Advice needed - Desperate for answers

[Tasha2106]

Myself and my partner are currently looking after our 3 year old niece. My sister in law was having mental health issues and felt no bond with her daughter and asked us to look after her for a bit whilst she “sorted herself out”. This was 2 and half months ago she has come to see her daughter about 5 times since. She is currently in a new relationship with someone who takes cocaine, ketamine and smokes weed, his extra partner has a restraining order against him as he was controlling and verbal aggressive and broke into her home and tried to take the baby. We have advised my sister in law to leave him as her daughter cannot be around this sort of person but she won’t. We have now found out she is 6 weeks pregnant. Where do we stand? If we let her daughter go home we are worried something bad will happen. Should we contact child services?? Any advice would be truly appreciated. We have a one year old ourselves and this stress is a lot to deal with when we don’t know where we stand legally about what we can do. But we feel that we need to protect our niece!

If you're happy to keep the little girl, it's probably best to do so, especially as her mum doesn't seem to be demanding her return. Maybe at some stage you could apply for a Special Guardianship Order, which yes, would mean contacting Social Services.

I would contact children‘s services. You would never forgive yourself if something happened to your niece because you had failed to take action. As things currently stand you cannot do anything if your DSis decides to take her child back.

She is saying that once she has a house (because at the moment she is staying at boyfriends but technically homeless) she wants her back and we are not comfortable with that I case he moves in with her

Yes absolutely, you need to protect your niece. Contact your local social services and ask to speak to the duty social worker for children and families. Tell them everything you know about the situation and your concerns.

There are various avenues you and/or ss can go down to put the situation on a more formal footing. Special guardianship might be one option.

I would contact social services asap

Yes, contact social services. Tell them everything, be open and cooperative your niece is very lucky to have you in her life.

We have contacted social services yesterday. And we told that basically there is nothing they can do and advised us to get some free legal advice. I feel it’s basically they are not willing to do anything until something happens! What are we meant to do now?

Could you speak to the NSPCC, Childline or your local childrens safeguarding officer. I would also speak to your nieces g.p. to tell them all of your concerns.

I guess from ss point of view there is nothing for them to do right now, as dn is safe and well cared for by you.

Did they tell you where you could get free legal advice?

You might try contacting the NSPCC or the Family Rights Group www.frg.org.uk