Medical records, GP sharing

[MammaBear]

Hi all,
If I seek treatment for depression from my GP (i.e. antidepressants) would this trigger a notice to the social services?
I am so afraid that asking for help will give social services ammunition against me. My first child is in care and I am petrified they might try to take my other daughter if they think I am not coping.

A bit of background: I have had some very traumatic experiences dealing with social services in the past. My first child was removed from my care several years ago following a mental health breakdown and I have been fighting to get her back with me ever since.
I have sole care of my younger child who is four, autistic and nonverbal with complex needs. I have been in very ill health with a bowel condition this year and am struggling with living costs as so many of us are. Daily pressures are immense and I can recognise that I have been depressed for quite a while.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks very much!

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear MammaBear

Welcome to the parents’ discussion board. Thank you for your post. My name is Suzie. I am Family Rights Group’s online adviser.

I am sorry to hear that you are struggling at the moment. You have had a lot to contend with. You have your own health issues. You are a single parent and your youngest daughter has a disability and complex needs. You are working towards having your older daughter returned to your care from foster care. And as you have explained, you are managing all of this in the context of the cost of living crisis. You have also shown insight into your own mental wellbeing and recognise that you have been feeling depressed.

You are worried at the moment that getting help and support for your mental health will mean that your GP will make a referral to children’s services. Your older daughter was taken into care some years ago as you were unable to care for her due to your poor mental health at that time. You are worried this could happen again.

You have obviously coped well until your recent difficulties as you have continued to care for your 4 year old child despite her older sister being in foster care. You don’t mention any current social work involvement with her.

I can understand your worries and the dilemma this is causing you. However, it is a sign of strength to have an insight into your own mental health needs and to know when it is time to get medical advice and treatment to help you feel better. It is also very wise to get help early to prevent a crisis from happening.

As you know, many parents have mental health difficulties and are still able to care for their children safely. Children’s services do not become involved or remain involved with all of those families. Please see this information about help that can be provided on a voluntary basis to families where a parent is suffering mental ill health.

As you know, there can be times where a parent’s mental health deteriorates or they are unable to care for their child to the extent that their child may be at risk of suffering significant harm. This can lead to child protection processes happening.

You are aware that your GP is your first point of contact to discuss how you are feeling. They will be able to help you decide what treatment will help you best. You think this may be anti-depressants. Your GP will want to support you to feel and cope better.

As you are a parent, they will need to take this into account as part of their wider assessment of your needs. Medical professionals are required to ‘think family’ when working with adults. They will check with you about your overall situation. Your GP may be aware that your older daughter is in foster care and will be aware that you were quite unwell in the past. If your GP thinks that you and your daughter would benefit from some additional support they could ask your consent to make a referral to children’s services.

If they were very worried that your daughter was at risk of harm or that you were very unwell and this raised safeguarding concerns they can make a referral without your consent.

Although you have had the very difficult experience of having a child removed from your care, you will be aware that only a court can make this decision (if a parent does not consent) where they are satisfied that the child is at risk of significant harm and their welfare requires this. This is explained in more detail in this FAQ.

From the information you have provided, you are acting very responsibly and seeking support in a difficult situation. Getting the right medical treatment should help both you and your daughter. I am sorry that I cannot predict your GP’s response but I hope that the information above will help you take the step of getting in touch with your GP. I would encourage you to make an appointment with them. You can explain your concerns and ask them to let you know if they think a referral to children’s services would be helpful or necessary.

You can also discuss your mental health needs with one of the specialist mental health charities such as :

MIND
Rethink
Samaritans

The following organisations also offer parenting support and advice:

Family Lives
Family Action – they can also offer befriending and counselling support to parents under pressure.
Home-Start
Contact; they provide specialist advice to families with disabled children, this includes advice on applying for benefits such as DLA

And Turn2Us has valuable information about benefits, financial support, and grants.

I hope this helps.

If you have any further queries about children’s services then please do post on this forum again. Or you can:

• Call our freephone advice line on 0808 8010366. The lines are open Mon to Fri, 9.30 am to 3.00 pm, except bank holidays.
• Ask a question on our advice enquiry form.
• Use our webchat service.

Best wishes

Suzie