SS and Risk Assessments
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Hi all,
I'm hoping I can get some more support from you lovely lot as it seems to be the only place I can get answers!
For background, knock May 2023 for my husband - sentenced January 2025, 10 years on the list, 10 years SHPO but no limits in place in relation to children, only his devices and internet usage etc. Since May 23 he has been living with his parents, SS were involved up until December 23 with a CIN plan for our 2 children and I also completed a protectors assessment. Husband has been asked if he wants to put forward for a risk assessment from SS with the aim of returning to the family home and I've made it clear I am happy for this to happen with being specific that it is not a given, this is something I want him to do and then if I choose to allow him to move back home this is all my choice (to have the option).
I have in the last week received 3 different calls from SS all different people and to say I'm annoyed is being polite. I repeated myself with the above each time and I was told he can move in but requires full supervision the whole time which would be impossible so I asked what is the point? I cannot supervise all the time if he was to move home and also, I was under the impression rehabilitation was the aim? Currently I'm running around doing SR and everything because he can't even have them in the car alone? Where do we stand? I said i didn't want to go through this again and today they've called me to say i now have to have a single assessment alongside his risk assessment and I have to make myself available for a home visit tomorrow? I've let them book it in but in 2023 I had to fight to get them to leave me alone and I feel like this brings me right back to square one and it brings back all my trauma. I'm a full time working mum of two and this feels like it may push me over the edge again!
I'm debating speaking to a family law solicitor but can anyone share their experiences with SS on this matter? Do they ever have unsupervised access? What sort of things to SS expect from you?!
Thanks so much in advance,
Emily
I'm hoping I can get some more support from you lovely lot as it seems to be the only place I can get answers!
For background, knock May 2023 for my husband - sentenced January 2025, 10 years on the list, 10 years SHPO but no limits in place in relation to children, only his devices and internet usage etc. Since May 23 he has been living with his parents, SS were involved up until December 23 with a CIN plan for our 2 children and I also completed a protectors assessment. Husband has been asked if he wants to put forward for a risk assessment from SS with the aim of returning to the family home and I've made it clear I am happy for this to happen with being specific that it is not a given, this is something I want him to do and then if I choose to allow him to move back home this is all my choice (to have the option).
I have in the last week received 3 different calls from SS all different people and to say I'm annoyed is being polite. I repeated myself with the above each time and I was told he can move in but requires full supervision the whole time which would be impossible so I asked what is the point? I cannot supervise all the time if he was to move home and also, I was under the impression rehabilitation was the aim? Currently I'm running around doing SR and everything because he can't even have them in the car alone? Where do we stand? I said i didn't want to go through this again and today they've called me to say i now have to have a single assessment alongside his risk assessment and I have to make myself available for a home visit tomorrow? I've let them book it in but in 2023 I had to fight to get them to leave me alone and I feel like this brings me right back to square one and it brings back all my trauma. I'm a full time working mum of two and this feels like it may push me over the edge again!
I'm debating speaking to a family law solicitor but can anyone share their experiences with SS on this matter? Do they ever have unsupervised access? What sort of things to SS expect from you?!
Thanks so much in advance,
Emily
We've just been signed off for phased return and unsupervised contact when I choose for that to happen. Our daughter is 4 and has never lived with or had unsupervised contact. Happy for you to message me if you'd like xxx
I feel your pain. Daughter has been on a CPP since August 24 (offence was committed in Aug 23). They won't allow him to live at home and I have to supervise contact when he does visit the house. I have just recently employed a family law solicitor as SS have done absolutely nothing since the CPP was put in place. Solicitor has sent them a strongly worded letter telling them that they need to de-escalate their involvement if they will not do anything to address the risk. Have a stage 2 complaint currently being investigated with SS due to how they have handled this case.
thank you for your responses it makes me feel better that I'm not the only one in the world, although sorry that you're going through the same! I hate that SS make it so hard and clearly portray that they think you are stupid for not completely cutting contact with the offender, especially when they don't know him and have no interest in making the effort to understand what we have gone through to date!
I feel your pain. At times expecting social services to have competency feels equal to expecting rain to not get you wet!
My understanding is life unsupervised looks different to different families, different charges and under different local authorities. Much like the sentencing, and press, social work also comes down to a bit of luck.
Unsupervised access is possible, it's a grey area as always. If there is no existing specialist risk assesments of the offender against your children, and social services are not willing to fund it, you will rely on their conclusions. And if you are in agreement of their conclusions I guess you can move forward.
We were not - as social workers were out of their depth and declared him very high risk, however specialist risk assesment against his own children declared him very low risk.
Unsupervised access look different to different families. We are now working toward it and it's going to mean living together but no personal care (bath, bottom wiping etc.), and no overnight care.
I have read over the last couple of years people make it work with sleeping arrangements , and corridor cameras as well.
My understanding is life unsupervised looks different to different families, different charges and under different local authorities. Much like the sentencing, and press, social work also comes down to a bit of luck.
Unsupervised access is possible, it's a grey area as always. If there is no existing specialist risk assesments of the offender against your children, and social services are not willing to fund it, you will rely on their conclusions. And if you are in agreement of their conclusions I guess you can move forward.
We were not - as social workers were out of their depth and declared him very high risk, however specialist risk assesment against his own children declared him very low risk.
Unsupervised access look different to different families. We are now working toward it and it's going to mean living together but no personal care (bath, bottom wiping etc.), and no overnight care.
I have read over the last couple of years people make it work with sleeping arrangements , and corridor cameras as well.
Flower- can I just ask who did your specialist assessment? SS told me that they will not fund an assessment with Lucy Faithfull so I have no idea who will do our assessment and what it entails x
Upset mother, the assesments are very expensive however the price difference between LFF others aren't huge, there is usually a waiting period as well. It all takes months and months. Ours took 5/6 months and were done by LFF.
I repeat myself a lot on this subject here. The assessor, when instructed, is given a set of questions to explore, and the assesment is looking into. These questions are transparent but should come from social services. No two assesments will be the same as no two people are, and why/how offending occurred. The experts are highly qualified and are able to assess risk through interview, research and experience, and their education. If you pay for your own, this can be dismissed because local authority had not got opportunity to put questions forward.
Nobody could tell you that your partner will be marked low risk but if he is, only then you could have a chance of mitigating that risk for a life together, that can be your new normal.
It would always be wise to be prepared this might not be the case and open to the idea of him not being low risk and unable to return to a family life.
I repeat myself a lot on this subject here. The assessor, when instructed, is given a set of questions to explore, and the assesment is looking into. These questions are transparent but should come from social services. No two assesments will be the same as no two people are, and why/how offending occurred. The experts are highly qualified and are able to assess risk through interview, research and experience, and their education. If you pay for your own, this can be dismissed because local authority had not got opportunity to put questions forward.
Nobody could tell you that your partner will be marked low risk but if he is, only then you could have a chance of mitigating that risk for a life together, that can be your new normal.
It would always be wise to be prepared this might not be the case and open to the idea of him not being low risk and unable to return to a family life.