To ask a question about Social Service involvement?

[PrincessPeache]

If a child of divorced parents is on a Child in Need plan because they disclosed that their father was hurting them, and the father was questioned by SS and Police and found to be in need of additional parenting support, but refused to engage with the CiN plan then allegedly assaulted the child again and then ceased contact with that child (documented by SS) and the CiN plan ceased because the child was safe with their mum as sole carer…

if the father goes on to have another child with someone else, would that raise any alarm bells with SS or would they not even be alerted?

I theory the midwife should ask the parents if they have other children and have they has SS involvement in the past.

This should raise a red flag but only if SS know that he has moved on . When I was fostering a mum had her kids taken away because she chose her new man over her kids, having been warned that he was an abuser. I personally would report it just in case.

This is the type of case that slips through the net...particularly if father is now in a different Local Authority and/or health board.
Also less likely to get flagged as CIN not CP.

I was a social worker and it was only because I moved to a neighbouring Authority to work, that a father who I'd worked on the adoption of his first child was flagged when his new partner was pregnant with his second child! Literally if I hadn't have heard a colleague discuss him then no one would have been the wiser.

He’s still with the same partner he was with at the time of police/SS involvement (more fool her for not only sticking by his side as he assaulted and abandoned his child and then decided that was excellent father material).

New baby is now a toddler and I’m wondering if it’s even worth reporting. I don’t want to bring any of that drama back into our lives, but it does make me uncomfortable that the child might be at risk of harm, however small.

I think it's worth reporting however small the risk - if you found out he'd hurt another child, could you live with that?

I can't imagine being able to sleep at night worrying about that child. I don't get why there would be any drama? You just email/pick up the phone and flag up what you've said on here. Doesn't seems too much effort (pretty much the same amount of effort as posting on here) and no need for any drama.

Absolutely report it.

Because if he figures out it was me (and he likely would), I don’t want an abusive man who knows where me and my child live, who has happily left us alone for three years, turning back up in our lives and causing significant additional trauma to an already very traumatised child.

I think you know the right thing to do here.

Do you have any indication of current harm of the toddler? If you're just contacting children's services to say this family are Post-CIN and there are no other risk factors, nothing will happen. It doesnt meet threshold.

Unless he has been noted as a person who poses a threat to children. If SS put a person in their system, when I worked in CP a red ! would be next to the person's name.
OP you should report and then contact the police if he makes any form to contact.

Based on this I would leave it alone and not take the risk of him retaliating on you

If you think they need to know you’ll need to report it.

There is no system aside from asking someone and relying on their honestly.

I had a malicious report against me once and had a full CP investigation and follow up. I was told by my solicitor it would follow me despite no concerns found and each time I was asked ‘do you have or have you ever had a SW?’ (Eg at antenatal appts or a and e) to say no as there’s no system to check and he felt that it would be unfair for me to be judged

But you are just letting SS know so they can re-add or open a file on him (as he seems to be in a different LA). They won't be taking action unless the toddler is flagged up by nurseries or hospitals or the police because they have injuries etc. If (for example) a doctor or nurse or teacher notices an injury which may have been caused by violence rather than an accident then SS will be informed and presumably with a flag or open file they can then approach the family with the full facts about his dangerous history.

They don't need your name. Get a free email account and don't use your real name. You can email his name, the name of the SS department in the LA who dealt with him before and tell them to contact them for any details/their file.

Having lived through this, I can understand your concern about getting involved again, but this child is a half-sibling of yours, and may need protecting. I think it's your duty regardless of how uncomfortable it makes you feel.