Children's Services Involvement

[Scorchio72]

I realise we are in an unusual situation as my partner has a daughter who lives with her maternal grandmother and we have a son who lives with us, both children living under different local authorities.

My partner has a history of abusive relationships and befriending sex offenders, plus due to disability her daughter lives with her grandmother and has done since my partner left an abusive relationship.

Children's Services have restricted her contact with her daughter to supervised contact only due to her history of abusive relationships and her previous involvement with sex offenders.

We were completely honest about this with children's services in our local authority and they have not put any restrictions on contact with our baby, though after my partner confessed that she had sent a photograph of the children to a friend in prison we have been in Child Protection.

The photo was sent without my knowledge and while she had asked for my opinion previously I said categorically that she shouldn't send it. To put the relationship into context though, this is my partner's daughter's Godfather who had no convictions when he became her Godfather.

We have now completed a few courses with children's services in our local authority (goodness knows why this couldn't have happened years ago when the neighbouring LA got involved with the daughter) and our social worker recently said that the only reason she cannot recommend leaving Child Protection is because of the restrictions with her daughter.

The daughter's social worker is not prepared to lift those restrictions while we are on the child protection register with our baby, so as we see it we are stuck in a stalemate until her daughter is 18.

Has anyone else been in this position where two local authorities are waiting for the other to make the first move. We are very concerned that this stalemate could escalate if neither social worker is prepared to step down before the other that either one is going to get trigger happy and use the fact that involvement with another child is grounds to escalate to PLO or care proceedings as both Local Authorities have a power struggle between them, with the children being the ones to suffer.

Where does she find and befriend all these sex offenders?

So how and where is your partner meeting all these sex offenders?

She has been diagnosed with CPTSD and bi-polar.

She has also become far more aware of risk since we did the course with SS, to such an extent that it has been suggested that she is now overly cautious of anyone she might come into contact with.

She's not met any of them for years. One she was introduced to by a former care worker and the others she has known since college before they were sex offenders

Are any of these sex offenders child sex offenders?

That is what I have been asking for, but unfortunately they don't seem willing to do this, claiming everything from busy schedules to data protection as reasons not to meet.

If she hasn't met any of them for years (as in met up with them? Or met any new sex offenders? I am not sure exactly what you mean) then why is this still an issue for SS?

Is there other risky behaviour at play here?

Who did she tell about the photo?

She's had no contact with any of her past associates since for years with the exception of the Godfather who she sent a photo to, and has had no further contact with him for around 6 months.

She told the social worker about the photograph. I only found out about at the same time.

What attracted you to a mentally unwell and vulnerable woman OP?
Why don't you want social services involvement?

Nor has she met any other sex offenders that we are aware of, but you can talk to a stranger on a bus and not know they are sex offenders so you can never be 100% sure

Nobody is going to have social services involvement from chatting to a stranger on a bus who they didn't realise was a pedophile though.

Cmon. You can’t be serious. If you are then that’s another reason they need to stay involved. You sound like an enabler and excuser.

Ah yes, that’s what he’s worried about. Yet not telling us why if his wife is now safeguarding.

I'm quite happy with social services involvement, am just concerned more about the impact it will have on the children, especially as it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel when our sw has stated she thinks the work we have done with them is sufficient and that she has no concern moving forward but cannot recommend stepping down until the other local authority steps down first, while the other social worker says much the same.

There's a very particular kind of person who is attracted to vulnerable and mentally unwell woman. Your partner has form for being in abusive relationships you say. I bet she's in one now. You're a walking red flag OP and it's illuminating that your avoiding any 'difficult' questions here. I am so glad ss are involved with you both it's clear as day you both need it. I feel sad for the kids.

I dont think there should be light at the end of the tunnel in some situations. I can't believe that some parents need to go on courses to have the blatantly obvious pointed out to them.

Well I have asked our social worker if PLO was on the cards and she has said no. She also said we are nowhere near that criteria nor are we anywhere near putting restrictions on my partner's contact with the baby.

Our local authority are taking a much more in-depth view and considering changes that have been made, whereas the other local authority have made no attempt to help my partner move forward and every meeting they just reiterate what has happened in the past without looking at the present

But it was only six months ago. For most people that counts as recent.

And if these men are not paedophiles, which I’m not convinced is true, then what type of sex offenders are they?

What exactly is the godfather in prison for?

He went down for raping his partner while she was asleep, though I don't see "what exactly he is in prison for" is particularly relevant to the issue where two local authorities are unwilling to communicate when one LA have said the only reason that they are not satisfied the conditions to come out of CP are because the other LA are not prepared to step back first.

What on earth am I reading

So he is a sex offender then

Why would anyone have anything to do with a person who did that. This thread can't be for real.

The relevance is that he’s a violent sex offender with whom your partner has maintained a friendship until recently.

Social services are too overstretched to maintain this sort of scrutiny without cause. If you are genuinely concerned about the status quo continuing long term then escalate to the manager of your social worker, the Director of Child Services and the executive member with oversight of Child Services at your council and/or the council where your partner’s daughter is resident. If you have a complaint then use the complaints procedure.