Social Services

[user1472640125]

Hi all,

I'm looking for some advice from those that are or have worked with children's social services. I will try and keep it as brief as i can.

My three step children love with their mother and we got a court order 4 years ago and have them Friday - Sunday.

The mother has mental health issues which includes anxiety and bipolar. She is on meds.

We have serious worries regarding the conditions the children are living whilst at their mothers for example -

She does not bath or wash them
The house they live in is absolutely filthy, dog mess covers back garden and is in the house which the children are made to clean up (she has nine dogs, cats).
Kids clothes do not fit and are smelly and dirty.
They do not attend school as she claims to home school them, we know that this doesn't happen.
The 7 year old has problems with his speech which she has not sought advice for
She has been violent towards the children, thrown them against walls, hitting their he's off kitchen table, screaming at them (this has been told to us by not only the children but neighbours of hers)

Before anyone comments, I'm not a bitter bitch of a step mum making up lies, or trying to make things awkward these are all factual events.

We have contacted social services last year who put something in place for a week where she had to agree to visits now and again.

Police have also visited who have made statement s to SS that children should not be living there.

I know that a number of her neighbours have reported her for various reasons including the welfare of children and one even has recordings of her screaming at the kids. Not normal screaming!

We are genuinely concerned about the environment the kids are growing up in, what else can we do? Its awful seeing the kids on a Friday so dirty and smelling to the point they have to get straight in the shower and clothes in washing machine.

I know this will be hard to believe for most of you but none of these things I have mentioned have been exaggerated they are all factual. We are banging our heads against a brick wall and when we have spoken to social services they have said that they are not high priority and don't have the staff to look into every case.

Its so frustrating and upsetting.

If the farther is in the birth certificate the police can not physcially remove the children from hes care unless they are in danger
That is not strictly true if there is a CAO that says that the child should live with the mother and the father has gone beyond that, the police can take the children back to the mother but they don't have to.

The problem with a lot of family law is that it is subject to a lot of different scenarios, for example existing CAO or no CAO, father has PR or father doesn't have PR, and so on.

Also even when they can intervene in family cases the police seem to like to adopt an approach of as little intervention as possible, which is often unhelpful and not in the children's best interests.

May be worthwhile looking up the family rights group who have a helpline to provide advice. They know the rules around private law in regards to families and can assist with best route

the school have a duty of care to report to ss, if child not attending and should be they should report it. you could report to nspcc, this is typical of ss they never want to help if you need help just like to hound innocent people.

You need to go to court and get a section 7. My ex pulled that on me despite there being fuck all wrong in my house I still got grilled by ss because they have to report back to the court.

Either that or refuse to return them on the Sunday, get them into a local
School damn quick and the courts will be reluctant to take them
Out of school to return them to home ed.

The priority should be to protect the children from immediate harm and sort the long-term arrangements out afterwards
If the father chooses not to return the kids after the next visit and at the same time gets the ball rolling on the CAO form C100, the first court hearing could be in as little as a fortnight.

In the mean time if the police were to come on behalf of the mother and try and get the kids the fact that the court hearing was so close and the paperwork had been filed would most likely mean that the police would leave the kids with the father.

my post was more that the priority should be to protect the children from immediate harm
I totally agree that you should be able to stop any further harm to the kids but SS are often so slow to take action, if they even take any action at all.

Op-Google pro bono solicitors in your area.they may do it for free for you if you really can't afford it.

Poor children.but at least they have you.

Just keep on to ss.

I would keep them every Sunday, let the police turn up for them each week until something is done, either by the police or social services
You are looking at this as if the police and SS are the only two options.

It appears that in this case SS are not willing to take action as they have said that the case is not a high priority and they can't look into every case.

Therefore the OP and her DP aren't going to get anywhere with SS. I know it is awful but children can and do get abused and even get killed because SS didn't bother to take action.

In both of the two cases I mentioned earlier an individual SW expressed regret that they couldn't do anything to help the child but they advised both the parents and the father in question to get a solicitor and go down the private family law route to get an RO (now CAO) for the kids in question.

We probably look like the awful dad and step mom making complaints about her but I cant understand after our concerns being submitted
Exactly the mother is probably playing the father and SM hate me and this is all vindictive.

Even some of the worst parents in the world can put on a splendid show for SS.

I don't understand why the police don't make an emergency protection order (I may not have called it the correct thing!)
By the sounds of it SS are clearly not interested.

So all this is going on under ss nose and they can't even see it. And they wonder why kids die at the hands of some parents. And there will be more story's of. "We will learn from this" (I don't mean that will happen in this case) .

I hope you manage to find a way of the children coming to you op.

OP please come back if you need any more advice or support.

Family Rights Group - 0808 801 0366
www.frg.org.uk/need-help-or-advice/our-advice-service

Op I really do sympathise and I fully believe you that it is as bad as you say.
Buuut I really am sorry to say but fro the outside it doesn't sound as though you have been as pro active as you could have been?
You can go to the court tomorrow and pick up the forms to self represent, pay the one off fee to file them....the time it would have taken you to come on here you could have googled help with the forms...there's information out there. Maybe even citizens advice beauruetc, maybe even the library...there is always information available out there somewhere for free or inexpensive.
I've papers are filed you wait for up to a few months and have your day in court.
Plenty of time for you to collect your information and maybe even witness statement or copy of recording etc anything you think you might need. Although as far as I am aware just the information you put on the papers is all that's needed? HTH.

You can go to the court tomorrow and pick up the forms to self represent, pay the one off fee to file them
Yes exactly please OP do this or call FRG (details above) or the CAB.

If you earn less than a certain amount you don't pay court fees either. Self represent. Stay well away from these Mackenzie friends charlatan's and just be pro active, you want a section 7

you want a section 7
Section 7 CA 1989 relates to the making of welfare reports by CAFCASS.

The OP wants to just ask to make a CAO under section 8 using form C100.

OP, have there been any developments this week?