Family member and our child
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Our person was released from prison to an AP last month. He has been seeing Probation and they have conducted an in-person Address Check Visit as he plans to return to his mother's. However, my partner and I and our child live 5 minutes away. When our person was on bail in 2020 we had a door step visit where we signed a piece of paper staying no unsupervised contact. We have had no further contact from Probation and Social Services (we were never opened for an assessment) about if/what contact is allowed. Since his release nearly six weeks ago, we have ensured no contact with our child due to no further information. I have personally spoken to the probation officer two weeks after release and they said they would speak to social services and confirmed they already had my child's information. Today they claimed during the Address Check to family that they made the referral on the day of release. We have heard nothing. As we are currently no contact between our child and our family member, there is no risk, but surely this isn't right to not formally inform where family have children so they can safeguard appropriately? What if the situation has changed and he isn't allowed to see our son? I want answers so we can all be absolutely clear of risk and expectations of being on license however I'm scared that pushing for information/decisions could be construed as wanting our child to have contact with a sex offender. It's not that, it's just inevitable that if he moves back around the corner we will see him more so want to be fully prepared and know the facts. Any idea of next steps? Should we just sit right and wait? Do I call social services direct to understand if risk has reduced or gone up? Or is that unwise and it's better to just keep no contact? It feels like as our person is not a parent it's being missed.
Hi Chooks,
If your person has restrictions from a SHPO or from his licence then its quite possible social services won't become involved as they'll assume the restrictions will be monitored and managed by probation and his offender manage.
My person was given a 10-year SHPO, which includes the condition that he must have no unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18 unless this has been agreed in advance by social services and the child’s parents. That specific wording is important, because it clearly sets out both the restriction and the pathway for any permitted contact.
If your person has restrictions from a SHPO or from his licence then its quite possible social services won't become involved as they'll assume the restrictions will be monitored and managed by probation and his offender manage.
My person was given a 10-year SHPO, which includes the condition that he must have no unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18 unless this has been agreed in advance by social services and the child’s parents. That specific wording is important, because it clearly sets out both the restriction and the pathway for any permitted contact.
The boundaries and expectations were established by the court at sentencing, and the responsibility for complying with them sits firmly with him. The order is legally binding and strictly enforceable. Any breach of the conditions, even something that might seem minor to an outsider, would be treated as a criminal offence and would likely result in immediate arrest and further consequences.
Because of that, there has been no separate need for Social Services to step in and create an additional plan or impose further measures. The restrictions are already defined, clear, and carry significant weight. The seriousness of the SHPO itself acts as both a safeguard and a deterrent, leaving no ambiguity about what is and is not allowed.