the child go to a nursery? I assume not. But please do report.

301963Laurie · 18/09/2023 18:10

OP what was the outcome of you reporting to SW . Hope the toddler is safe now.

caramac04 · 18/09/2023 18:16

I rang Social Care and said happy to be named as I worked alongside social care and had a duty to report.
Social Care visited the following day but as they didn’t say my identity the poor neighbours were talked about loudly in derogatory terms. Not brave enough to say anything to their innocent faces though.
I will always report when I see a child being abused/neglected.

Curlyshabtree · 18/09/2023 18:35

Yes, I have called SS on my neighbours. Total neglect, criminality and drug use. The kids were removed from their mother. It took several years to happen though.

bakewellbride · 18/09/2023 19:02

I was the child in the same situation (but minus the weed) and no-one ever reported it. It went on for 20 years. It was truly awful and traumatic. Please, please report to SS.

Mummabear2jnj · 18/09/2023 19:52

She denied any wrong doing until she realised there were recordings of her. She was saying I've ruined her life but that was one of the horrible things she was saying to the 4 year old, so I'll take that. She was saying she would ruin mine so I reported that, and now she's come to realise we actually can hear everything that's going on in there. We aren't eavesdropping, its just so loud normally. So now they're virtually in silence. Which is fine with me but awkward and eerie at the same time. I'm a single mum of 2 myself, and I know how difficult it can be at times, but I wouldn't berate an animal the way she was that child.

newfriend05 · 18/09/2023 21:32

Years ago I called the nspcc I could hear the child being hit with a broom .. I use to shout through the walls to leave him alone .. they did come out and check and knocked on my door for more information.. the boy is now an adult and has terrible mental illness

Mummabear2jnj · 18/09/2023 22:07

With nextdoor it started off with just excessive shouting at him, like the rasping shout...we nicknamed that kind of shouting the voice of wrath. But it turned into swearing and more nasty..eventually I recorded her saying she hated him and his mum didn't like him or want him because he's so horrible and naughty. You can hear her plain as day on the recording. That's what tipped it for me because we could genuinely feel the hatred she had for this 4 year old boy. Yet she's so lovely on the front or when the social workers been there. It makes me sick. And now we literally have to live with a thin wall between us. I've lost almost half a stone this week which isn't healthy, my nerves are through the roof!

Blueeyedmale · 18/09/2023 22:11

That poor boy please report it,so sad my heart breaks for him

BearPear · 18/09/2023 22:15

This is a post from 2022 that has been resurrected. Hope the OP was able to report at the time.

Greensleeves · 18/09/2023 22:17

I reported one of my friends. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done and we're not friends any more, but I don't regret it. There was a young child in a dangerous situation.

Original poster

L0ts · 21/09/2023 22:05

Just want to update this post seen as it’s come back to life.

The neighbours are oddly very pleasant now. They say hello to us (well, they have a small handful of times) and even helped us when jetwashing our front drive.

Anyway, I never see the little boy go out in his pyjamas anymore, I hear him being allowed to play in the garden almost every day tbh and I would say in the last 8-10 months maybe have only heard him crying 2 or 3 times. I don’t heard them argue anymore or at least not as much, there was a point where they argued daily and the kid screamed all day.

I did hear the woman mention ‘social services’ in the garden not too long after I posted this so I really think and hope she had a kick up the backside tbh. The police turned up a couple times after I reported them and I think that helped too, not sure who rang as it wasn’t us either time. But yeah nothing bad came from reporting them at all. I would say the little boys quality of life is much, much better than it was a year a go.

OP posts:

caringcarer · 21/09/2023 22:20

A very good outcome then.

NeedMyDress · 21/09/2023 22:22

Well done for reporting them. My heart breaks for that poor little lad.

Mummabear2jnj · 21/09/2023 22:28

Thats really great to hear. Thats the best possible outcome you could hope for really and I'm really happy things worked out like that for the family. What you did was actually a great blessing for everyone involved 💜 I am hoping for a similar outcome, but, with the circumstances concerning my neighbour, I'm not so convinced atm. Its the most awkward, horrible position I've been in as she knows it was me so its dirty looks, parking in front of my window, snidy comments....this was her livelihood and she's mad. Even if she isn't sacked she will always have it on her record now and will not be able to be the same anymore in her home, incase I report her again. In her eyes I've ruined her life. I didn't want any of this, I just wanted what she wanted. For the boy to be placed somewhere else (safer) and he is which is the most important thing. I've done nothing wrong here, but I'm the one in the wrong to her. It's insane, she should be ashamed of herself instead of hating me.

Abcdefgh1234 · 21/09/2023 22:40

Thank you for contacted SS. Well done.

Frickinghell · 21/09/2023 22:48

Great update 😊

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