Name changed, I'm a regular. Pom bears, naice ham, penis beaker.
This is long, I apologise!
A family member of mine has been interviewed under caution regarding an incident in which her child (2 years old) was hurt. Social Services turned up at her house several weeks ago and took her and her two boys to hospital (2 and 3) because of a severe mark on the two year olds face. She told the hospital staff and social services that he and his brother were fighting and he fell over and hurt his face on a toy bus, which they accepted.
Fast forward several weeks and she has rang SS and told them that she lied and she hit him round the head which caused him to fall on the toy bus. She had a child action meeting with SS and the police in which she admitted hitting her son.
Following this meeting the police rang her and told her to present herself at the police station for interview as they were going to charge her with assault on a minor. Following the interview, the police are going to make a decision on whether to charge her with assault on a minor and give her a caution or proceed to court.
She and her mother are now down-playing the incident and saying that she only gave a small tap on the top of his head with the palm of her hand and that SS are trying to stitch her up for something she didn't do.
The thing is, I know of and have witnessed previous instances in which these boys have been emotionally and physically neglected and have been hit.
I've witnessed her smack the elder child round the head because he wasn't leaving a room quick enough. I went round one afternoon and neither boys were dressed or washed, they both had nappies on that were dangling down to their knees and the elder child had quite obviously had a poo. I told her he had soiled his nappy and she said 'yeah, I need to change him' and then proceeded to sit down and talk to me for an hour about her boyfriend. When she did finally change him the poo was stuck to his bum so it had obviously been left for a while.
I've witnessed the children throw bricks around the back garden whilst she sits in the kitchen smoking and gossiping, absolutely no supervision whatsoever. On another day, this actually resulted in another child's head being split open by a brick and an ambulance was called. The ambulance man was so concerned at the state of her children that he called the police.
Her elder child has taken to wetting himself when someone shouts, it doesn't even have to be him getting told off.
So basically, the police and SS are focussing solely on this one incident with the bus and her smaller child, they know nothing of anything else.
I know that by reporting this I will be opening myself up to all sorts of abuse and I will probably be outcast from the family (bar my own immediate members). But I feel that by not reporting this that she will more than likely be let off with a caution and the children will continue to suffer. 
AIBU?
AIBU?
To make a report to social services?
HappyWasGoLucky · 28/02/2014 00:02
So you went to their house and the children's nappies weren't changed, one obviously having had a poo, and you sat there for an hour and chatted to her?! Really?! 
I'm about to make the call.
WTF do I say? I've got no clue what I'm doing.
And yes, I'm worrying about the effect this is going to have on me. That makes mr selfish, I know.
But, above my own preference to avoid drama, I need to know that SS know the full picture, or at least as much of it as I can give.
You are not selfish, you are scared. Be brave. Those who you really need will still be there after the call has been made (plus MN will always be here )
Tell them the truth. Tell them what you have told us.
Good luck
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