Hi
Does anyone have any experience with SS allowing unsupervised contact when their person has a SHPO that has no restrictions set being around children. My person's SHPO literally just states he has to have monitoring software on his phone and no deletion of search history etc.
We spoke with our SW on Monday and she said they are still doing a risk assessment on my person (they've been working on this bloody risk assessment since August and we've never been shown it). I suggested a phased return to unsupervised contact for example leaving the kids with him in the morning for 30 mins so I don't have to pay for breakfast club as childcare costs are killing us. We're currently on a CPP, hoping to move down to a CIN in July following our next review meeting.
If the court haven't specified no unsupervised contact with the kids, do SS have the power to go against this?
Just want to prepare myself with the facts prior to our next core meeting in a couple of weeks.
Does anyone have any experience with SS allowing unsupervised contact when their person has a SHPO that has no restrictions set being around children. My person's SHPO literally just states he has to have monitoring software on his phone and no deletion of search history etc.
We spoke with our SW on Monday and she said they are still doing a risk assessment on my person (they've been working on this bloody risk assessment since August and we've never been shown it). I suggested a phased return to unsupervised contact for example leaving the kids with him in the morning for 30 mins so I don't have to pay for breakfast club as childcare costs are killing us. We're currently on a CPP, hoping to move down to a CIN in July following our next review meeting.
If the court haven't specified no unsupervised contact with the kids, do SS have the power to go against this?
Just want to prepare myself with the facts prior to our next core meeting in a couple of weeks.
The courts in their SHPO decided not to make it a specific criminal act for your person to have unsupervised contact with a child. Social services make their decisions based on a wider assessment of what is in the interests of a particular child and managing risk of harm to that child. These use different factors although there are some overlaps in what the judge considers in sentencing and what SS use. Not having a SHPO that bans unsupervised contact doesn't mean that SS will consider unsupervised contact is safe even if it wouldn't be a new criminal offence). It is however helpful, as having contact in an SHPO suggests something that would alarm SS and gives SS a lot more power to enforce their views without further scrutiny.
Ultimately it still comes down to demonstrating to SS (or ultimately a family court if you can't agree) that you can successfully safeguard and have good plans in place to ensure your children are safe.
Ultimately it still comes down to demonstrating to SS (or ultimately a family court if you can't agree) that you can successfully safeguard and have good plans in place to ensure your children are safe.
Thanks Sad. That makes sense. I'm happy to continue as we are with me supervising in the home (as I have been for 2 years) for a bit longer. However I am worried long term for my job. I'm in the 3rd year of a degree and by Feb I will be qualified and expected to start work at 7am 3 days a week. I currently can't do that because of supervised contact. He takes kids to school everyday which SS have allowed so they would be unsupervised for 1 hr and 20 minutes if I was to start work at 7am.
Only alternative is for kids to stay with my parents 3 nights a week but that is a lot of upheaval for the kids and unfair on my parents who are almost at retirement age but still working full time. If I can't start work at 7am then my employer is within their right not to offer me a job at the end of my training. I know it's a while off but all these things keep wirling around in my head if you know what I mean.
Only alternative is for kids to stay with my parents 3 nights a week but that is a lot of upheaval for the kids and unfair on my parents who are almost at retirement age but still working full time. If I can't start work at 7am then my employer is within their right not to offer me a job at the end of my training. I know it's a while off but all these things keep wirling around in my head if you know what I mean.