At what point would you make a report to social services?

AnnieO1234

Sadly, yes it is the child I spoke about a week or so ago. He's my nephew by marriage.

I've started to type out everything I know (all information has been from conversations with the mother). I've barely scraped even the recent surface and reached 3 pages.

Auntie Dollie - what is a CPLO?

Nephew is statemented, mother has already been in touch with social services herself due to possible abuse by father. She kept son away from father Easter weekend, refusing to allow him to visit paternal grandparents due to potential that SS had already been in touch. She didn't want paternal grandparents gas lighting nephew. However this weekend she has allowed nephew to go to fathers... why? Because she needs the time off to spend with her boyfriend. A man who locks himself in the bedroom when nephew is at home, and would prefer her to move out the 3/4 days a week that nephew is there.

Nephew returned at the weekend to say that his father was taking him to GP next weekend (mother phoned father and said he wasn't, no parental responsibility, nephew has a gp etc etc. Father then got aggressive on phone, police informed again apparently.)

Father has also made allegations of mother taking financial advantage, something else that I am beginning to wonder. But at the same time father is expecting a new baby so would now quality for for tax credits and is threatening to be put down as main carer.

Previous social services referral made by the school due to unwashed and smelly clothes.

Ahhhh it really is a total mess and my poor nephew is getting caught in the middle of ever more entrenched parents, who seem to see him as a cash cow and inconvenience. Both in the past have been to court for council tax fraud and other financial issues.

I wish I didn't know these people...

Xxx

Auntie-Dolly

CPLO - Child Protection Liaison Officer.
It sounds like he will already be on their radar.

AnnieO1234

I think I'm going to phone the NSPCC tonight as someone has helpfully suggested, and then see if they think there's enough concern there to make it worth contacting Social Services. It's just so hard in one respect, but I don't want a couple more years to go by and my nephew to end up in a really bad place because I didn't do something. xxx

Noctu

From my (limited) understanding, the NSPCC will make a decision on whether or not to refer the issue to Social Services through them. You don't have to phone SS yourself after phoning the NSPCC.

I made an anonymous call to SS directly about our neighbour abusing his kids, nothing happened, I then made a call to NSPCC about a month later, who agreed that it was definitely concerning enough for SS to investigate -- they referred it themselves to SS who then sent a police officer to the house the following day and removed the children from his care. (For the grand total of a weekend, but let's not go there... when you're hearing kids being battered through the wall... :mad:)

dingdongsaving

Any concern about a child's wellbeing (inc. emotional) or safety should be reported appropriately. You need no evidence at all to have a concern.

If you're in an area where the relevant school is open you can speak to the/a DSL (Designated Safeguarding Lead) - most schools have more than 1 person in this role.

If school isn't open, or you're not comfortable with people knowing you/recognising you/seeing you somewhere you're not normally (e.g. at a school where you don't have a child on roll) you can report directly to Childline 24 hrs a day.

Both of these avenues lead to exactly the same process and multi-agency working. Outcome information is only shared on a 'need to know' basis and you won't 'need to', so you may hear back, but it won't be to let you know anything specific.

Reporting of any concern is hugely important. This is esp. true if there have been other 'low level' rumblings reported via police, school, family members or members of the public which don't indicate anything significant individually, but when viewed together by a Safeguarding Hub can be escalated to investigation level as needed.

Please ignore the option of school/Childline if there is immediate danger for a child - advice then is always 999 police, even for a school.

dingdongsaving

Having seen Children's Services may already be involved, it's important to add that if the child is already allocated a social worker additional information is passed on to them to inform processes already in action such as child protection plans/conferences.

squirrelchops

If the Police are being called they too will have put an automatic referral in to children's services.

lizzy85

Yeah. Go for it. When you think this is a big concern, what are you waiting for? You must do the right thing.