Neglect

[lindy20]

We got a letter from Child protection Officer saying Neglect as the heading and a short bit about my sons history of school in last year and a half...this was sent a few days after we had de registered him from high school....they were making out how he would be deprived from essential type services and how being out of the home was more beneficial ......now its a long story but probably similar to parents who have an aspergers child who doesnt fit in at state school etc.....we were so shocked i phoned her this morning and she said well she knew he wasnt neglected but it was safe quard them in the future when my son is in his twenties and decides "I havent had a good education etc and wants to complain "...she said he was bright muttered no disrespect but we coudlnt give him a full education like school ....i said we dont want that hes pursuing his love of computer programming and more.....like his older brother who has an IT company .....i phoned SS as there was a letter sentto me asking if i knew about them wanting me to get support form them ...i complained about the word Neglect and they were understanding and would get soemone to clal me back who could deal with it but not to worry ......i also said about it being on paper and we didnt want that .....typical story i expect...

Put in a Subject Access Request to the Council on behalf of your son to find out what is on his file.

Google Subject Access Request + nameofyourcouncil

Hi Lindy
Argh what an annoying and ignorant response to your decision to HE.

If you join the Ehew yahoo list and post a message there about this you should get some local responses as I know others in the area have had problems. (most recently in RCT)

Also if you can get to an HE group you will meet HErs face to face who will be glad to try to help, as well as giving you and you son the opportunity to make new friends.

I have pm'd you.

If anybody registers a concern, then SS are obliged to act on it (and of course it is right and proper that they act to protect children). However, they are unlikely to meddle in your affairs if they can see that the school was wrong. This must be a horrible and worrying experience for you, but I would be very surprised if you had any ongoing trouble with social services. They will be far too busy dealing with children who really are at serious risk.

A friend of mine was maliciously reported to social services, and they visited her. It was plain for them to see that her children were loved, well cared for and thriving, so they soon went away again. She was upset about the possibility of the complaint about her staying on her records, but social services were reassuring about that and she has had no further contact with them.

I had a big discussion on the this with team leader ss he didnt see any need to investigate further as he was satisfied with what i said ....i explained CPO just wanted to make sure they were covered incase my son who was clever would complain about his terrible education he had when they were in charge .....no coincedence this education authority is in special measures at momnet because they had a really bad report from esytn.......they are all tarred with the same brush asmy mother used to say...................

she said well she knew he wasnt neglected but it was safe quard them in the future when my son is in his twenties and decides "I havent had a good education etc and wants to complain"

Well, she doesn't need to worry. It has already been proven in court that an LA cannot be sued for a bad education. If he's not happy, it'll be you he sues.

It is appallingly bad behaviour on her part, however. If I were you, I'd write a formal complaint. Feel free to post it here and get help on wording.

I am going to CAB today on another matter will enquire if i can speak to a welfare education person to get advise the ss man said i could tell the headmaster and tell him how unhappy we are with the way it is handled....i said i could email the commisioners who have been appointed to deal with the mess the education system is in .....ss wasnt too happy about that and wanted me to contact school instead....................i was told if i lived in another borough we wouldnt have been let down the way we have been....

if a lot of this is verbal reassurance etc then that's not worth anything IMO you really need to see what's written in the records via a Subject Access Request. You just have to send off an email or fill in an online form (though authorities are allowed to charge £10)

I went to CAB ive got an appointment to see someone who deals with these things .....they though t it was school covering their own backs as the normal pracitice here.........thanks forall replys it has been emotional for hubby and i........

I think this is a reaction to Khyra Ishaq - I think they are covering their own backs - but I don't blame them

www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/feb/25/khyra-ishaq-starving-death-background

"I think this is a reaction to Khyra Ishaq - I think they are covering their own backs - but I don't blame them"

I do.

Reporting a family to SS who you have no reason to believe is neglecting their child contributes to the suffering of other children. It diverts social workers' time and attention away from where it is needed. (The OP said, ' she said well she knew he wasnt neglected but it was safe quard them in the future when my son is in his twenties and decides "I havent had a good education etc and wants to complain " '.) I loathe this idea that referrals to Social Services without good reason can be helpful. This irresponsible reporting is putting other children at risk.

Would you not blame me if I dialled 999 to report a possible house fire where I had no good reason whatsoever to believe one existed? You would think I was a nutter, and you would be right. What happens to the people trapped in a house which IS actually burning while the firefighters are out responding to my nuisance call?

I find it really odd how some councils are really keen on communicating with HErs (whether in a heavy hannded way or nicer) yet some are apparently not bothered.
Mine contacted me for the first time once my dc had been out of school for a year. Second contact was a letter I received this morning (30 months after deregistering)

The odd thing is that they have written to me to 'confirm a home visit'.
Very tempting to correct them on their poor grammar (ie why are they confirming something I knew nothing of until today????)

I am just going to write back and say 'no thanks' and see what they do.

FWiW I agree with you Saracen - it's akin to wasting police time really isn't it. The only HErs I know whose children are in anyway 'at risk'. are those who are not registered so chasing all those who are registered is rather pointless.

It's interesting to know, when home educators sent out FOIs to LAs in answer to accusations made during the last Government review into home education, from the LAs own figures, it was found that home educated children were half as likely to be abused as schooled children.......