Unfair treatment by social services

[Broken Hearted]

Im not sure if this will do us any good,but my partner and i really dont know who to turn to.
We have just come through the year from hell in which we have been lied to,cheated and been virtually emotionally destroyed by social services,the guardian,the courts and even have proof that our own legal team gave sensitive and damaging information to the other side.
At numerous times through this horrific ordeal we were un-ethically,unprofessionaly and we can prove at times illegally treated with absolutely no regard for our or our childrens emotional well being.
The out come of which events have left us with 2 children in foster care and up for adoption and another child at their grandmothers.
Throughout this ordeal we were consistantly mislead,undermined and given no practicle help what so ever.
If anybody is willing to take a few minutes to listen to our plight and give us some advice we would be truely thankful.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Broken Hearted

Welcome to Family Rights Group’s parents’ discussion board and thank you for your post. My name is Suzie, FRG’s online adviser.
I am very sorry to hear about the difficulties that you and your family have experienced and that you feel very strongly that you have been mistreated in the process.

From what you say, it sounds as if you have been through care proceedings and are very unhappy about the role or practice of most of the different professionals involved, including your own legal representatives, in the case. You also feel that your family was not given any real help.

Each of the agencies involved will have their own complaints procedures which you can explore; we advise on the role of children’s services so I will provide specific advice on that below. Agencies also have their own professional regulatory bodies such as the Solicitors Regulation Authority for solicitors, the Bar Standards Board for barristers and the Health Care Professional Council (HCPC) for social workers.

You also disagree, I think, with the court’s findings which has resulted in two of your children staying in foster care but, I believe, with a placement order in place which will allow them to be placed for adoption. A third child is in their grandmother’s care, possibly under a Special Guardianship Order (SGO) or Child Arrangements Order (CAO) or maybe a Care Order ? If I have misunderstood the children’s legal status do please clarify this so that I can tailor my advice.

This must be very distressing for you and you are finding this hard to accept.

Although you are dissatisfied with your legal team you should have been advised by them following the conclusion of the court case if there were any grounds for appeal and the tight time limit for appeal also. Often, there are no grounds to appeal as you would have to show that the decision was wrongly made not just that you disagree with it. You can of course discuss your case with other solicitors to seek a further legal opinion. We cannot advise on the merits of a case.

You don’t mention when the case ended. This can be relevant if you are thinking about applying to revoke a placement order (for which you would need the court’s permission) or discharge a care order as the first thing you would have to show is that there has been a change in circumstances since the order was made. This can be hard to demonstrate if not much time has passed since the court made the order or if the areas of concern will take a long time to address.

The decisions made by the court at the end of the proceedings do stand and it may be important that you think about how best you can work with the current arrangements.

As two of the children are currently in foster care but not yet placed for adoption then you may find our advice sheets:duties on local authorities when children are in the care system and contact with children in care helpful as they both explain more about what this means and how children’s services should work with you as the children’s parents. You should also read our Adoption: what does it mean for birth parents advice sheet which explains more about the placement for adoption process and the adoption process and what your rights as a parent are at this time.

We also have a specific advice sheet on Special Guardianship - what does it mean for birth parents? . Do have a read of this as it may help you make sense of the current situation and what you can do. It also sets out what you can do if you need further support in relation to the SGO.

All of the advice sheets also provide details of other services which may be able to offer you additional support or advice including adoption support services for parents where there is a plan or order allowing a child to be placed for adoption in place.

You have explained how hard it has been working with children’s services but while they are still involved with your children it is important to try to find a way to do so as the social worker will remain the key worker and the Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) will stay involved whilst the children are in foster care and when/if placed for adoption. These tips on working with a social worker may help.

This does not mean that you cannot complain about how children’s services have worked with you up to now; you can make a complaint if you need to. However, this would not be the route to challenge the decisions made by the court. This advice sheet on challenging decisions and making complaints explains how to make a complaint, the type of things you can complain about and how your complaint should be dealt with.

Once again, I am sorry that the whole process has been so devastating for you and that you have been separated from your children.
You are welcome to contact FRG’s Freephone advice line if you would like some advice about your situation. The Freephone number is 0808 801 0366 and the line is open from Mon-Fri (except bank holidays) and from 9.30 am to 3.00 pm. or if you prefer, you can post again with a specific query.

Best wishes

Suzie