Will Social Services help & support or just assess and snoop?

[DiamondDoris]

I'm a single mum with bipolar disorder. My DC both have special needs - one is diabetic 1 and the other asd. I was offloading to my counsellor today re hard work etc (it is!) being a single mum with 2 sometimes challenging DC. She suggested I ask the GP (who I was seeing straight after) about support for people like me in that situation. So I asked GP and she said that she'd get in touch with Social Services. Now I'm sh*** myself. I only want a chat with someone and signposting that sort of thing. I'm now paranoid that social services will assess my capability of being a parent (I'm a bloody good one!). Should I be worried?

I really shouldn't think so. You genuinely have a lot on your plate, you're not being referred because of concerns re safety or abuse etc.

there is support for childlren with Sn via children with disabilities team - depends on severity of your DS ' ASD and also how much support you need . so your own health issues are important.

you can be assessed for their needs and also for you as a carer for them
sometimes depends where you are as to what might be available.

go on council website chidlren wtih special needs / childrenw ith disabilities section.

diabetes =depends how mmuch control child has of this - or if his hospital appts or in patieint treatment is affecting other child etcetc.

you could for example get direct payments to employ someone a few hours pe week to help with ds with ASD or he might access specialsit play services which you can only get with ss referral

if there is any risk of your condition not being under control or risk of extremes then put plans in place in case you need hospital treatment or whatever - eg who would look after DC in that scenario? is it even a risk factor or is it totally under control? that might be what SW would ask you. and you could discuss with them a plan "just in case".

Thank you for your responses. Social services called today and said that I'd get support from the CAF - not sure if this is right though. They are going to contact the SENCO at my DC' school and mention that I have been diagnosed with bipolar - can't be a bad thing if they know. Really the support I was looking for was from Homestart or something like that to be able to chat and offload! I have coped all my life to some degree without medication as I didn't know I had the illness. I'm considered low risk by the mental health team. However, I will be starting on a course of Lithium (probably) soon, just to make my moods more stable. I hope I will get my energy levels back during the depressive cycles when I just want to sleep. I've heard that mood stabilizers can be sedating initially, but I am lucky in that the dc' father only lives 5 minutes away and is proactive in their care. Finally, I've never been hospitalised and have never tried to commit suicide, I have fought against my moods all my life.

Sorry, that sounded smug. I don't think you can always fight moods, but I've never tried to commit suicide or self harm, maybe I'm a rare case. I know plenty of bipolar people who have.

I was on a mood stabiliser for a while and once I got past the first few hazy days I felt brilliant. I have never felt so normal or stable. It was like a cloud lifted.

Thanks Memoo - that's exactly how I want to feel!