Human rights health visitor

[Erlisk]

I have seen it here before but the posts are old. Before my baby was born i told my midwife (UK) that i did not want any visits at home. I just like my privacy and want to be able to decide who enters my home. They offer visits as a service so i just decided to not let them in. I was happy to go for appointments.

Then in the hospital when the baby was born, they told me "someone was going to come into my house even if i do not want that". I kept saying no. They kept saying they just wanted to see where the baby would sleep etc. i said no. Then the midwifes came to the door and i told them i did not want them in my house. So they reported me to social services. Social services called me and threatened with official investigation if i do not let the midwifes and later health visitor in my house. Also for the one year visit.

I texted them many times i did not want. I also told them in person. So i have a lot of proof. Ok long story short i let them in.because they threatened with social services investigation = trying to take your baby. I had to let them in, they said everything was fine, and closed the case. But instead of bonding with my baby i was stressed that they were trying to take her away.

So. It is ten months ago so the one year visit is coming and I DO NOT WANT THEM IN MY HOUSE. So i decided to go after them. And yes, it is human rights violation. It is not normal in civilised countries that someone comes to your house without your consent and without a warrant. If you do not let them in they basically threaten to take your baby.

I am not looking for the comments that they are just helping etc. I am not interested in that 😉. What i am looking for here is other moms who went after them. I am researching where to complain. I am also making a list of solicitors who would help me. And maybe some group court case? I will make complaint to NHS. I believe we only have one year for this kind of thing so only people who experienced this last year. Or if you went through going to court and have a good no win no fee lawyer (London or Kent). They are violating human rights you everyone so no, i will not let it go.

What abuse?

They might write letters, but it doesn't hold any weight anymore. Years ago it did but the housing crisis is so bad now it makes no difference.

It was midwives OP turned away.

It’s very interesting that you write with the same vernacular as the OP.

You’ll get nowhere because they didn’t force you. They simply made a referral to social care, who can investigate as to whether this red flag is significant and your child is at risk of significant harm or if it is simply nothing.

No court is going to suggest the NHS can’t make a safeguarding referral if they have legitimate concerns. They didn’t threaten you, they followed a procedure.

Social care correctly investigated. If you had continued to refuse a visit, they likely would have eventually ended up with a police safe and well check but assuming no other red flags eg history of DV or genuine concerns re neglect etc it would have gone nowhere.

Decline the one year home visit if you don’t want it. Breezily suggest doing it in the clinic. If they refer so be it, explain to the social worker that you don’t like people in your home but you are willing to engage in health services. I’d be surprised if it goes much further.

What part of what I said is incorrect? They can call SS about whatever they want. I can call SS if I want. I'm genuinely not sure what you're saying I'm incorrect about.

If there is unhinged behaviour, yes. However, mothers/families are entitled to refuse HV services without repercussions.

My HV service did not persuade me they had the competency to play any role in relation to my child's development. Therefore I was under no obligation to waste my time. When my DC needed support, it was engaged. They both had rank ears and needed grommets and got them much more quickly than the NHS would have provided them, DS had persistent wheezing/asthma after bronchiolitis - after wasting chunks of time at our local hospital seeing a different registrar at a every appointment he was turned round by an appointment privately at the Royal Brompton and a follow up session with the asthma specialist nurse. Both provided excellent advice and notably the right equipment which was not available on the NHS.

The nurse at my GP practice did vaccinations, not the HV and I was more than capable of making an appointment and checking my own children against the milestones at various points, then I think it was 6, 18 and 30 months. Had I thought there was a problem they'd have been referred to an appropriate Dr, not left in the hands of a health visitor.

If the state wishes me to engage on a mandatory basis with state provided services I expect those services to be fit for purpose. My experience of community midwifery and health visiting was that what was on offer did not meet my expectations for my children. Vis midwifery services, I declined them after DS2 because he had already died in hospital, with dd they came for the baby and if I'd been worried I'd have taken her to the Dr. Fortunately after our first born, most mothers know the extent to which thse people chat sh1t.

I really don't like strangers in my home, but this is over the top. It's for safeguarding reasons and for your child's wellbeing, you're behaving very suspiciously. It's a 15 minute visit, give the house a quick tidy up and get on with it.

Um, did you not read her post? This all started from her not allowing the MW into her home. This is or should be mandatory. The HV is a different kettle of fish and is not mandatory. Whatever the HV says it is not mandatory. They can only refer to SS if they have concerns. Which they might well have based on how adamant she was with the MW 12 months ago. Unless there is more to this than OP has disclosed though the HV won’t be bothered if she has the 1 year check or not.

And they wouldn’t do it in the case of no other markers.

No need to worry - I didn't miss it 😅 The title to the thread refers to human rights and health visitors, and also OP:s current concerns about Health Visitor visits. I am encouraging the OP to reflect upon any reasons why concerns might continue,or any new concerns that may have arisen,before wasting a lot of time, money and energy "going after" the health visiting service.

I’m glad they reported you to social services.

You had a valid reason for refusing to allow the HV to come to your home due to previously poor experiences with your older children. Your posts are measured and sensible, whereas OP's posts are ringing alarm bells with many posters as she does't give a valid reason why she was so reluctant to let the midwives visit her in her home.

She has had no interactions (positive or negative) with midwives or health visitors since her child was a new born but as it is now coming up to the time for the HV to do the 12-month home visit, instead of asking whether she can come to the clinic instead, she posts

'So. It is ten months ago so the one year visit is coming and I DO NOT WANT THEM IN MY HOUSE. So i decided to go after them.'

She's even talking about taking her health visitors to the European Court of Human Rights. This isn't a normal response to a routine developmental check of her baby.

This, every word.

No - not by the river but I have many friends from that era who had similar experiences. It almost felt like the trumpeting of facilities took precedence over the basics.

Oh how I laughed when (always different) staff members told me I was not in proper labour despite considerable pain. Eventually one of the community midwives doing their fortnight-in-the-hospital “to keep up” came in and unlike the others she looked at me and my abdomen and said the monitor was in the wrong place. Every other member of staff looked at the monitor and ignored me.

Suddenly it was all a mad rush and the room filling up.

You sound perfectly competent and capable. Sadly, not everybody is and unless a new mum engages with services there is no way of knowing. I have experience of picking up puerperal psychosis and getting urgent help for a lady who was a qualified teacher and gave no reason for any concern antenatally, but the poor woman became very ill very quickly on around day 4.
Then there are other things that get picked up due to not everybody being sensible and competent - such as the lady feeding her week old baby pieces of white chocolate and another giving her 2 month old ham sandwiches. I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't seen it.
I have also done my share of safeguarding when noticing bruising, for example.
We do the best we can and feel desperately sad when children slip through the net.
My friend is a retired social worker and her job was getting more and more difficult and stressful in the last 10 years, she was relieved to stop.

I’m extremely aware that its an expensive tax payer funded service. However the fact that its free at the point of use results in a “take it or leave it’ attitude and and expectation of gratitude however bad it is. Just read this thread or any NHS thread to find multiple posters telling an OP they should be “grateful” because its “free”.

The OP also had difficulty refusing HVs and most of this thread has been about HVs. I agree the 5 day check is important but if its that important perhaps the communication and delivery of the services should be more consistent rather than ‘anything will do, its compulsory”.

OP - I took someone to the small claims court. The amount of time and effort I had to put in when the defendant appealed and when that appeal failed, they tried to appeal again has been all consuming. I’m retired and legally in the right and so in theory this should be quite straightforward but if you represent yourself then expect to be spending less time bonding with your child. The likelihood of you being represented is extremely low as you are unlikely to win unless you throw money at it and employ a very expensive lawyer and barrister and even then they wouldn’t want to damage their reputation if there’s little chance of a win.

What I’m saying is let this go and enjoy your baby.

I had very deliberate communication from them. The midwife will be out for X at Y point, this is why that's important. There's HV visits at these ages, you'll be contacted to book in what works.

Either OP wasn't properly informed, which is what her actual issue should be, or she didn't pay attention and then that's resulted in refused entry to a midwife trying to carry out critical care, which raised the flags.

Welcome to the world of having to “behave yourself” - I’m not being sarcastic. Pre DC I could do whatever (fairly normal, probably less than perfect) adult behaviour I wanted with no repercussions- use the odd recreational drug, have a messy house, have an argument with my partner, have some struggles with anxiety (not a choice obviously). Basically, my life was no one’s business. Post DC (especially with an ex who will use any excuse to try and take my kids away) suddenly my life is everyone’s business and everyone has an opinion. It’s extremely frustrating because I believe I’m entitled to live however I choose as long as I am not in any way harming my DC. I would never in a million years put my DC in danger and I’m perfectly capable of being a good parent. However, everything I do is now judged and it’s assumed I can’t be a good mother because of xy and z. Can’t possibly be a decent parent and have anxiety 🙄 YOU know you’re a good parent but they don’t. I resent having to prove myself and would much rather be left alone but you just have to suck it up and play ball, like it or not. That’s the cost of having kids in this country.

Must be nice to have so much time and money to be able to take them to court over such a small thing. Just be grateful you’re not being taken to court against your will for custody! Also it seems you’re just going to invite more people into your home who you’re not going to want there. It’s going to make you look like you’re hiding something and may result in a full blown SS investigation with all kinds of people inspecting your home and questioning your ability as a mother. You’re in the system now, like it or not and you have to play by the rules. They’re the ones who are really in charge, not you, as frustrating as that is.

OP, it is possible to refuse the health visitors without being referred to SS.

This ^

These visits are in every child's best interest, OP please get over yourself you are overreacting.

Surely just refuse the visit but why would you 'go after them' for a service that many are grateful for?

Your weird behaviour around the visits is probably what prompted them to make a a referral.

Take it easy and focus on your baby x

Agree with previous posters you are arising their suspicions even more with your inability to be cooperative

This lady sounds like she is struggling.

health professionals have access to her past medical history, including past and current mental health history, this along with her reaction is obviously causing concern.

people decline community midwife and HV visits sometimes (I have been both a community midwife and HV) and it’s an absolute non issue…

but if someone is contacting services sounding like this, I’d suggest a little irrational, prehaps paranoid and not engaging… would too be concerned about the emotional impact on the baby and would be referring into the MASSH for csc oversight.

she has human rights, and the right to privacy… the baby also has a right to safety and a childhood free of abuse and neglect.

Thats simply the law.

Please RTFT. The initial referral was because the OP refused the MW, not the HV.