Urgent - legal advice?

[bochead]

Having had a knock on the door from the boys in blue tonight as a result of a malicious referral from a specific individual at my old LA. Part of the basis for the referral was that no one had seen us for 2 months in the old LA. Well of course they hadn't - we've moved!

I want some proper legal advice, as having spoken to the police the poor things are obliged to come out every time a "professional" picks up the phone, even though it's on record we've moved from the area the referral is coming from?????? That sounds bonkers to me & I'd like some independent advice. I also want our medical records etc off limits to this nutter.

The locals know we are here and have no issues, (I've checked! As Ds is booked to visit his potential new school on Monday). This sort of nonsense is clearly upsetting for my lad, and threatens his emotional security as we settle into our new life.

I think it'll take a note on headed paper from a legal bod to convince this ijeet to stop harassing my family as no one ever listens to Mum lol! It's certainly a clear abuse of his powers. I know how to deal with stalking ex-boyfriends but this is another topic not covered in the standard Mum and baby classes

Can anyone rec a decent legal firm?

p.s If anyone from my old LA is reading this - you should feel ashamed of yourselves. I do keep a diary and it will be sent to the International media if this sort of behavior persists.

Would the cerebra pro bono scheme help? www.cerebra.org.uk/English/gethelp/legalhelp/probonoscheme/Pages/default.aspx

Oh Boc from what i can gather you are not entitled to free legal representation from a Law firm unless court proceedings have started. There are Law firms who specialise.

I tried the usual places, but they were unable to help.

Time for an official complaint about this SW's conduct quoting their own guidelines and procedures at them and the fact these are not being followed?

I'm willing to use the proceeds from selling my home to fund a solicitor. We can go live in a Women's refuge quite happily if it means we'll be free from this individual's harassment.

The fact he didn't go thru the local agencies has left me utterly disgusted with his behavior as that's NOT professional "cricket" iyswim. He phoned the police direct, (it's enough to make me ring the home office to question his immigration status tbh). I'll be knocking at our authorities door at 9 am tomorrow morning so my son can explain in his own words what a w*r this individual has been and then I want to call a legal bod.

I've NEVER been given anything in writing to justify this individual's conduct at any stage. Some of you on here know what went on before we moved.

He's had my sibling in tears this week with his bullying too, & I'm sick of this. Tonight's escapade didn't yield any results for him. It has to stop ffs! There's no way DS will ever return to a brick school until he feels safe, and this has just undone a LOT of hard work towards that goal, as well as seriously upsetting the extended family yet again.

By now I MUST have some sort of case for compensation, and he must have crossed enough lines to be removed from his role before he causes any more damage. I put in a formal complaint to the head of children's services back in July - obviously he felt free to ignore anything that came out of that. Hence my desire for "headed notepaper".

What is their purpose Boc? what are they trying to achieve?

For us, the LA used them as a bullying tool to try and force ds back to a school, which were not meeting his needs.

What was the outcome of your complaint?

For us although they never even acknowledged my complaint, SW was quickly removed from ds's case, all paperwork went missing and history was rewritten. I was then assigned a lovely SW who was completely 'onside'

Have you complained about their procedures not being followed, as well as his conduct ie you have no copy of assessments etc?

No help, boc, but bloody hell

Does he know you've moved? If so it could be worth talking to someone at the copshop about whether they fancy threatening him with prosecution for wasting police time.

Re law firms, try Bindmans or Leigh Day.

What do you think creepy stalkers purpose is?

I've double checked with the previous LA, with our current one and the police too tonight. DS is not and never has been under any kind of formal CP, so no excuse for tonight's little escapade other than continued harassment as far as I can tell.

Surely professional protocol dictates that one SS department should inform another before they pull a stunt like tonight's? I'm going to ask very nicely in the morning that the local bods tell this joker they are more than capable of doing their jobs minus his "help".

It's not this individual's place to decide upon DS's current or future educational placements, that is for his new LA (and myself) to decide.

To be fair discussions to date with the new LA seem reasonable. As far as anything else goes the new authority are more than capable of conducting their own assessments & recommending any parenting support needed to deal with my inadequacies etc all by themselves snark .

I don't know Boc.

I think a big social services shake up is long overdue. I regularly read about kids being killed in horrendous circumstances and their abusers are just left alone until its too late. Yet the likes of me, you and many others who are just trying to get appropriate education for our kids are harassed and hounded. It is any wonder, these things happen when social services don't even follow their own guidelines or procedures. Its like they are a law unto themselves and never held accountable. Makes me sick.

I think you need to make yourself known to the local police and local social services. Tell them you have moved for a fresh start, tell them they are welcome to visit, ask them that when they do the do it at decent hours and in a friendly manner so as to not scare your ds (say he may need their help as an adult and you are trying to show him they're alright). Leave your phone number.

I think it is too dangerous for you to do anything else. Where there is any void this malicious individual will fill it with conspiracies.

I don't think you need the help of a lawyer. I don't think you should give him the satisfaction of knowing you have to find resources and no doubt he'll enjoy the battle.

You need to not get mad or react and simply ignore ignore ignore. (This individual needs removing from post yes, but you're not safe enough to do this ATM)

Boc, im sure you don't need me to tell you talk is cheap, what SS say and what SS do are two different things. I was told all along it wasn't a CP issue, but they can raise it to CP in a heartbeat based on inaccurate info. (not necessarily a bad thing, as they then have to justify themselves, but a stress everyone can do without)

All the way they were just waiting for me to slip up or to find some evidence that I was to blame for ds's difficulties (accessing my medical records for example hoping that I suffered with something or the other to back up their theory. Playing professionals off against me is another example). There was no fairness involved, no transparent procedures followed. In fact they were very sly and underhanded.

When I didn't slip up or they didn't find any evidence (quite the opposite) SW just made some stuff up and altered the facts to justify her actions. Instructing my GP to withdraw her medical certificate, then when my GP refused, she told other professionals behind my back that medical certificate had been withdrawn and that I had lied to my GP to obtain medical certificate for example.

I made it my business to make sure I had everything in writing, my every step. For example I had previously written to SW and my GP to confirm what my GP and I had agreed. My GP confirmed in writing that medical certificate had NOT been withdrawn and what the agreed plan was.

They will eventually tie themselves up in knots. With us, all of the assessments and ds's record 'disappeared' from social services files.

I have never witnessed such an abuse of power.

Just make sure that you cover all bases and don't give them excuses.

I'd already made myself known to the locals. They have NO concerns. DS is doing better than he has in a LONG time. TBH that's why it was so upsetting.

The locals can't stop him from pulling these stunts until our address is permanent, as he doesn't have to close his file until then.

A solicitor is handling my stage 2 complaint as his behavior is both hindering our permanent move, and upsetting. He is also causing serious angst for my sister and her family. I think it needs to be on record that he's not playing cricket, but I feel it's better if he doesn't draw me into it personally iysim. However in terms of time, as I'm home edding right now, plus sorting the move and a business start up, I honestly don't have a lot of time to spare on this joker.

I still haven't seen any paperwork from these jokers, and this has been ongoing since Feb, with all sorts of collusion going on behind my back. The time he's wasting on us, Claw2, who have sold up and won't be returning is time that could be spent elsewhere on a genuine case. That disgusts me, and yes I can easily see how we keep getting these horror stories in the papers.

Why is your address not perminent?

Wot star said. This sounds like someone playing games. He's the big kid in the playground, the one who teachers think does no wrong, and you're his latest target. If you don't react, he may get bored. If you fight back, you'll probably get beaten up.

The safest way to deal with a teacher's pet-bully playing games is

1. refuse to play,
2. calmly tell a sensible adult, but only as much as they'll believe
3. stay close to said adult so they can see the bullying for themselves

For once, it might be worth asking the new area's social services to do a CAF so you can have a formal TAC. If they want continuity, they can get various old professionals to submit a written 'hand-over'.

Bullies don't usually operate in the open.

Once the TAC is in progress, you can ask for their help in getting the case reallocated to another SW.

"Longstanding, mutual breakdown in trust and communication, yes, it was a difficult time, unfortunate history of misunderstandings yadda, yadda. I can't quite get past this, really sorry, struggle to relate with him productively for DS's benefit, working together is so important, can you suggest a way forward?"

In all seriousness, if you were a super-talented manipulator who was totally deranged and secretly causing all the issues, letting you continue for so long would've been seriously negligent

Star - I sold my yard to the first cash buyer that came along, in order to get my son the fook away from a school/locale that was doing him a lot of damage before the start of the autumn term. By the end of last term he was an emotional wreck.

It was that or press charges for his TA assaulting him, hit the old JR trail for failure to implement statement yada, yada. That all takes time - time which DS just doesn't have considering he can't flipping read yet and is only 2 years off secondary.

We are now in a travel lodge in the new area while we wait for the 3/4 weeks it'll take to complete on our own purchase. This is so we could be "boots on the ground" with the new mob. Given the ups and downs of the property market over the last few years - lots of people have done similar.

I did invite the old authority to help me with the transition plan last term. They weren't interested in the slightest, so I got on with sorting it all out alone. The new authority already has every single report I managed to wrangle out of the old before we left. If there are any missing, it's deffo not through lack of effort on my part.

It's also worth noting that our old home was a one bedroom flat, so I slept in the living room. The new home gives us a bedroom each, and a garden. I was hoping to get DS enrolled with the HFA unit here, (none existed in the old area) but now am wondering if it's safer to leave him online schooling for good, as he is learning and happy.

Had DS not had the disability he has, this move would have happened a few years ago.

2bed & garden sounds fab .

And i bet from an ASD-transition viewpoint, an interim month or two in low-stim travel-lodge almost-on-holiday limbo will work out well. Nice way to gently introduce the changes to new house, new area etc.

Online schooling sounds good: from what I've heard from other movers recently, you'll probably be home edding till the end of the year anyway. There aren't many spare mainstream primary spaces nationally, never mind HFA unit places.

Are this lot known to you?

Thanks Maria - that's exactly my point.

DS is getting his head round the changes at HIS pace, some not some arbitrary dicktat set by some caring carrot with no clue as to how he ticks.

He'll be just fine, so long as he doesn't have to endure too many stunts like the other nights.

I had heard of Red Balloon. Minimum age is 10, he's too young for their set up.