I need help and advise...

dont-trust-anyone

I need some advise from anyone who can help; Im a newly approved foster carer (under 1 year) and have been told by my supporting social worker that I will be going back to panel in January to assess my status as a foster carer. My last placement ended 2 months ago because contact was arranged to be held within my daughters nursery. I was given the venue list 2 weeks before the date of contact and the day I received the letter, I flagged it as a problem with my SSW, the childs SW and the contact centre staff. To have contact held in a place where my children attend, to me, is a security breach. The parents accidently knew of my address through no fault of their own or mine so to then know where my children attend school is too much.

As the contact day grew closer, I reminded the relevant people that the venue still hadnt been changed and I was told it was being sorted. The day came and nothing was done, I was furious and I refused to bring the child to contact. Little did I know, but the contact centre staff told the parents that this was my childs school and that is an issue to me! I had a manager visit me at home, encouragng me to attend contact and when I refused he said was I was being rediculous and I'll regret my decision. We eventually came to an agreement that contact would go ahead but it meant that the child would leave me the next day. The child didnt, they left 5 days later.

Anyway, other events happened that have only come to light this week; I was given a script for the childs meds that cannot be found on file and was use in court against the council so I am now accused of being negligent. Also, I was so frustrated I sought comfort from my friends via facebook writing 'Extremly unhappy with XXXX council' and somehow a screen print of this landed on my SSW desk! I have 50 friends on my account and every one I know personally so Im feeling very betrayed. It is a closed account too so only friends can see. So now I've been told I am to go to panel in January where they will decide my fate as a carer. If I am deregistered I will find it impossible to register again as a carer with another council. Not sure what to do or who to talk to as I cant trust my SSW or friends....

Uncertain

Hopefully somebody will have experience of this field.

However, one general point - never ever make any work related comments on Facebook or similar!

You say you have 50 "friends" you would trust implicitly. Really? Think back to the pre Facebook days. Would you have honestly have written exactly that comment in a letter and posted it to fifty people? You may well have said it to you closest true friends but did you have fifty people in that category? I doubt many of us did.

This is a hard lesson and I hope you manage to resolve it but the Facebook / work issue crops up on here in some form every week.

swbrua

It's probably not what happened, but if you're registered as a carer I would assume a huge amount of your personal information is known by the governing body (council?) and as such they could quite easily use this information to gain access to your Facebook account. All they would need to know is your email (easy enough to find for most people, you probably provided it to them), personal information such as your mothers maiden name, first school, that sorta thing (which would all be standard for them to know). If you are absolutely certain that a) your friends would not betray you and b) someone has a "grudge" or agenda at the council it is something worth considering.

Uncertain

swbrua wrote: »

It's probably not what happened, but if you're registered as a carer I would assume a huge amount of your personal information is known by the governing body (council?) and as such they could quite easily use this information to gain access to your Facebook account. All they would need to know is your email (easy enough to find for most people, you probably provided it to them), personal information such as your mothers maiden name, first school, that sorta thing (which would all be standard for them to know). If you are absolutely certain that a) your friends would not betray you and b) someone has a "grudge" or agenda at the council it is something worth considering.

I doubt it. That would breach all kinds of regulations and probably be a criminal offence.

If this ended up in court the council would have to disclose how it got the information so I seriously doubt the would put themselves in that position.

To me, one of 50 "friends" being malicious is far more likely.

dandelionclock30

You need to ask yourself do you still want to be a carer with them?, they have not treated you very well by not getting back to you with a change in venue and with the contact centre breaching your confidentiality to the childs parents. You have rights of complaint yourself through the complaints procedure at the local Authority/and with the Contact Centre and they have to reply within 28 days or so.What they may be trying to do is get rid of you because they have dealt incompetantly with you.
What about going to the CAB for advice?
You've learned a harsh lesson with your friends, dont trust anyone but yourself.