AIBU to be angry we were subjected to Social Services Section 47 Investigation?

[Morbihanmum33]

Long post - sorry: My husband and I have 4 children, 14, 11, 7 & 2. No prior involvement with social services whatsoever. No ‘risk factors’ - criminal records / addiction issues / mental health problems / domestic violence / no issues at schools. Both of us have enhanced DBS. Professional jobs.

Our family recently had to endure the considerable distress and intrusion of a Section 47 child protection investigation.

Our 2 year old had light bruising across his thighs. Both my husband and I saw it but did not know how he’d done it. We flagged it when we took him to nursery, he is very active, trying to keep up with his bigger brothers. In the last 6 months at nursery, the nursery has filed 6 accident reports for incidents in their care, so they know what he’s like.

They rang me to tell me they had a statutory duty to report the bruises as they were unexplained and on a part of his body not normally associated with bruising. However, they assured me it was routine and nothing to worry about. They told me they made it clear on the referral that they did not believe we were responsible for the bruising.

The next morning a social worker called me and told me I had to take my son for a medical examination. This had to be done at the hospital - 45 mins away - immediately. I was due at work and had an important meeting so asked if it could be another time. I was told they could take my son into care if I did not go.

My son was given an examination by 2 doctors and I was interviewed at length. While waiting the social worker told me this was a Section 47 and that they would also have to see my other 3 children, and could go into their schools that same day if necessary to interview them! They also told me they had chosen not to involve the police at this stage!

The Drs found no evidence of non accidental injury. This was communicated to me and the SW at the time.

Despite this, the investigation still had to run its course over a number of weeks, with a visit to our home and interviews with the other 3 children, and them speaking to our GP and schools.

We all found the whole process deeply distressing and a total invasion of our privacy. I was fraught with worry the entire time. We were made to feel like criminals, with SS adopting a ‘guilty until proven innocent approach’. I’ve been left traumatised by the whole experience.

Having read up on this I understand that bruising in a non mobile infant under 6 months is always a major cause for concern, and some local authorities authorise automatic Section 47’s for referrals like this. However, government guidance is that (even with a non mobile infant) an initial enquiry or assessment should be made with the family before initiating an investigation.

Secondly, my child is fully mobile and the original referral explicitly said the bruising was not considered suspicious - so I do not understand why this was escalated in this way.

The cases (against all 4 of my children!) have been closed, but I’m so angry we were put through this. I also understand the fact an investigation was carried out will stay on file for a long time. I’m considering pursuing a judicial review on the basis an initial assessment should have been carried out and the lack of medical evidence did not warrant an investigation.

AIBU to feel like this - or should I just let it go?

Fighting for your children includes both demonstrating your ability to commit and make necessary changes if identified and making sure that information about you is accurate, that process is being followed etc etc.

Questioning the system may be part of that. It’s very complex, and the attitude that one should put up and shut up is dangerous because it does not serve the best interests of the child.

Worst case scenario is that children are permanently removed from birth families that haven’t actually been abused.

I’ve mentioned the Webster case. They didn’t just lose the child with fractures that turned out to be down to nutritional issues, they lost all four, and when a fifth was born they had to be investigated all over again.

That can never be rectified or undone.

Cases like this are probably very rare, but they do happen. That’s why proportionality and accountability are important. Confidentiality makes it hard to identify actual numbers.

No doubt NASWALT etc etc, but the system does need continual oversight and improvement.

Often with SEN DC the expectation is to prove DCs behaviour is not down to bad parenting before help is actually offered. Without support some of these DC can be very difficult. The parents may be ready to abandon their DC or suicidal. This is due to a lack of support and not their fault.

What happens when you’ve pushed parents so far and inflicted so much trauma, there is no energy to fight?

You are primarily (not always) dealing with adults who have issues themselves. Drug/alcohol related issues and these adults will often come from a similar upbringing themselves. This has to be understood from the SW’s POV. They are mainly single parents with little to no family support and they are adults who do not have first hand experience of what good parenting looks like so having high expectations is ideological at best, power play at worst.

And what happens when you remove the children from their biological parent? Do foster homes always provide a better home? Of course they don’t. The children are tossed around from one home to another and as soon as they cause problems they are out. Many foster parents do it for financial reasons only. I’m not going to say that is wrong, but it is transactional and is not always better for the child.

I am aware of cases where parents have asked for support from SS for various reasons including SEN issues, been denied and then been subject to rigorous and frankly punitive investigation after concerns raised by other agencies.

There are numerous accounts of women being victims of DV trying to get help but finding themselves punished by SS for not protecting themselves or their children sooner.

You see this is where I really struggle because I know me and my team absolutely do this, we source grants, we contact charities, we’ve even been known to fund shit ourselves- most of us recognise that people are doing the best with what they have. We contact housing, we contact places where we can get support and put it in place where we can. Fucking hell I’ve even donned marigolds while ignoring my own housework!

The reasons for a lot of these issues are systematic oppression and poverty, how effective can SW be against this? This is stuff that we have no control over and lays at the hands of government etc

In terms of other support it’s shit, there’s little in the way of MH services, drug and alcohol services are cut to the bone as are DA services, all with horrific waiting times. That’s not on us, that’s government who have fucked us all over. But honestly what are those kids meant to do? Suck it up and wait for their parents to access help? What’s the answer?

The endless visits.
the constant judgement
the accusations
the lack of support whilst being expected to be as perfect as possible
The expectation SWs can behave however they like, be as unpleasant, as incompetent and uninformed as they want and there’s nothing you can do but say ‘yes ma’am no ma’am’
The having to balance EVERYTHING - often issues with other people, or caring duties for others - which are hard on a regular day, let alone on top of going through this hell

How can you argue that this doesn’t take its toll and a parent might think ‘I haven’t the energy or the MH capacity for this, it’s better I face the inevitable and give up’?

When we were being investigated it was noted that my DH suffers from acute PTSD after having served in a war zone. Was he met with understanding, support? No - it was used against us. It was a concerning factor CONSTANTLY mentioned (they also consistently got the facts wrong about where he served which was frankly fucking offensive). It’s made me see that even if I was on the brink of suicide I wouldn’t seek help because one day it might be used against me. And NO support or referrals for support was offered. SWs failed to see good support (Or rather just not having a MH condition against a parent, which was so stressful for us) would be VERY beneficial for the kids. Happier, less stressed parents = happier children. But the concept seemingly is too abstract because an holistic approach isnt taken - it’s Simply “are they physically abusing this child that’s all we are going to look at”. It’s so wrong, it’s so wrong to use health issues against parents when they COULD instead support and understand what that means practically for the children and family as a whole.

However I WILL say this - at the time I was on a Facebook support group for families experiencing social services intervention. It was helpful in terms of understanding processes but blimey I was glad to leave - the amount of “Social workers have taken my kids just because my living room was dirty. I’m gutted” or “My son fell off his bike and now all 4 of my kids have been fostered out how can they do this”. I just thought people were massive liars so I DO see how it may be frustrating for SWs. But I’m biased when it comes to me because at the same time I knew my kids were safe as houses and it was so hard to go through the accusation that they weren’t.

Flippin heck, I don’t know what the answer is. Except more SWs to be able to use what they’ve been trained to use not just tick box constantly (not their fault I know)

I’m not sure I have argued it doesn’t take a toll? I’m pretty sure I have acknowledged how intrusive involvement can be.

I have no idea why you were being assessed or if your children were or were not at risk so I won’t comment , and I genuinely hope things have improved for your family.

And there you have it. The huge discrepancy between SW practice, the way society is failing overall and lack of resources in an area which should have the highest priority - the safety of children. Some SWs are obviously supportive and go the extra mile to get good outcomes for children and families, some do not.

Which brings us back to the OP and their poor experience. Without a full understanding of how this all came about, the OP may well struggle to engage with professionals in the future. A CP investigation is not benign nor mildly inconvenient for a parent who has done nothing wrong.

Nor parents who do need support but are the nuts being attacked by a sledgehammer.

But do you acknowledge that social services involvement can take its toll to a point parents can’t go on, and that’s exactly why they aren’t ‘fighting tooth and nail’?

No ‘risk factors’ - criminal records / addiction issues / mental health problems / domestic violence / no issues at schools. Both of us have enhanced DBS. Professional jobs.

Same as my parents, they still abused me. And teachers and other adults at the time turned a blind eye because my parents weren't "the type"

I'm glad all children have the chance to be looked out for nowadays regardless of how "professional" their parents are. Abuse doesn't just happen in "non professional" families 🙄

But things have changed since we were kids! All school have tracking systems in place for teachers to report even the smallest of concerns. Same with any childcare setting. The messages to care providers has changed - meaning that abused children are VERY unlikely to have had no problems at all tracked with the nursery and school.

Re accident forms - these are only filled out for the accidents that happen IN nursery so not sure how’s it’s relevant to a referral.

OP make a subject access request of the LA and nursery if you want answers you might not otherwise be given

But do you acknowledge that social services involvement can take its toll to a point parents can’t go on, and that’s exactly why they aren’t ‘fighting tooth and nail’?

Absolutely, that’s why I said it worries me. You often don’t know why a parent doesn’t fight for their kids. It may be they’re worn out with the system, there may be underlying physical or mental health issues, they may have a form of blocked care, there may be something about the child that’s made them disengage. All of that means yet more assessment because each of those issues needs a different response, by which I don’t mean a tick box routine assessment - I mean taking time, building trust, trying to get underneath the parents presentation to understand what’s getting in the way.

At the same time the children need a basic standard of care and if the parent is so flat they can’t offer that, what do we do? We can’t ignore the poor care for the child while we try to support the parent to re-engage but any intervention is likely to feel intrusive, judgemental, involve more visits, more meetings and possibly exacerbate things further. It really is a tightrope for parents and workers.

After 18 months of fighting I was ready to give up. A change in GAL was what got my son home. He spent another 18 months on the at risk register.

I considered confessing although I couldn’t actually fathom how to do it - my solicitor talked me down. I asked to be hypnotised to see if I was doing something that I’d repressed - apparently that’s not a reliable thing so that didn’t happen. I asked to be put into a mother and baby home - that was denied.

Towards the end the SW kept pressing me to give up because in her mind the case was closed and I was being obstructive. She used the line that I was using up resources better spent on other cases. I was told I had no right to challenge experts. An expert in MSPB told me I should humble myself.

I just wanted to be a good mother, not a crusader. And I wanted the truth for my son.

Honestly the only parents I’ve ever worked with who have given up on the basis that it’s all just too much have had significant and complex issues predominantly around drugs and alcohol and the addiction.

I don’t imagine it is in anyway easy making the changes needed (I am not talking for you specifically, like I said I do not know your family or what the risks were viewed as or what was being asked if you) but what are vulnerable children who are being impacted by what’s going on in their homes meant to do?

It’s a sometimes difficult balance.

Now I’m definitely out as I need a break from SW even just talking about it 😂

Sorry what?! Are
you now accusing that pp again of what she has been cleared of?

Yep. I know. I sound like a complete fantasist. My child was not abused. Fact.

Look up the controversy around metaphyseal fractures. I am considerably better informed about it than you, I can guarantee it.

Not “ever recorded”. Just that year. Sorry if I wasn’t specific. I still get a bit agitated thinking about it.

Not sure if this is in response to me, but that post wasn’t about OP.

Also, you are parsing. In OP’s case, no evidence of abuse, investigation/ case closed.

To be transparent I wasn’t cleared either. I had to “accept responsibility” that whatever happened had most likely occurred in my care because in the five weeks the fractures occurred I was the primary caregiver. It was a condition of return that I did that. Very falling but it meant my son came home. He was, ultimately more important than my truth.

Thank you @Fitflop5 I appreciate that.

So awful 💔 . Sounds like those stupid Alfred pleads they make the wrongfully convicted take in the US justice system to save face .
i can only assume (hope) they wouldn’t have returned him to you if they actually continued to believe you had done it ..
how long ago was this btw?