child neglect accusation/residency/contact - please help.

[karrieann]

I have been accused of child neglect i.e leaving my children aged 5,3 and 1 unattended. in actual fact i left them with a friend who left them and i believe this will be proven (i.e not charged on) but even if i am not charged I am getting the impression i will not be allowed to have my children back.
social workers have done a core assessment reccommending only supervised contact despite only having 1 visit with me and they have not involved me in the process at all.
currently no care orders etc in place, children are with my ex at his parents while i am still in the family home.
issues cited by the social workers are that the house was a mess (it was, but is now tidy, however they refuse to come and check this, surely they cant take kids away based on house being untidy once it wasnt like needles laid about or anything like that)
and my "mental health" (was on tablets for depression/stress, since my ex had walked out 10 weeks earlier)
have I got any chance of getting them back now there has been this accusation of child neglect?? obviously assuming there is no criminal charge.
i have a soliciter but just seem to be getting nowhere. all i want is some sort of normal contact/shared residency. i was my childrens primary carer for their whole lives, and had them for ten weeks on my own, schools/nursery all given good reports etc, but social workers have only commented in the core assessment on their attachment to their dad, but they have never seen them with me.
utterly desperate and in despair

[rkd2012]

Hi there

I cant offer you much in the way of advice as my circumstances are rather different to yours...however what I can tell you is if you are being offered supervised contact then take it and INSIST it is supervised by an independent ie at a contact centre. The contact centre workers will then have to write a report after each session detailing how the contact went, they will also comment on the bond you have with you children.

I wasnt told this was possible at first but it is and the reports may be invaluable to you. You can also ask for copies of these reports from your social worker under the freedom of information act.
Good luck!

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Hi Karrieann

Welcome to the discussion board.

Sorry to hear about the difficulties you are having in relation to your three children, and that you have now signed your consent for them to be placed with their father, whilst Children’s Services complete their assessment.

You advise that the core assessment has recommended you have supervised contact with the children. What other recommendations did they make for family support regarding your mental health, parenting capacity for instance?

As far as you are aware, do the nursery, school, or mental health services have any child protection concerns about your ability to keep your children safe, at this time? As these could determine whether a child protection conference is likely to take place. There is a film on our website with further details of the conference process.

You should be sent a copy of the completed core assessment, as this should make clear the nature of the current concerns, your support needs, and the reasons for any supervised contact being recommended at this time. Have you included your own views in the parental comments section, because these should be clearly stated in the report?

I advise that you seek further advice from your solicitor at this time to plan the best way forward.

However, should you need to discuss your situation in more detail, please contact the Family Rights Group advice line on 0808 801 0366 Monday to Friday 09.30 am to 03.30 pm.

Best Wishes

Suzie