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cathcart3303

Had enough of Social Services

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I shouted at the 3 Social Services staff who came round today. Bullying in numbers. Kept telling me what I should be doing. I had just told them about my son's extreme withdrawal and lack of interaction. Came up with playing a board game with him. I told them he needs structure and routine. He needs a tutor and a transition plan. It is illegal that no educational provision had been made for 18 months. When I asked about the support worker my son is still on a list and no date. Totally hacked off with the lot of them.

 

Anyone want to know where money is wasted? Its all these useless people holding meetings and coming to appointments but not actually doing anything.

Edited by cathcart3303

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As frustrating as it is, you do need to be in dialogue with these people, otherwise they just tarnish you as a bad parent. I remember having the OT turn up at our house to show me how to teach my son to do "relaxation exercises". I told her we were way past that point now. He had attempted suicide, and when she arrived he was sat on the stairs with a pair of sissors saying that he was going to cut his wrists, or throw himself down the stairs. We told her to take notes of what she witnessed. We wrote to her detailing what had happened, and asked her why she had not delivered an OT programme as per his Statement. To confirm that he had Dyspraxia and Sensory processing Disorder and that the NHS OT department did not provide any funding/therapy for those diagnoses. She did write back confirming that.

 

So shouting at them. Getting upset or angry is not going to get them into a corner like asking them the right questions. Just be very matter of fact about it eg. "I have been told by IPSEA that under the Education Act a child that is ill and out of school for more than 14 days should have alternative education provided by the LA. Why have you done nothing for 18 months?" "And what do you propose to do now."

 

Do not be drawn by them asking you "what do you want". It isn't about what you want. There is SEN law and procedure and it is about them identifying his needs, and providing provision for those needs, and TELLING YOU what they are going to do.

 

At any proposed meeting ask who is coming. Ask what the point of the meeting is. Make sure you have someone with you to take notes, or better still get two dictaphones and record the meeting. That is when you can corner them and ask them 'what is the plan?'. Then just shut up and let them talk. And have a list of questions you can ask eg. "At the meeting on xx/xx/xx I was told that my son was on a waiting list for a support worker. I have heard nothing for the past xx months. Can you please update me with when he will get this support worker." And make sure an Inclusion Officer is attending the meeting, because no-one can make any decisions without their say-so. And then ask them "My son has been out of school for xx months due to anxiety. He has not received any education since then. Can you tell me what education you will provide for him whilst he is ill and at home, how many hours a week that will be, and who will be doing it."

 

Do send in a letter to them. Ask them if their suggestion of "playing a board game" with your son is the sum total of their advice and input after 18 months of him being out of school due to depression and anxeity."

 

Remember that Social Services are not responsible for providing education. That is the Local Authoritys job. It is the LA Inclusion Officer and EP who should be involved on that issue.

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What's an inclusion officer?

 

 

Only had full meeting last week and awaiting outcomes from that so have no idea why 3 people turned up yesterday. I was only expecting the social worker as she said she had not 'seen' my son and needed to every 4 weeks. Only been involved a couple of months. SW came last Nov and transferred to children in need team.

 

The SW had already established I needed to be seen by adult social services so why go on about what I should be doing when I have not been assessed?

 

Sally, I will ask for the written outcomes of my sons core assessment (which to my knowledge has not been completed). I will also put in writing what occurred yesterday.

 

Dialogue did continue after I had vented my frustration at the not listening and been patronising. (I do not have any adrenal glands and do not deal with stress very well and this has made me ill).

Edited by cathcart3303

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This whole process can make anyone ill.

 

An Inclusion Officer is the person within the Local Authority that writes up the Proposed and Final Statement. They are also the people that are on LA funding Panels, and are the same people that school would have to submit a request for any top up funding on top of delegated funding.

 

They are the people that are supposed to provide alternative education if a child is ill and unable to attend school.

 

They are the people that usually involve the Educational Welfare Officer.

 

Basically they hold the LA purse strings.

 

They are employees of the Local Authority.

 

Are you, or have you dealt with anyone like that?

 

Although Social Services are also employees of the LA, they are not responsible for education. They are responsible for Social Care, which may include them recommending that a child needs residential educational provision. They are also responsible for carrying out Core Assessments, Carers Assessments, Direct Payments, Short Breaks etc. But they cannot tell 'education' what to do and they cannot recommend what type of educational provision a child needs - apart from the 'social care' residential aspect.

 

The Local Authority Educational Psychologist is the person to assess a child's cognitive ability, specific learning difficulties or disabilities and is the professional that should advice the LA and parents of the type of educational provision the child needs. However they don't volunteer this information, and may even say that they are not allowed to say which school your child should attend. But if you write to them asking them specific questions, they should respond. They should also quantify and specify the level of support a child's Statement should contain in terms of hours of provision and staffing arrangements. The specific therapists [ie. SALT and OT] should do the same and specify how many 1:1 hours per term/week they should see your child.

 

I know that some Local Authorities do things slightly differently, but I think is the basic set up in most LAs. Does that make more sense now?

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another way of dealing with social services is to see if theres an asd social worker in your area.

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I have just rang social services department to ask for minutes of the 2 meetings we have had and a copy of my sons core assessment report. It turns out the 'social worker' who has been coming to the house is a family support worker and the social worker was the man who visited last with her and someone else.

 

Can a family support worker undertake a core assessment of my sons needs?

 

 

Today is deadline for LA to answer my complaint about lack of a service. I wonder if I will get it and what it can say?

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Do you have a letter you sent to SS asking them to undertake a Core Assessment?

 

Have you lodged a complaint with the person at the Local Authority that handles complaints?

 

I don't know if a Family Support Worker can carry out a Core Assessment.

 

I would suggest you phone the LA complaints person and say you have not had a response from them and so you are going to lodge a complaint with the Local Governments Ombudsman. That might get a response from them.

 

But make some notes of what you want to complain about to the LGO ie.

 

On xxxx I wrote to SS and asked them to carry out a core assessment.

I understood this assessment had been carried out, but I have not received SS report or been given any details of the outcome of that assessment and my son is not receiving any services from SS. We do not even receive short breaks, which is a requirement by government to be provided.

I have written to SS on xxxxx asking them to provide me with a copy of this Core Assessment report and I have not received it.

I have lodged a complaint with the LA about not receiving a copy of the Core Assessment and my son not receiving any services from SS and I have had no response from them.

 

Then phone the LGO and lodge the complaint. And send in a letter of your complaint to the LGO detailing the above, and anything else you need to complain about.

 

The LGO will investigate whether the LA and SS [who are LA employees] has followed the correct procedures.

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How do you change your Social worker? Theres an ASD one started in my county recently and I think I might get somewhere with her because im banging my head against the proverbial brick wall trying to get help from mine here.

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Since you originally posted has there been a satisfactory outcome to the situation you were conveying to us all.

It's a constant challenge reading the posts from parents in getting the help their children need it seems ridiculous that they don't listen to the parents in regards to their child's needs because they are the ones with constant care and know the child's requirements best of all. It just seems a very poor situation to me that people have to endure this kind of situation through lack of understanding by people who should know better.

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I meant challenging for the parents not me reading the posts. It didn't sound right on reading the post after.

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Hi Livelife,

 

In the end is took over a year to do the core assessment. Load of tosh and no support. At the end sent in a support worker to tell me how to parent after my son had been out of education for 2 years and the SW forgot to inform him he had mental health needs. I agreed to SW closing case as useless moron. Went to tribunal last July and named independent school who didn't put in provision they said they would at tribunal. LA then ceased placement. Written in statement should have 21/2 years of extra education for what he had missed. New SW involved as younger son started school refusing. Wiser this time and he has home tutor, requested under the Equalities Act educational psychologist input for 50 minutes a week from the school as plan is he shall return and from the medical needs school an OT assessment of his sensory needs. He was seen within a month by a psychiatrist (as it took 17 months for my eldest) and he is now on sertraline for anxiety. Had to involve solicitor as well but older son is now being considered for specialist AS college in the south. The new SW is closing older son's case as is going to residential but her manager still putting onus on all the intervention he had which failed! The only intervention CAMHS requested the SW refused to fund. Absolute joke. Have got to say this SW is actually making an effort with younger son. He is now also being assessed for autism.

Edited by cathcart3303

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Pleased about your son being assessed for autism, can you contact healthwatch regarding the problems with the other 1 or go to your MP?

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