Hi
Long story, but my partner and I have been together for around 3 years.
I have an 11 year old, an 18 month old and I am currently 34 weeks pregnant.
An isolated incident happened 2 weeks ago where myself and my partner had argued, I had gone outside to calm down but he ended up pulling me in the house from the door by my hair.
I contacted a domestic abuse helpline for advise about housing who then informed me they were contacting social services. (My children were in bed and did not hear the incident)
I had a phone call on Thursday from social and they came to visit my children on friday.
My 11 year old has autism and I did make him aware of this. He asked my daughter "does mummy have a boyfriend" but my daughter did not understand the question and said no I didnt.. I asked the social worker after he'd looked in my daughter's bedroom, met my mum (who's a protective factor) and met my 18 month old and I asked him if he had any concerns, he stated he didnt however he still needed to do a risk assessment on my partner, he also kept advising for him to not live in the home which I dont agree with.
The social worker then contacted me again on Sunday and asking a history of my exes, my mums details etc which i felt was intrusive for a section 17.
I then rang him again on Monday as I wasnt happy with the questioning especially as I mentioned my daughter was autistic.. he stated that he felt my daughter had been "coached" and she appeared to be "very protective of me". And that obviously my daughter heard the incident as I would have screamed (I didnt)..
My questions are:
A section 17 - are they allowed to contact me on a Sunday? Also is it usually this intrusive?
As my daughter is autistic aren't they supposed to use a more appropriate way of talking?
Is it normal for him to accuse and make assumptions about what and how my daughter reacted to the question and to the incident? I felt it was quite unfair and rude.
For this to escalate to a section 47, what would have to happen? I've read about the neglect toolkit and from what I can see the situation that has happened and the fact we don't have regular police involvement, it was an isolated incident, my children have no health issues or appear to be distressed, we are complying and willing to work with social could they escalate this?
Section 17
-
Suzie, FRG Adviser
- Posts: 5040
- Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2011 2:57 pm
Re: Section 17
Dear GL2026
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 about the difficulties that you and your family are currently experiencing. I understand that this may be a worrying and stressful time, especially as you are pregnant.
You explain that children’s services became involved recently in response to an incident where, following an argument, your partner pulled you back inside the house by your hair. That must have been a frightening experience for you. You did the right thing by contacting a domestic abuse service where you sought housing advice. They made a referral to children’s services due to their concerns about the possible impact of domestic abuse on your children; your 11-year-old autistic daughter, your 18-month-old child and your unborn baby. You describe an isolated incident which you believe that your children did not hear as they were in bed. It is important to be aware that domestic abuse often occurs or escalates in pregnancy; it is a particularly high-risk time. And children who experience the effects of domestic abuse may themselves be seen as victims of domestic abuse; they often notice conflict or tension at home which parents believe they are unaware of.
We have tips for mothers on working with social workers when they are involved because of domestic abuse and some additional FAQs for mothers and fathers; they may be helpful to you and your partner.
Children’s services are now doing an assessment, under section 17. It is good to hear that you are willing to work with children’s services, and you are already doing so by cooperating with a home visit, allowing the social worker to look around your home and talk to your daughter. I am pleased that you had the support of your mother during the visit and that she is a protective factor.
However, you have concerns which I will try to respond to:
The social worker said that your partner should not live in your family home which you disagree with. My understanding is that the social worker is asking your partner to agree not to stay in your home while the assessment is taking place; it is usual practice to ask the adult who the concerns are about to agree to stay elsewhere so that the children can remain safely at home while the assessment is conducted. The social worker has said they will need to risk assess him. You can ask the social worker to confirm when/how this risk assessment will take place. As your baby is due soon, you should ask that this be done as soon as possible. If you and your partner do not agree to your partner living away from home for the moment, then it is important that you ask what children’s services’ view is/what action they would take if they assess this to be unsafe.
It is not usual for a social worker to contact you on a Sunday as their normal working week is Mon to Fri. It may be that in your local authority their hours are more flexible, and social workers work differently to complete their assessments. You would need to check what the policy is in your area; if you are unhappy about being contacted at the weekend then you can contact the team manager to query this practice and to discuss any concerns you have.
The social worker is expected to complete a holistic assessment exploring the children’s developmental needs/ their parents’ parenting capacity and family and environmental factors. So, they will look at family history, relationships, and current support networks too. Please see our advice on child in need assessments for more information.
Social workers should take account of a child’s age and communication needs when speaking to them. It is good that you highlighted your daughter’s communication needs due to her autism to the social worker. Social workers are expected to understand autism and how it affects children including how they communicate. They are expected to give a professional opinion though too. If you have any further advice for the social worker about how best to communicate with your daughter, then let him know. Where you disagree with the social worker’s comments or conclusions in their completed report you can ask that your views be noted too.
You are wondering what would need to happen for your children’s situation to become a section 47 child protection enquiry. I cannot say exactly why it could escalate as this based on a family’s individual circumstances and the decision is taken at a strategy meeting but usually it would be if there was another serious incident, if parents were not cooperating with a temporary safety plan, if new concerns arose or a child disclosed that they were being harmed.
I hope that this helps. If the situation changes or if you need any further advice, please post back on this forum, call our freephone advice line (0808 801 0366) to speak to an adviser, send an advice enquiry or use our webchat facility.
Best wishes
Suzie
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 about the difficulties that you and your family are currently experiencing. I understand that this may be a worrying and stressful time, especially as you are pregnant.
You explain that children’s services became involved recently in response to an incident where, following an argument, your partner pulled you back inside the house by your hair. That must have been a frightening experience for you. You did the right thing by contacting a domestic abuse service where you sought housing advice. They made a referral to children’s services due to their concerns about the possible impact of domestic abuse on your children; your 11-year-old autistic daughter, your 18-month-old child and your unborn baby. You describe an isolated incident which you believe that your children did not hear as they were in bed. It is important to be aware that domestic abuse often occurs or escalates in pregnancy; it is a particularly high-risk time. And children who experience the effects of domestic abuse may themselves be seen as victims of domestic abuse; they often notice conflict or tension at home which parents believe they are unaware of.
We have tips for mothers on working with social workers when they are involved because of domestic abuse and some additional FAQs for mothers and fathers; they may be helpful to you and your partner.
Children’s services are now doing an assessment, under section 17. It is good to hear that you are willing to work with children’s services, and you are already doing so by cooperating with a home visit, allowing the social worker to look around your home and talk to your daughter. I am pleased that you had the support of your mother during the visit and that she is a protective factor.
However, you have concerns which I will try to respond to:
The social worker said that your partner should not live in your family home which you disagree with. My understanding is that the social worker is asking your partner to agree not to stay in your home while the assessment is taking place; it is usual practice to ask the adult who the concerns are about to agree to stay elsewhere so that the children can remain safely at home while the assessment is conducted. The social worker has said they will need to risk assess him. You can ask the social worker to confirm when/how this risk assessment will take place. As your baby is due soon, you should ask that this be done as soon as possible. If you and your partner do not agree to your partner living away from home for the moment, then it is important that you ask what children’s services’ view is/what action they would take if they assess this to be unsafe.
It is not usual for a social worker to contact you on a Sunday as their normal working week is Mon to Fri. It may be that in your local authority their hours are more flexible, and social workers work differently to complete their assessments. You would need to check what the policy is in your area; if you are unhappy about being contacted at the weekend then you can contact the team manager to query this practice and to discuss any concerns you have.
The social worker is expected to complete a holistic assessment exploring the children’s developmental needs/ their parents’ parenting capacity and family and environmental factors. So, they will look at family history, relationships, and current support networks too. Please see our advice on child in need assessments for more information.
Social workers should take account of a child’s age and communication needs when speaking to them. It is good that you highlighted your daughter’s communication needs due to her autism to the social worker. Social workers are expected to understand autism and how it affects children including how they communicate. They are expected to give a professional opinion though too. If you have any further advice for the social worker about how best to communicate with your daughter, then let him know. Where you disagree with the social worker’s comments or conclusions in their completed report you can ask that your views be noted too.
You are wondering what would need to happen for your children’s situation to become a section 47 child protection enquiry. I cannot say exactly why it could escalate as this based on a family’s individual circumstances and the decision is taken at a strategy meeting but usually it would be if there was another serious incident, if parents were not cooperating with a temporary safety plan, if new concerns arose or a child disclosed that they were being harmed.
I hope that this helps. If the situation changes or if you need any further advice, please post back on this forum, call our freephone advice line (0808 801 0366) to speak to an adviser, send an advice enquiry or use our webchat facility.
Best wishes
Suzie
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