Is there anywhere I can go for help?

[Nameless5]

We have a social worker to make sure ds is okay because of my mental health etc. I’m struggling, really struggling. I’ve messaged the social worker and haven’t got a reply and it’s been a week. I’ve rang them and they said they’d get in touch with social worker and ask social worker to contact me. GP is not an option because they do not help.

Is there anywhere else I can go for help? I’m drowning and I don’t want to leave ds without a mother. Everyone says to tell people when you’re struggling and I’m screaming out but no one answers.

I’m just hoping there’s somewhere else or someone else I haven’t thought of.

Op I’d definitely contact the school. If you tell them the reason your child has been off for days is because of your mental health then they’ll definitely take action. There have been teachers in our school who will go and pick the children up and drop them off, ensure they’re being fed etc and the local services will act much quicker when concerns are given to them by an actual school

So sorry you're struggling to get any help. I've been in a similar situation and know how difficult it is to get help. I would call the GP and ask for an urgent appointment today, or tomorrow, then explain your situation, that your child can't go to school because you can't take them, that you can't cope anymore, you need an urgent referral to the crisis team etc. In the meantime keep calling the social worker in the hope they'll get so fed up they'll prioritise you. Could you go to A&E and refuse to leave until they put some immediate help in place?

I wish you all the best. If you're in the East Riding of Yorkshire I can give you contact details for a support association.

Keep posting here, we'll all try and help

I also wanted to add this screenshot from the MIND website.

Also I would call your local council and tell them your social worker isn't responding and that you really need it NOW!

My experience is you have to knock on many doors to get help but keep shouting, hopefully someone will get back to you very soon.

Op, if you are really worried about your son, I would call the police on 999. Tell them what you have written here. You aren’t keeping him safe. They will probably take your son into temporary foster care but in all honesty the conditions sound appaling for him and you sound like you love him and are a good mum - removing him from that while you try to sort it is what is needed here. They don’t want to part a loving mother from a child so may put urgent stuff in place to get him back to you ASAP. I hope you get it sorted, you sound lovely. Stay strong

Hi OP it sounds like things are really hard. Social Services is a weird thing- very compartmentalised. I work for SS. Your sons social worker will be seen as for him, and not for you. So, if he’s not going to school but is at home, he has shelter, food, and love…he’s sort of not in immediate danger (compared to the worst of the worst) and so he might not be an absolute priority. It sounds like you are the one that needs help. Unfortunately, to access that you are likely to have to contact the crisis team or a GP. Basically you need to contact someone who is going to be primarily concerned about you as an individual, not your son.

I’ve had child SS involvement myself so have seen the compartmentalising in action! They couldn’t give a toss what was going on with me, only the kids safety.

Have you tried counselling services? We have a charity in town and they do sliding scale payment and if someone's in crisis they'll do it for free for a time. Might be worth a shot?