protecting our children

[thekidsrule]

carry on please

I feel the the cycle of abuse and deprivation can be brocken for the children who are given the correct theraputic care by adoptive or foster parents and profesionals or who are taken into care at birth.
I have no experience of helping birth families in mother and baby units or other intensive help which may or may not work in some cases, but I think there needs to be much quicker intervention when it can be seen that there is no or a very weak attachment between the parents and the child. Something that can rarely be learnt by a parent if they were never shown it as a child. Perhaps some sort of assesment of the parents done by a professional phycologist to diagnose attachment disorder and any other phycological problems which would prevent them for ever having a 'normal' relationship with their children would help speed things up and reduce the damage done to the children
Much of the studies done about the outcomes of children in the care system will be in the main, children who were in childrens homes or moved arround a lot in the fostercare system. I feel that stability for the child in care is essential. Toing and froing back and forward to birth parents does so much harm. Our DS had moved a total of 17 times in his sort life before he came to us. Some of this was with birth mother as she got chucked out of flats on a regular basis and some to and from fostercare and other relatives whosaid they would look after him.

I agree with your first para corcory and I agree that in some cases a more swift intervention is necessary. However the first duty of social workers is to keep the family together and offer support and attempt to improve the parenting capacity of the parents. This stage I think can go on far too long, but it is a bit like walking a tightrope to work in partnership with parents (which is a legal requirement) and to act in the best interests of the child.

However another problem is that if the LA take a case to court with an application for a Care or Parenting Order, then they have to prove that they have done everything possible to offer the parents the necessary support to enable them to be good-enough parents. I think the pendulum has swung too far in this respect, and this is why there is a hesitancy on the part of the professionals to apply for an Emergency Protection Order in respect of a child being abused or neglected. Also social workers have to be able to evidence the allegations they are making against the parents to prove that the child is suffering from significant harm. Birthparents are represented in court by a lawyer and they will fight their corner very hard. Social workers can expect to be cross examined for 2/3 hours by lawyers for the parents, and will be trying to trip them up at every verse end. I actually think the adverserial system is not the right way for child care cases to be conducted. I think in Scotland they have a children's panel, but notsure how that works.

Almost all parents whose children have been removed will have a psychological assessment and their reports carry a lot of weight in court. The only trouble is that they often end by saying the parent would need a great deal of psychological intervention to put them on the right track for good enough parenting, and of course the money is not available, and most of us thouht this was a bit of a cop-out by the psychologist, as the children do not have the time to wait for a parent to work through their own childhood traumas and be able to parent in a better way.

Psychiatric reports are also done if there are mental health issues.

I think more social workers and managers need to know a lot more about attachment theory than they actually do. I think it is hugely important in assessing the needs of a child. By definition all children who are on the brink of coming into care,or are actually removed from parents, will have an insecure/anxious attachment with the parent, and this needs to be understood by social workers. Some LAs put on courseson this issue for prospective foster carers and adoptors and I think it is essential for all involved in fostering and adoption to be knowledgeable about this issue.

Your child being moved 17 times is horrendous, but demonstrates the patience, committment and loving care that you have given the child over time, to enable him to have a secure attachment to you, which will be a protective factor through his lifespan.

Renee I am now wondering who you are!!

I actually don't know how to name change though don't think I would ever want to do that.

I think you have hit the nail on the head when you say that the main aim of SS is to keep the family together. I have experience of our children's social worker. It became obvious that she was really the birth mother's social worker and had little or no interest in the children, she would speak about the BM in very friendly terms telling me things she shouldn't have. She did no life story work. Did not get the CP order lifted before handing over the children she couldn't remember what or where the presents given to her for the children from BM on her last meeting with them (which she videoed)were. Photos of the Birth Family were found in a drawer in the SS office 2 years after we got the children. When I raised conserns about our children's very disturbing behaviour she just told me that all children do that and tried to suggest the her own child was just like ours! As she was the person who had returned the children to their BM time and time again our son was very upset at the thought of her turning up or even phoning as he thought that she was comming to take them away again. I could go on.
I feel the main consern of the social workers should be the children and their well being.
All to often BF have attachment disorder and or ADHD ( very similar presentation) and will never be capable of parenting their children and it is at a very early stage that I feel phycological assesment should be carried out not as evidence for court. Yes you are right we have a children's panel who looks at child protection orders etc. in Scotland. But I am not sure who is responsible for the granting of freeing orders. I know that we had to go to the local sheriff court for the adoption order.

I know what you mean Corcory and I have known social workers who have made too close a relationship with BMs and lost sight of the child protection issues. It is a bit difficut because a lot of sw training is about making a relationship with the client, and you do of course need to do that. It is a bit like walking a tightrope but I was always straight with BMs and told them that my main concern was the welfare of the child.

I remember a social worker (quite experienced too) who was getting far too close to the BM who had LDs. She was taking her food and things, and I asked her what she would do if it came to removing the children. She looked a bit shocked but agreed she needed to keep this in mind. Well the 3yr old child was removed as the mom was dragging her around the kitchen by her hair and the neighbours heard the screaming. There was a 1 yr old baby that they decided to leave at home! I argued strongly that this did not make any sense but he was left there, as the sw thought she would manage withjust 1 child. Anyway the baby was remove soon after as mom had left him outside in a pushchair in just a babygrow (in cold weather0 while she was in the house wih her mates!

Your children's social worker sounds very similar. Your last para is something I totally agree with. Ah well this may be the last post as there is another episode on tonight!

Watching last weeks on I player. He has no bed but dad has a laptop!

new thread

Just watched this on I player. Wasn't surprised at cp meeting or even trying dx when mum went into hospital. I think the whole situation was pretty poor, they were given plently of time and even had it written down what needed to be done and still failed. Think mike had a lot to answer to. Feel very sad for Tiff, and think she maye wasn't in the right place mentally to make that choice poor Toby will struggle to find a adopted placement, and likely bounce about a fair bit which is very sad.

As for the bed thing, it's classed as a basic need, not even the bed, a mattress and bedding. Parents had a bed, bedding, and even a laptop.