Advice on recording

[mum2tots]

Hi everyone, i have my first placement and had contact today, im wondering how much detail i record about contact, i only dropped off and picked up but i spoke to birth family. LO cried when they approached her and when i came to pick up i met mum in the hallway who was popping to the loo and she said LO had screamed non stop. When i got into the waiting room i could hear LO in the building screaming blue murder, something she hasn't done at all with us. Should i just write LO had contact at this time or should i write about the above? She's only 10 months old. thanks in advance

I would record what you have mentioned above so that the SW reading your recordings can see the affect that contact has on LO.

Just try to keep it factual and objective rather than interpreting her behaviour.

It sounds quite upsetting hearing her crying so much, I hope you and she are both ok.

I was quite upset being trapped in the waiting room she only arrived yesterday and has attached to me very strongly so i was glad the second she came out to me she snuggled in and stopped crying. I will keep it factual, used to work in a pre-school so know how to keep opinion out of the notes. Thank you Gillian

Record as much as you can I would say. As your log notes/recordings may be used in the final decision making process or in court. I would agree, keep it factual but state that baby was distressed and also anything mum says to guard yourself should mum make any accusations e.g I saw so and so in the hallway and she said ....
We are currently having contact almost everyday so I know how draining it can be. Good luck. :)x

Record, record, record! I make detailed log notes to protect myself, but also for the child when they're older.

It's not unusual for a child to cry at contact, and doesn't always mean they're distressed with parents. Especially for young babies this can be their way of saying "why did you go away??" Or just expressing their confusion.

On the other hand it can also be an indicator that they DON'T feel safe.

Be careful showing too much attachment to baby in front of parents though (e.g. Big cuddles). It can immediately get things off on the wrong foot. I'm not saying be cold or unemotional, I just try and keep them very much as baby's parents until we've left the building (I.e parents put coats on, pack nappy bag. I fairly often leave with child in a car seat so they don't see baby reaching for me instead of them)

Hope all continues well!

Thanks for the advice, wasn't going to leave her screaming and choking in her car seat arms flailing up at me. Parents aren't my priority she is.

The supervising woman said she is like it every fortnight at contact, screams non stop. I wont be seeing the parents again either as she goes to aunt and uncle in 2 weeks.

Hm, if she's that bad (choking) and isn't newly placed in care as I'd assumed, then contact superviser should have raised concerns before now and contact maybe have been halted for a while. I know my own LA have done this for me when one of my FC cried every day for a fortnight of contact.

TBH your post has made me a little uneasy, reading that LO is going to aunt and uncle where she'll presumably still have lots of contact with parents. Is this a long term move?

When I referred to "crying" being normal in my post I definitely didn't mean screaming. I think I'd be doing more than recording, I'd be phoning child's SW in the morning.

Its difficult for me as she is only here for respite so i dont know everything, I do know her foster carer isn't supporting the move to aunt and uncle. I will ring her social worker though just to inform him of how i felt, thank you for that advice. She really was screaming the building down. x