Child protection SS for those following my story

[claw4]

Social worker has requested a meeting with school, myself and any other professionals involved in ds's care, after school made a referral to social services on the basis of child protection issues to 'get my family some help'

Social worker has made no contact with me at all.

No doubt school are planning on getting everyone in the room to agree with them.

But this is a good sign, right?

Dunno tbh!

If the social worker has made no contact with you, how did you receive the message about the meeting?

You copied in SS to your letter right?

School phoned.

Yes i copied SS, CAMHS and LA into my 2 letters. One about the meeting in school and then in reply to schools letter.

I doubt very much this meeting will be to discuss what extra help to give ds and more about school are doing a lovely job. I will ask them for an agenda.

I know school will say they dont notice any anxious behaviours in school, but i have a chronology of anxious behaviours which TA has reported to me, external agencies have observed and class teacher has reported to external agencies and its written in their reports. I also have my reporting of anxious behaviours.

I am now preparing what targets havent been met for managing anxiety and what help i want school to provide based on expert recommendations.

Anything else i should be doing?

I would feel uncomfortable about this. When someone makes a child protection complaint about you - which in effect what it is - it cannot be normal to put you and the person making the allegation in the same room at the outset before gathering info.

Also you don't really want to rehearse all your arguments in front of school pre appeal.

I would have thought the SW should have spoken to you / school separately. Then decided whether there was any basis to investigate / involve other professionals.

It doesn't feel right to me to put you in this conflict situation, especially when they have not even spoken to you and heard your side - which surely you have a right to give confidentially?

Maybe you should call IPSEA / SOSSEN?

I wouldn't want to turn up and be ambushed.

Surely the SW should actually do an assessment / investigation /obtained views first?

Is this a child protection conference? I would ask the SW to contact you and explain what the process is and if this is a child protection investigation / conference and to send you their guidance / literature / policy so you can understand the process (and explain it to your DS who if it is a CP conference has a right to be there)

So school have probably orchestrated this.

I agree with Agnes I'm afraid. You mustn't refuse to meet with SS, but you CAN refuse to do it this way. It sounds like hell and would make anyone who wasn't previously anxious a jibbering wreck.

I think you are being set up.

I would even have a small bet with myself that SS isn't going to even be there on the day. It sounds like another bullying scaring you tactic.

Agnes my thoughts are they are trying to stitch me up and i would like to meet with SS before the meeting as they have obviously spoken to school.

IPSEA and SOSSEN take forever to get through to, do IPSEA attend such meeting with parents?

I will take your advice and email the SS manager basically stating what you have and asking for a copy of their guidance etc.

is it child protection though? not child in need maybe?

Okay. Proactively. What can SS do for you?

That's what you have to think about and always steer any discussions towards.

You should be careful about considering yourself under attack by them, and refuse to be defensive.

Star, their bullying isnt working, its just making me more determined.

I have 6 pages of anxious behaviours reporting to me by school and anyone who has observed ds in school and all reporting is in writing too.

School will say yes he suffers with high anxiety, but the strategies they have in place are working (although they have written on his IEP anxiety - only seen at home)

He previously received 20 hours of TA support to help him manage his anxieties, now he has to shout out at registration a number from 1-10 to express his anxieties!

CAMHS, SALT, EP, OT have all given them recommendations to help reduce his anxiety and they following none of them.

I aged with notactually is it a child in need or a child protection? If its child in need it may be more helpful. If its child protection I'd be worried. Do you know why school have taken this action?

I know, but don't go to this meeting just because you are confident. You are being set up and the minutes will be a disaster to your tribunal case.

At the moment i feel under attack, but that will soon pass and i will put my logical head back on.

Star i wont be attending any meeting, if i cannot meet with SW first and see what their guidelines are.

At the moment i agreed with the meeting when HT phoned, as i dont want them saying im being obstructive.

Chundle, i provided school with photos i had taken of ds's self injury, as they had previously denied its existence and asked them to follow the recommendations that CAMHS had made with regard to it.

They then said i was taking 'inappropriate' photos of my ds and applying for SA was the cause of his anxiety and referred to child protection.

Yes, I probably would have too. Why not? It buys you thinking time.

You can always say simply 'on reflection, I don't think such an arrangement is in Ds' interest at the moment so have arranged x, instead, but thank you for your efforts'.

Just done some googling. HT meantioned SW had requested a certain type of meeting which is an early assessment of need, which can be stepped up to a child protection issue.

Their website explains what this assessment is, but quick look.

Step 1. Discuss concerns with family and gain consent for assessment to take place. (school told me during meeting it was to a different SS team, not a child protection issue) After i consented they told me it was a child protection issue.

step 2. register assessment

Step 3. Complete assessment with child and family.

Then lots more steps until either needs are address or it is stepped up to a referral.

is it a CAF? or a CIN?

Ah I see. Bloody schools why can't they just be helpful for once!!!

Im not sure im just reading the criteria etc now.

I was reported by DS's old school to SS for gathering evidence - recording DS having a tantrum - as the school refused to recognise a problem. Following the referral all communication was between me and SS and did not involve the school. A SW did a home meeting with DS absent after which they were on our side and attended meetings with the school to support us. SW not necessary to complete a CAF - we refused as it was completely innappropriate and SS backed us up. Keep them separate!

if it is a CAF you would have probably had some paperwork to complete first? Just ring the head and ask what kind of meeting it is and does she have a leaflet about it?

Claw, have PM'd you

Read criteria which is published by SS online, complete with flow charts.

I will write to school and copy in relevant people and provide a copy of the correct procedure.

no great advice or experience, but wanted to post and wish you good luck with dealing with SS, have followed your story over last few years (TotalChaos) and you have always seemed a v concerned caring, GOOD parent whose has had a particularly rotten time with "the system".