Social Services

[sheryl_b]

My son is 3 yrs old and living currently with foster carers and has been for 7 months he's attended contact with bruising to which nobody has any explanation he was so badly bruised in August i refused to allow him to go back to the carer and was eventually taken to hospital where there was 14 bruises noted still he was returned to the same carer and the social services are doing nothing................... I am currenttly trying to press charges against the carer and due to doin this my contact has been reduced to 1 hour a week from 3 hours one week and 2 the next..........
Does anyone think i'm in the wrong for being a mother and caring about my child??

[Betty Boop]

Hello Sheryl,

Why is your son in foster care in the first place??

[sheryl_b]

My son was placed in foster care because of my drug habit....... but he was always put first i never put drugs 1st................ i was wrong to use drugs but many parents do.............. now the social worker is trying to say i have problems parenting after 5 weeks of being my sons social worker she decided to take him cos i had a very very negative relationship with her she was telling me how to bring my son up instead of offering support like she should have done...............................

[Betty Boop]

Any chance of getting another social worker then? Your social worker probably felt she was supporting you, we can't always get on with everyone.
Maybe she's just not so good at supporting without seeming like it. Some people have natural skills of putting things across by giving you ideas rather than appearing to tell you what do.

My three year old is currently covered in bruises after falling off her bike, are you sure this sort of thing didn't happen with your son? Kids are kids and through the clumsy toddler stages both my children have been covered in bruises, it's a fact of life at that age.

[sheryl_b]

They are refusing to change my sons social worker and are applying to the courts to have him put for adoption........... i am certain that his bruises are not accidental he had a bruise under his arm-pit and has become really withdrawn

[Betty Boop]

I assume you have a solicitor then?

[SOJOURNER]

Are the current foster parents the ones who want to adopt him?

[sheryl_b]

yes i have a solicitor........... he's doing his best to get my son home............... I'm not sure if the carers want to adopt him as i don't get told who he will (if he is) be adopted to

[SOJOURNER]

Here in the states, this is an end run around the scarcity of adoptable babies.

Take in foster kids, find one you like and then let the social worker know you would like to adopt this particular child.

Prove the parents unfit to reunite with the child and what is the best thing for the child? Why, of course, staying in the loving environment they have grown accustomed to.

[gmc]

I have never had to deal with this kind of thing personally but I would suggest Go see your local MP and ask for help, He or she should hold local surgeries for constituents, that's what they are there for-not to say they will but you have nothing to lose, just don't go looking like a junkie.

Find any local single parent support groups that you can. You don't say how bad the drug problem is or whether you did actually neglect your son but you are up against a lot of inbuilt prejudice. If you think he is being abused get hold of the RSPCC as well and see if they can help or at least make them aware of the concerns. There`have been a few high proifile cases where social services ignoredsigns of abuse by carers.