social services child protection list

[doctorwho]

I have a five year old boy who is on the child protection list for 'emotional abuse', **** Social services said that there was nothing wrong with him that wasn't caused by us and his aggressive behaviour, no social skills and lack of control were down to us - so started care proceedings as well. We had suggested ASD but this was given as evidence that we were trying to self-diagnose him and Munchausens by Proxy was mentioned.

 

We moved to a new area very quickly and the new team say that my sons problems are definitely not parental and he is about to get an SEN and the Ed Psych he sees has referred him to CAHMS where he is 'expected to get a diagnosis' of ASD.

 

A bit of a change eh?

 

Has anyone else had similar experiences, my wife and I are both healthcare professionals with the NHS (nursing) but because of the Child Protection List have been dismissed - however neither of us have ever been charged with any crime.

Edited July 25, 2010 by call me jaded
to remove name

[call me jaded]

No similar experience, but plenty of sympathy from me.

 

Have you come across the Loxley Blounts? Their website's a bit old now but might have some useful information: Parents Protecting Children.

[doctorwho]

No similar experience, but plenty of sympathy from me.

 

Have you come across the Loxley Blounts? Their website's a bit old now but might have some useful information: Parents Protecting Children.

 

 

thanks will try that

[justine1]

Hi

I went through similar just over two years ago,but didnt get as far as your own.When I left my husband my eldest son made allegations that he was being hit,mostly when I was at work.I do know that my ex was emotionally abusive as it is the reason why I left him.

So SS were involved for 5 mths,in that time my ex wasnt allowed to see our children.I went to a solicitor over it because I thought he should be allowed to see them in a controlled environment,like a visitation centre.However by the time things started to happen the case was dropped.

I didnt feel my son,aged 8 at the time,should have to go through the courts.He did make a video,which I havent ever seen,telling the child protection officer about the abuse.They said because my other two were too young they couldnt back up what my eldest had said.

So this was never put on the protection list.

 

I would suggest looking into getting a family solicitor,a child can be removed from the list if all the reasons why they were on there are no longer valid.Most solicitors do offer financial aid.Check that they do have specific experiences in dealing with SS.I would wait until he has his diagnosis,with a full report.

 

In my case, even though it wasnt even on the register,whenever my boys have changed schools the information is there for all to read.This has made things difficult for them as they are still questioned over their well being more than what they should be.

[call me jaded]

Sorry, just had to remove the name of the LA so that the forum owner doesn't get sued!

[trekster]

We had the opposite situation in which i had to prove bullying by my parents. They insisted aspergers meant i made up lots of stories

(might be true of other kids but it wasnt for me). We had an expert psychiatrist on autism helping to defend my case. Have you tried

to do something similar? SBC or Dr Peter Carpenter? or asking the NAS who could help as they are currently doing a child mental health

campaign "you need to know".

[GreeneShadows]

I actually welled up with tears when I read this. My son was diagnosed with Aspergers about a month and a half ago, he is 12, I have been trying to get a diagnosis since he was very little but have not been listened to. I believe this is because when he was 5, he was also put on the Child Protection Register for likely neglect and likely emotional abuse, in EXACTLY the same situation you describe. My son's father alledged abuse and I went through six years of social service hell and court proceedings where my ex husband tried to get full custody (since realised ex hubby is a long way down on the autistic spectrum).. I can only sympathise and say please get yourself the best solicitor you can, get your health visitor to help you, and make sure that you get him removed from the list. Does he have a diagnosis, this could make the world of difference, they wouldn't listen to me at the time.

 

I have since found that every health professional I have come into contact with has treated me and my son like lepers, apart from my family doctor who is very sympathetic considering the "records" they have on us. I did prove them wrong. I did prove that I was not abusive, but it nearly destroyed me. Please don't let it get this far. I wish you the very best.

 

[Sally44]

I don't have any personal experience of this. But I think you do need to get some legal advice since you have both lost your careers due to this.

It might be advisable to not actually do anything regarding the past until you have a diagnosis for your son and the concerns that got him on the child protection register in the first place. Once that is in place, then I would attempt to clear your own names and get your careers reinstated (unless there is some timelimit involved from a legal prospective within which you have to lodge a complaint or appeal etc).

If you try to clear your names now it might make everyone involved much less willing to diagnose considering past records etc.

I think alot of parents on this forum have experienced this to a much lesser degree ie. have been sent on 'parenting' courses etc as it was believed that they were not doing something right with their child.

In some cases these parenting courses can be helpful to some parents of some children with certain diagnosis or no diagnosis. However it is recognised that alot of these courses are irrelevant to ASD children.

The worst that has happened to me is being labelled an 'anxious' parent and probably a 'pain in the ######' off the record.

I'm just so sorry that you've found yourselves in this situation.

See what legal advice you can get. And also speak with organisations like the NAS to see what advice they can give you.

I have heard of other parents being accused as you have been of munchhausen etc.

I would also gather evidence of other childrens behaviour etc that matches your child's and which was due to ASD or other diagnosis.

I presume that both your professional careers were unblemished before this all happened, which is also worth bringing up. Do you have references from past employers?

Keep us posted with what happens.

[LS2242]

Hi

i have no experience in this field, however would definately pursue for dx. As you say "the new team say that my sons problems are definitely not parental " Can the new team not do anything. Can you put in an official complaint regarding the treatment of you and your family with the backing of the new team? Also instruct a solictor to pursue this and clear your names, as it has already caused damaging affects and will continue to do so unless challenged.

[trekster]

I actually welled up with tears when I read this. My son was diagnosed with Aspergers about a month and a half ago, he is 12, I have been trying to get a diagnosis since he was very little but have not been listened to. I believe this is because when he was 5, he was also put on the Child Protection Register for likely neglect and likely emotional abuse, in EXACTLY the same situation you describe. My son's father alledged abuse and I went through six years of social service hell and court proceedings where my ex husband tried to get full custody (since realised ex hubby is a long way down on the autistic spectrum).. I can only sympathise and say please get yourself the best solicitor you can, get your health visitor to help you, and make sure that you get him removed from the list. Does he have a diagnosis, this could make the world of difference, they wouldn't listen to me at the time.

 

I have since found that every health professional I have come into contact with has treated me and my son like lepers, apart from my family doctor who is very sympathetic considering the "records" they have on us. I did prove them wrong. I did prove that I was not abusive, but it nearly destroyed me. Please don't let it get this far. I wish you the very best.

 

 

http://www.pals.nhs.uk/cmsContentView.aspx?Itemid=944

 

You may have unanswered questions concerning the level and quality of care you receive from the NHS, PALS can help answer these.

 

When using the NHS, you may have a concern about a wide range of aspects of care. For example, you may:

 

* not be happy about the environment in a waiting room or ward,

* feel that a member of staff has not treated you respectfully,

* have had transport or parking problems that have inconvenienced you,

* feel that treatment options have not been properly explained to you.

[coolblue]

Nowhere near such a bad experience as you, but it emerged from a conversation with one professional, that my daughter, who does not have an ASD but had been off school for months, had been suspected of having a 'fabricated illness'. It was one of those comments that just slipped out. At the time, I thought it meant they thought she was pretending to be ill.

 

That was before I read NICE's clinical guidelines "When to suspect child maltreatment" and realised that 'fabricated illness' meant 'Fabricated or Induced Illness' (aka Munchausen's syndrome by proxy) and it was probably me that was under suspicion.

 

Although there was advice in this document to the effect that some behavioural signs might signify autism, rather than abuse, there was no emphasis on ruling out autism first. Similarly, although bullying at school was mentioned, there was no recognition of a school's failure to provide appropriate support as a possible cause for school refusal.

 

My daughter was eventually referred to a paediatrician who had a go at us about dd's school attendance and said he would request blood tests, but had to warn us that he thought they would come back negative, in which case we would be looking at 'psychological factors'. They didn't come back negative. They indicated glandular fever. He cancelled the follow-up appointment without notifying us and we haven't seen him since.

 

The point I'm trying to make (in a rather roundabout way) is that I think some professionals are so jumpy about abuse (probably because they do see more cases than they want to) that they don't eliminate other possibilities first. Which, unless they think the child is at serious risk, they should do.

 

I hope your son does get a diagnosis. If anyone levels accusations at you in future I would recommend asking them for their evidence for doing so. A child's behaviour is not sufficient evidence for assuming parental abuse - all kinds of things can cause behavioural problems. And if you can face it, I would certainly follow up the grounds for your dismissal.

 

cb

[trekster]

Totally agree with coolblue here

[edith simon]

Interesting my answer was not going through.

shortly i repeat.

We went her resigned from her job.

But we lost and suffered for 3 years.

through hell as soc.service and a headteacher made flasa allegations against us as parents.

3 years of fight chi8ldren we nearly taken away.

 

a 10 tyear old autistic ,a 4 year old and a 15 year old.

solicitor,court,parents against injustice org ...etc

social worker was dismissed ,manager of CDT had a breakdown,headteacher resigned.

 

but nobody can give us baxck the 3 years and the fear in us an in our children eve3n afterwards ans innocent.

i fully symphatise who went trhough sg like that.

all the best Edith

 

[teresam]

Hi I am new to the board and when I read this I had to reply.

 

My half brother got meningitis when he was three and went deaf shortly after, he got a cochlear implant in his right ear. After this happened he started having tantrums and as he got older they got worse. He likes to shut the world off when he gets likes this. My mum had social work involvement until recently and then we got told he was going to be having a child protection meeting. And even though mum has fought for a diagnosis for him as this is not normal behaviour for a now 11 year old boy but social work haven't been any help infact he has calmed down since they have backed off. We have been looking into ASD as the doctors don't seem to be very helpful. He can't have an MRI as he has the implant so the best we can get is a CT scan.

 

But he is now on this Child Protection list and we feel like the bad people for trying to help him . We are complaining against the social worker who started all this. My mum and brother now have their own advocates and we have our first meeting this coming week with the professionals.

 

So I can totally understand where you are coming from but the fact you got dismissed is awful!

 

Edited to say : We are on for the same reason "emotional"

Edited September 26, 2010 by teresam

[MelowMeldrew]

I have a five year old boy who is on the child protection list for 'emotional abuse', **** Social services said that there was nothing wrong with him that wasn't caused by us and his aggressive behaviour, no social skills and lack of control were down to us - so started care proceedings as well. We had suggested ASD but this was given as evidence that we were trying to self-diagnose him and Munchausens by Proxy was mentioned.

 

We moved to a new area very quickly and the new team say that my sons problems are definitely not parental and he is about to get an SEN and the Ed Psych he sees has referred him to CAHMS where he is 'expected to get a diagnosis' of ASD.

 

A bit of a change eh?

 

Has anyone else had similar experiences, my wife and I are both healthcare professionals with the NHS (nursing) but because of the Child Protection List have been dismissed - however neither of us have ever been charged with any crime. <img src="http://www.asd-forum.org.uk/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/robbie.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="robbie.gif" />

 

SS are stupid and ignorant people mostly, they may know about child issues but hardly ANY are knowledgeable about Autism, I gather in my whole are not a single social worker has ANY knowledge of autistics nor autistic behaviour, I know, because the System advertised for them and none came forward. Only last year an directive from central service said all LA's HAD to set up an effective and viable system of support for autistics and their families, again, barely ANY exist there is no-one to staff these areas. Some SW are coming in, are out of their depth and leave. Some after a few months or even less. This causes huge problems for parents with autistics whose children start presenting issues at school e.g. Any 'problem' is then home based ! they look no further, and have no other reference point. The thing to do is to refuse social worker involvement unless they are knowledgeable about your child's issue, because many are not even referring these kids on to specialists, despite their own lack of experience.

 

If we have chest pains do we see a vet ? Yet we are expected to recognise an amateur psychologist from SS college is an authority... A lot are just assuming abuse to prevent national outcry, cover their backs, it's another sign of the times, they need to get their act together. No wonder SS can't keep people.

[trekster]

Hi I am new to the board and when I read this I had to reply.

 

My half brother got meningitis when he was three and went deaf shortly after, he got a cochlear implant in his right ear. After this happened he started having tantrums and as he got older they got worse. He likes to shut the world off when he gets likes this. My mum had social work involvement until recently and then we got told he was going to be having a child protection meeting. And even though mum has fought for a diagnosis for him as this is not normal behaviour for a now 11 year old boy but social work haven't been any help infact he has calmed down since they have backed off. We have been looking into ASD as the doctors don't seem to be very helpful. He can't have an MRI as he has the implant so the best we can get is a CT scan.

 

But he is now on this Child Protection list and we feel like the bad people for trying to help him . We are complaining against the social worker who started all this. My mum and brother now have their own advocates and we have our first meeting this coming week with the professionals.

 

So I can totally understand where you are coming from but the fact you got dismissed is awful!

 

Edited to say : We are on for the same reason "emotional"

 

Good luck with getting a diagnosis for your brother.

[trekster]

SS are stupid and ignorant people mostly, they may know about child issues but hardly ANY are knowledgeable about Autism, I gather in my whole are not a single social worker has ANY knowledge of autistics nor autistic behaviour, I know, because the System advertised for them and none came forward. Only last year an directive from central service said all LA's HAD to set up an effective and viable system of support for autistics and their families, again, barely ANY exist there is no-one to staff these areas. Some SW are coming in, are out of their depth and leave. Some after a few months or even less. This causes huge problems for parents with autistics whose children start presenting issues at school e.g. Any 'problem' is then home based ! they look no further, and have no other reference point. The thing to do is to refuse social worker involvement unless they are knowledgeable about your child's issue, because many are not even referring these kids on to specialists, despite their own lack of experience.

 

If we have chest pains do we see a vet ? Yet we are expected to recognise an amateur psychologist from SS college is an authority... A lot are just assuming abuse to prevent national outcry, cover their backs, it's another sign of the times, they need to get their act together. No wonder SS can't keep people.

 

It is not much better for adults. My social worker phones my care manager to ask how things are going, then cancels my care review meeting. She never rings me and im trying to switch to email as i find it easier to work with.

[MelowMeldrew]

It is not much better for adults. My social worker phones my care manager to ask how things are going, then cancels my care review meeting. She never rings me and im trying to switch to email as i find it easier to work with.

 

 

I use e-mail all the time direct. The SW is not supposed to by-pass you by consulting others, I'd take this higher. Basically it is lazy social work rather than make effort to talk to you direct or listen, they pick up a phone talk to someone else, and then cancel talking to you. I went to my MP when they tried that and the SW was carpeted, unfortunately he then left the service because he said clients were ungrateful. No loss, one less loser in the system. I complained because attending my son's school was being affected, they were by passing parents getting info from schools so, did not have to support us to go to the school for meeting where we could directly access info ourselves, in short it was cost saving at the expense for keeping parents out of the loop. We sent a legal writ to the LEA and SS threatening court action, they soon come around as they were obviously breaking the DDA law. Get tough, your kids get only one chance, it is illegal to prevent a parent being actively involved in their child's education.

Edited September 28, 2010 by MelowMeldrew

[teresam]

Thanks Kilimanjaro Stupid meeting is today and he is refusing to go to school. We tried for help at weekends with him but out of hours social work are no good. Even told us once they were to busy to come out and help as or it's the there is noone working who knows him so just call the police if he is causing you that much trouble

Edited September 28, 2010 by teresam

[trekster]

I use e-mail all the time direct. The SW is not supposed to by-pass you by consulting others, I'd take this higher. Basically it is lazy social work rather than make effort to talk to you direct or listen, they pick up a phone talk to someone else, and then cancel talking to you.

It is also not asking me how i feel the care is going. Im sure it breaks some code of conduct but cant think of which rule. i sent her a longwinded email and she mentioned 'staff shortages meant she couldn't get me switched to personalisation' so at the beginning of November i am going to ask for any more news. It will be 2 months after that original email.

 

I went to my MP when they tried that and the SW was carpeted, unfortunately he then left the service because he said clients were ungrateful. No loss, one less loser in the system. I complained because attending my son's school was being affected, they were by passing parents getting info from schools so, did not have to support us to go to the school for meeting where we could directly access info ourselves, in short it was cost saving at the expense for keeping parents out of the loop. We sent a legal writ to the LEA and SS threatening court action, they soon come around as they were obviously breaking the DDA law. Get tough, your kids get only one chance, it is illegal to prevent a parent being actively involved in their child's education.

 

Agreed, however this is for my home care not a child of mine. Im a female Asperger and my social worker refuses to talk to me. Shes very old school in her attitude and this has got to change.

[trekster]

Thanks Kilimanjaro Stupid meeting is today and he is refusing to go to school. We tried for help at weekends with him but out of hours social work are no good. Even told us once they were to busy to come out and help as or it's the there is noone working who knows him so just call the police if he is causing you that much trouble

 

 

Grrrr shame on them.

[Saneasever]

Hi. I'm a Newbie to this site. We've been through similar - in the process of trying to get justice regarding false allegations made against us, etc.

 

Are you similarly trying to 'fight the system'?

 

Our daughter (A., nearly 9yrs old, 'Aspie') has been put through additional trauma as a result of 3 months in hospital - I'm in the Meet and Greet section if you want to know a little more about it.

 

It sickens me to know that other families are still at risk of losing their children due to IGNORANCE regarding the way ASD can present - especially in girls.

 

You'll need to write to Social Services if you want to try and get your names cleared. It's on my TO DO list for this week.

 

Hope things are improving for you...

[teresam]

We are just going through the core meetings just now and trying to put up with intefering social workers. We have put in a complaint against two social workers already and are now trying to get a diagnosis for my brother now 11 as his behaviour is getting worse as he is getting bigger and stronger. We will be meeting again in December to hopefully get off this stupid list and get our lives back to normal. But the people at the original meeting will all have input so whether or not that will happen remains to be seen.