Referral to SS.

[Theincrediblesleepinglady]

Hi.

I attended hospital with my little one (4) yesterday after they sustained a minor injury, it was negligible but their response made me fear it was worse than I thought so I sought medical advise just to be safe. As a side note little one has some sensory processing issues.
Anyway the health physician we saw asked if little one was known to SS, I advised historically as they were adopted when tiny. The Physician subsequently advised as previously known he would have to refer them in for safeguarding, explaining, in a very jumbled way, this was process. He also seemed concerned that Little one had minimal GP records. Little one is fit and healthy, although we have been seen by a GP or Nurse through the surgery several times over the last 4 years. We have also attended miu and A&E on one or two occasions in the past for a bump to the head /ailments and have never had this response before, albeit a different trust. Can anyone advise if this is normal practice? I completely understand safeguarding but was suprised by the rationale.

It seems bizarre but I very much doubt social services will do anything other than a phone call? Maybe drop your old social worker an email to explain and see if they can be of any support??

To me it doesn’t seem like protocol but I don’t work in health. Maybe they misunderstood when you said that LO was known to social services because they were adopted…!

Doesn't sound right to me. I would go through the process with ss (who presumably will do very little) and then make a complaint to the hospital.

Thanks for your messages, glad it's not just me that doesn't think it seems right. I will await the call from SS and then consider raising with the trust.

When I visited A&E with adopted DD (who turns out had a broken collar bone), I was asked the same question and answered yes.

We have visited the GP once in 7 years with her, with an ear infection.

No referral was made/nothing was followed up.

Hmm, I'm wondering if they got muddled. In an early GP visit with LO (lots of medical needs) the doctor said "oh look, they're still flagged as "at risk", I need to un-tick that now as it no longer applies". So I wonder if there's that, which made them think there was still a safeguarding flag on the record?

Re the lack of detailed records, may be worth checking that all their previous records have been appropriately linked to their new NHS number? For us, this meant the various hospitals scanned all the old paper notes (removing previous names and old NHS numbers) and then uploaded it all to the new NHS number. It took a bit of time, and I had to ask - but when I asked they apologised and said it should have happened automatically.

The final option is you just got someone inexperienced, either at caring for former LAC or at navigating the records! Hope all is well now and that LO feels much better

I’m a designated safeguarding officer and my school and he is correct.

You’ve got to remember that it is better to be safe than sorry. When they make contact/referral it isn’t always with a safeguarding concern - just following safeguarding measures. Children who were previously known to social services DO have a higher risk of continued neglect and abuse…the issue is that the system and rules don’t differentiate for adopted children because it would be discriminatory.

I work in a SEN school where all pupils are allocated a disability SW due to their high level of need…and our children are prone to attending A&E. Even when I - as a DSO - attend hospital with the young person complete with other staff who explain the injury they will still do the safeguarding procedures. The social worker phone parents occasionally…but not always.

Honestly - nothing to worry about.

A friend fosters and has taken her foster child to A&E on various occasions. She is very sporty and has injured herself a few times (broken wrist playing netball at school etc). A&E always ask this question and the doctor recently even stated that the child has been there a lot. My friend said "yes, and each incident has been something that has happened at school and not when she has been in my care". My friend has gave the doctor the name of her social worker and that of the school PE teacher in case the doctor wants to investigate further. In addition, she obviously reports any incidents to her social worker anyway as a matter of course!