SW going to tell my Daughter

[santa fe]

HI the SW is going to tell my little girl who is 6 that I am not her biological father whilst she is in long term care.
What can I do to stop them doing this?
I have informed my solicitor of my feelings.
Her mother and I don't talk or if I try she cries harassment.
Just found this
Life story work is a social work intervention with children and adults designed to recognise their past, present, and future. It is prominently used with children who will be adopted, and older adults as part of reminiscence therapies. Life story books are often incorporated into this work to give a visual aid and reminder of important events or feelings.
Thanks

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Hi santefe

Welcome back to the parents board.

Sorry to hear that you are having such a difficult time with regards to your 6 year old 'step child' being informed that you are not her real father. Ideally, this information sharing should be shared together with an important and trusted family member, when and if it is in the child's best interests to do so.

It is always a difficult decision about when is the right time to share these details, particularly if a child is very young, and already feeling rejected or vulnerable due to other things that may be going on in their life.

I am sorry to have to ask but could you remind us what your 'step child's legal status is at this time? For instance, is she in long term foster care under a Care Order? This is because if Children's Services share parental respsonibility for her, it gives them powers to make certain decisions about her care that you may or may not agree with.

Alternatively, she may be placed in voluntary care where parental responsibility remains with the mother, and anyone else who may have this at the current time?

You have suggested that the information about you, was shared as part of life story work sessions being completed by the social worker. The idea being that she is then able to make sense of her identity and past history in terms of loved ones, people who were important and cared for her from both family, friends and community network. Whether they are biologically related to her or not.

Either way, under Working Together (2013) the social worker does have a duty to consider the views, of key 'parental figures' - and be clear about why and how far they choose or choose not -to take these into account in any work or assessments they are doing with a young person.

All of the relevant information, should be carefully recorded on the young person's file, so she can understand some of the decisions made by the professionals working that were working with her. Wherever possible, it should be shared preferably with parental consent (or knowledge) given in advance.

As a result, professionals need to be mindful about the timing of life story work and type of information shared should be experienced enough to conduct this work. This is because it has the potential to have a major bearing on a young person's future long term emotional wellbeing.

In addition, professionals need to consider that all young people have the option to access often very sensitive and important records about their life once they become eighteen.

You are right to raise such a sensitive and important issue with other users of the forum here. Some of which may also not be biological fathers, and may be able to offer you some support if they have been through similar experiences. You may find it helpful to look at our frequently asked questions for non biological fathers on our website.

Regrettably, there is limited support for the many non biological family and friends carers that have played an important role in a young person's early life, but then find that they have reduced rights in relation to them, in the eyes of the law, as they become older. I hope you found it useful speaking to your solicitor about your own position.

I hope this has answered some of your questions.

Best Wishes


Suzie

[santa fe]

I am sorry to have to ask but could you remind us what your 'step child's legal status is at this time? For instance, is she in long term foster care under a Care Order? This is because if Children's Services share parental respsonibility for her, it gives them powers to make certain decisions about her care that you may or may not agree with.



MY DAUGHTER is in long term foster care with a care order and I have got my wires crossed again.
THe SW will not be doing the story thing it will be a trained Phycology’s due to other issues
and as for the adoption issue that's me reading in to something that's not there.
Yes the LA have shared PR
Thanks