SOCIAL SERVICES

[SPOTTY123]

Hi

Have just joined and need help/advice. My granddaughter (my son's daughter) has been assessed by Social Services in April this year due to her mother and new boyfriend smoking cannabis in their flat.

To cut a long story short, there have been various Child In Need Plans and due to 'unexplained bruising in unusual places" a Child Protection Meeting was called.

My son (who attended the meeting) has now been told that, due to it subsequently being downgraded again to Child In Need, he will not receive the minutes of the Child Protection Meeting. Is this legal?

The assessment will not have been simply due to cannabis smoking. If your grandson was present, why does he want the minutes?

I have dug around and it is not usual to provide the minutes to the parents

The minutes from a Strategy Meeting, together with any reports submitted to the meeting, will normally be distributed to:

Those individual professionals invited, whether they attended or not;
Any parents/young people who attended a Multi-agency Planning Meeting (Children who sexually harm) who the Chair agrees should have them;
Minutes will not go to:
Individuals who are the subject of the meeting;
Parents or young people mentioned in the meeting.
However a request can be made for a copy of the minutes which will need to be agreed by the Chair of the meeting and the minutes redacted if necessary

Is he going to seek custody? If so, I think you should post in Mumsnet Legal....there are people who know a lot more there.