getting together information and support for EVERYONE in the child protection system

[Spero]

I am posting here, mainly because I am not sure what I am doing and I don't want to do anything against the rules or contrary to the site ethos.

In a nutshell, a lot of us have been contributing to various threads since before Christmas about the child protection system in the UK and all the controversy that has arisen since the case of Alessandra Pacchieri and the issue of 'forced adoption'.

We have perspectives from every part of the child protection system - there are birth parents, adoptive parents, social workers, lawyers etc and we think it could be a good idea to try to do something to bring us all together, to help people get access to information that is balanced and useful, particularly if they are facing care proceedings or worried they might be.

At the moment, we are thinking a blog could help, with different people providing short posts about their experiences and providing links to other sources that we know are credible and reliable. This could be very valuable for all of us - I am a lawyer for e.g. but I would love to know more about what doctors working in child protection are looking out for, and I would like to get more perspectives from birth parents about what they think is good or bad about the system.

We are also wondering if there could be a separate topic in 'Parenting' - Dealing with child Protection issues or similar, which could link to the blog, once we get if off the ground.

So sorry quite a lot of info there. Trying to précis

1. We have a lot of untapped knowledge and experience and would like to pull it altogether to provide a good source of reliable and balanced advice
2. We would like to start a blog, does anyone want to contribute or can think of snappy name?
3. We would like to use the power of mumsnet to steer people towards our information and provide another platform for discussion and debate

4.What's the best way of going about this?

Any comments, thoughts welcomed.

Excellent, thanks Rowan.

OK I will start ball rolling this weekend. I propose to set up a word press blog as it is free.

Any suggestions for name gratefully received. At the moment childprotectionresource.com is available for $25 pa!

I have a lot of content that can go straight up - couthymow was happy for me to cut and paste at least one of her responses in the other thread.

Anyone else who has anything else, please feel free to send it to me.

Particularly anyone who works in the medical/psychology field.

I've scanned that thread and that's an amazing outcome. I'm very happy for my blog to be linked to and hope the post about it complied with the site rules. I'm really touched by the support and encouragement.

I've been trying to write a bit about the intersection between my SS journey and my Mumsnet history and am struggling. Just re-reading those old threads is hard. I'll try again later.

The other thing I would love is for there to be a place to share frustrations about Social Services (the Adoption board is becoming my place for that, but at the time it was still reversible, I had nowhere) - for eg. they do arrange meetings with less than 24 hours notice (they did this to me on the day my mum finally died. I'd been spending my nights in the hospice for over a week. It was truly awful - I was penalised for non attendance as well) and the relationship thing that Spero describes so well, it's easy to have a terrible relationship with a particular SW (of all the people involved, I only had this with the first. He was rude and judgemental. It's ok to say that without meaning that all SWs are) - to share these things but not to become overwhelmed with conspiracy theories. At the end of yourself, scared, ashamed, and despairing - they start to sound quite attractive.

Don't know if that helps at all.

It helps enormously.

I can't know how painful it must be to share these things some times, but my guess is that often it must feel overwhelming.

So thank you for reaching out, you never know who is reading and who you might be able to help.

and I think that is a wonderful thing.

Yes, to Zoo also. I found your blog very insightful and moving, and appreciate the strength it must have taken to create that, and post here too.

OK, this is very rough and ready but I think if we don't start something, it will never get done.

i have used some of couthy's words from other thread. Please let me know what you think. Be as brutal as you like. Its early days but I would like this to be something useful.
childprotectionresource.wordpress.com/category/birth-parents/

OK, that link might not work, try this instead.
childprotectionresource.wordpress.com

Oh my God, such beautiful posts! :)

I really hope that we will see less of conspiracy theorist like Hemming and Joseph giving the wrong advice on every possible board and blog (as 'to think very carefully before reporting even sexual abuse' as someone wrote above ) and more of people who had experiences with the system and can offer firsthand knowledge and advice

Vive le nouveau blog! :)

Very moving posts. It's exciting to see such an inspiring idea becoming reality.

Brilliant Idea. My experience of Child Protection has led me to feel that there is a need for more advocacy for families/parents. I have seen some poor practice and some great practice. What is frightening is that poor practice (un-held together caseworking) can lead families to feel as if they are going down a rabbit hole. Very frightening and compounding harm.

Perhaps a resource for families on how to access advocacy / self advocate?

Yes, I will add some links and posts to the Lawyer section on self representation.

Fantastic Spero. And perhaps how to access independent advocacy services?

I don't think there ARE any advocacy services, unless you are dealing with parents with learning disabilities or issues of domestic violence. But there is a lot of good stuff on how to be a litigant in person - lucy Reed has book and website, I will ask if she will contribute short piece on top dos and don'ts.

There are also MacKenzie friends and Public Access barristers.

Really like it so far Spero. Well done!

Re: advocacy, I totally agree with Period. Good advocacy can make a vital difference and does seem to be thin on the ground. There are mental health advocacy services around, but I am unaware of the level of involvement they might take in child protection.

The South East Advocacy Project is one I know of that is very good, but clearly limited to the areas and type of work they can do, by the funding they have:

www.seap.org.uk/services/independent-mental-health-advocacy/about-independent-mental-health-advocacy.html

The British Institute of Human Rights carry out national advocacy work www.bihr.org.uk/policy-and-public-affairs/recent-work which may be a good resource for professionals (they don't take on individual cases) with a focus on Human Rights, and has a section on Family Rights with respect to Migration, but nothing specific I could see targetting child protection issues.

The University of Central Lancashire has undertaken a review of Mental Health Advocacy services. Their findings were:

A quality IMHA services is: easily available; one in which the service user has confidence and trust; enables them to express their views and be heard and thus potentially influence decisions about their care and treatment under the MH Act and thus ultimately is likely to support their journey to recovery. This reflects the legal position, which establishes that people detained under the MH Act have a right to be heard.

Overall, we found that access to IMHA services is problematic, particularly for those people who have the most difficulty getting their voice heard. Access is influenced by availability of IMHA service, and thus reflects the quality of commissioning and the understanding of service users. It is also influenced by the understanding of mental health professionals and their attitude to advocacy.

www.uclan.ac.uk/research/environment/projects/the_right_to_be_heard.php

So it seems perhaps quality advocacy for people facing CP system could be a key thing for the blog to campaign for ?

Keep it coming, all comments welcome.

Get writing Mrs DeV! I will be doing the legal stuff over weekend, let's get some good stuff up quick.

wouldn't it be great if there were a nationwide 'bank' of volunteer advocates and advisers that could support parents in proceedings.

I think it would really sharpen up sw practice.

We might run into problems with vetting and safety procedures if we try to get people meeting up, so I am not sure how far we can go on this site with setting up pool of potential supporters BUT we can link in with other organisations who do already have volunteers.

Yes, it would be no small task to co-ordinate something like that! What you are doing though is brilliant.

Ok contributors you have got the weekend to relax but then I am on your case. I will be all over your contributions, like JH with a particularly juicy spreadsheet.

MrsDeVere I've added a kinship carers section for you under stories from parents and carers

keep it coming people. I've got a wordpress account and i'm not afraid to use it!

Squeal all you want mrs DeVere but we expect at least 800 words of penetrating and incisive analysis on our desks by Monday am or you will be nominated as mistress #28.