Family Rights Group | Parents’ Forum

Hi
My OH is waiting on a risk assessment but i read somewhere if he had a traumatic childhood or was abused in the past as a child ,SS using a blanket approach will put him high risk. Like i dont get it? Why? Surely its not about the past but the present and the help he has got and dealt with it. Confused??

Hi Mango,

It’s really good to hear from you again, although I’m sorry to see that you’re still under enormous pressure from the current process. I’ve been thinking about your situation since your last post, especially the fact that the social worker has banned your partner from the home even when the children aren't there, and is still refusing to put anything in writing. Have you had any response yet to your Stage 1 complaint? Did you send it? Sorry if you have already mentioned I spoken to so many people.

This new question about childhood trauma and risk assessments is an important one, and your confusion is completely understandable. You are absolutely right, the present and the work your partner has done to deal with his trauma should carry far more weight than events from decades ago.

Unfortunately, what you’ve come across is a very common, very lazy approach used by some social workers. They rely on what’s called the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) model, and instead of seeing past trauma as something someone has bravely survived and worked through, they treat it purely as a predictor of future harm. It's reductionist, discriminatory, and not compatible with legally mandated “individualised assessment.”

That’s why your instinct is right, you can (and should) challenge any “blanket” assumptions.

How to Challenge It Effectively

You frame his trauma as a protective factor, not a risk:

Professional evidence
Your partner should immediately ask his therapist or mental health team for a letter stating:

He has actively engaged in trauma work or counselling

He has developed effective coping strategies

His insight into his own history significantly reduces any future risk

Written challenge to the assessment process
Ask the social worker to confirm in writing:

“Can you confirm that the assessment will be based on current functioning and evidence-based protective factors, rather than solely on historic ACE scoring? Please also provide details of the assessment framework being used.”

Assessment preparation
Your partner shouldn’t minimise or hide his past. Instead, he explains it clearly, and emphasises what he's done to process and grow from it:

“Yes, I experienced trauma in childhood, but that is exactly why I’ve done the work I have. I went to therapy. I developed insight. My children will never go through what I did, and my own journey has made me a stronger, more reflective parent.”

It’s about making sure they see his trauma the way he’s lived it: not as damage, but as the reason he is safe, accountable, and committed.

As always, I can help if you want to develop the assessment response or draft the email that pushes back against their use of "historic harm" logic. May need to send me a DM as i can help in there but not as much on the forum page
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For full transparency, I am not an official adviser for this forum. I am a parent who has been through a long and successful legal battle with a local authority, and I am here to offer supportive, strategic advice based on my own lived experience. The information I share is for guidance, and it is always up to each parent to decide what is right for their own situation.

Please note: The forum admins have now restricted me to two public posts per week, so I am prioritising responses where urgent safeguarding or legal escalation is involved. If you need more support, feel free to click the speech bubble next to my name and message me privately.