power of entry

[sumum]

do our supervising social workers and other workers from the fostering department have power of entry into our homes?

Can we refuse entry if they turn up for a meeting at your home that you didn't know anything about, so not the usual quick unannounced visit?

I think only police (with a warrant) and an environmental health officer has power of entry into anyone's home. Of course fostering officers don't have the right to come into your home uninvited as neither do any SW's.
However apart from saying whoops you've got the wrong day and I'm afraid it's not convenient right now, I'd just let them pop in off the doorstep and tell them they can't stay long as I had things to do

three of them turned up for my review which nobody notified me of, when i said they had the wrong time and i couldn't do it they were insisting they come in, i refused.

i have a child with ASD who needs to be prepared for such meetings and it was late in the afternoon in the school holidays, my dh was at work and i was going out in half hour.

they would not take no for an answer and were using very bullying behaviour saying i was not cooperating and they were worried about my ability to work with professionals. They said i was behaving like a birth parent in refusing entry and then as a parting shot said they were concerned about my hygiene (this when they hadn't set foot in the house)

I stood my ground and asked them to leave.

They went away in the end after about 20 mins and put in a grievance complaint against me.
I had never met any of them before.

I was and am still livid.

The senior manager came out the next day and found no causes for concern about anything - but my problem is the IRO who was the main person bulling is still set to do my review, how can i trust her to give a fair review?

Incredible! How unprofessional of these people to just turn up and demand entry to your home. The bullying comments to try and force entry were unacceptable. It would have been awful to have gone ahead with the meeting after such tactics as you would have felt really unsettled.

Why were you not told of your review date?

When we fostered I always felt uncomfortable having my review at home. Our foster teen would hover and listen in. I would have preferred the review to be away from home but (for the same bullying tactics you describe) that was not an option. Your presence would have been missed had the review been held away from home. Someone else's "ability to work with professionals" would have been complained about if that had been the case for forgetting your invite!!

Have you followed the complaints procedure to complain about them? You really must.

It's really crappy what they've done. And not in the child with ASD's interests either, so follow the complaint through for him.

On another note you do get deliberate unannounced visits every six months from your SSW. Yes, you have to let them in as it's something you sign up for. The form allows them to check the fridge, describe the home, describe any interactions they observe with the child, check the child's room etc.

Unannounced visits are usually done in a friendly and fun way that include the foster child who can show off their room, talk about friends and family and school etc and a gentle quizzing about us as a fostering family!

The yearly review is supposed to be private as it is about the fostering family and how they are managing/performing/support network/training/strengths and weaknesses etc. Any issues around lack of respite, lack of equipment, effect of contact, issues at school sometimes come up so I would not like my foster child to be present as it may upset them unintentionally.

I do not see how you could have had this review without your husband there. He needs to have his input too. The review usually takes an hour and for you to be unavailable for an hour or so would not be good for your foster child. Particularly as you said these three people were "strangers" to your foster child, and to you.

Try and rise above all this. Jeff above said "it's really crappy". I agree.

i now have a new supervising social worker and she is going to arrange a meeting so my concerns can be addressed before the review takes place, basically i want an apology from the IRO but i will take it to complaints if that doesn't happen.

i agree its really crappy, they seem to be very bullying in my authority and i have heard of lots of similar complaints from other carers, particulars the older more experienced carers who won't easily roll over and do as they say, they advocate for the kids and get stick for it

How bloody judgemental 'behaving like a birth parent' How dare they make this statement about birth parents. Fuming on your behalf and on behalf of anyone else who comes into contact with such bullies

Are you sure they were genuinely from the fostering team? Could they have been frauds & trying to gain access to your property for other reasons?

they were def from fostering as they went back and made a complaint about me!!!!

still livid

too many incidents like this is why many foster carers resign, i have been doing it 23years now and not prepared to put up with their crap any more