Any advice on my step-daughter and school welcome!

crutches

are they doing this to make their follow up rate look better?
eg parent interview under caution and now willing to follow our plan?

just a thought.

millymoomoo_2

Hello all, a tiny update for you!
Basically we've heard absolutely nothing regarding the interview under caution. It's been 4 weeks now? All I know is that my step-daughters mother has still not had her interview or been contacted or bothered to sort it herself.
We were told we would know what to expect in 2 weeks. Should we try and contact them?

sarymclary

Hi Milly,
I've read through your thread, and bearing in mind all the worry and grief DH and you went through prior to his meeting, I think you would be fully within your rights to contact them to find out how THEY are progressing matters. I would also contact Social Services to find out if they have been alerted to this issue too, and if not, make sure they do know now.

Bearing in mind DH's ex is so unreliable, chances are you might not hear the truth about her going for an interview anyway. BTW, how did she afford to go on holiday to Italy living on benefits??!!!

How are things going with talking to DSD about her future plans? There has been a lot in the media recently about eating disorders, and I wondered if her's might be related to a form of depression (given the truancy), whilst her mother making it so easy to bunk off school is clearly compounding the issue. Her behaviour and lack of responsibility towards her daughter are surely cause for concern to the school and SS?

It sounds like you are at least able to communicate with her, so why not try to gain her confidence some more, and see if you and DH can go some way to building some self-esteem for her. She probably just needs to find something that she's good at to give her a boost.

What do you realistically consider her chances of modelling? If you feel she does have what it takes, then she could look into doing some promotion work via an agency to begin with, while waiting for a 'break'. She'll also need to get herself some money together to build a portfolio, but if she's got 'the' look, she'd be taken onto an agency's books anyway. If she loves fashion, why not get her a watercolour set and get her to draw her own fashion designs, or if you have a sewing machine, maybe you could make some clothes together. Buy a basic camera and do some 'fashion shoots' with her, getting some nice shots to boost her confidence. Maybe an evening course in photography might give her an insight.

To get into a career in childcare she's going to have to have NVQ qualifications (look them up with a local college website). These courses are vocational, so she could be working as well as learning, and will feel she's actually starting to do what she wants, but she'll probably find that basic GCSE results are required for entry to courses, otherwise she'll have to do something like a foundation course, so best to try to get some GCSE's while she's still got the opportunity now.

The problem with most teenagers is that they don't actually have any idea what they need to achieve in order to move forward into a chosen career. With the right support and advice from you and DH, there's no reason why this girl can't make a bright future for herself, she just needs to realise that it is a realistic thing to aim for.

Good luck, and I hope things turn out for the best!

millymoomoo_2

Regarding SS my step-daughter turned 16 a few days ago. Am I right in thinking SS will not become involved now?
I so want to help her but I've told her this already (I told her to her face I'd do anything to help her) but I don't think she wants MY help. I don't think she likes me at all because she got away with so much before I got together with her Dad 3.5 years ago. I think maybe I should back off a bit but I'm not sure if this is the best idea.